Write It and They Shall Come...to Pass

~~~~~

Once again, my real life is mirroring something I made up. In the early chapters of Reckless in Texas, there's a scene where Violet's son, Beni, has a couple of the adults helping him test out some new cereal. This actually did happen with my son before I wrote the book. He's still miffed that Max the Cowdog didn't magically learn to play fetch when he ate his Reeses Puffs. Dang false advertising.

The rest of it I made up. It goes like this:

Beni reached into his box, fished out a few chocolate
puffs, and handed one to each of his companions. “Ready?”

They nodded gravely.

“Okay, go.”

All three popped the cereal into their mouths and
chewed. Beni scrunched his eyes shut as if waiting
for a firecracker to explode. After a few seconds, he
opened one eye to peek at Cole, who shook his head.
Beni opened the other eye to check with Joe, who did
the same.

Beni heaved a mournful sigh. “It’s not working.”

Violet looked at her mother, who shrugged.

Pushing open the screen door, Violet went out onto
the deck. “Why the sad face, little man?”

“There’s something wrong with this cereal.” Beni
scowled at the box. “On TV, they said amazing things
will happen if you eat it.”

Violet had to work to keep an appropriately solemn
expression. “What kind of amazing things?”

“I don’t know, but we’ve been eating and eating it—”

“And not one single monkey has flown out of my
ass,” Joe drawled.

Cole made a noise that sounded like a chocolate puff
going down the wrong pipe.

Beni giggled. “You said a bad word.”

“Oh sh—I mean, shoot. I didn’t mean—”

Violet strangled another laugh and gave Beni a stern
look. “Sometimes big people say those words. Doesn’t
mean you can.”

“But, Mommy—”

“No.” She turned to Cole before Beni could drag
her into a debate about exactly which words were offlimits,
requiring him to say all of them. “You still want
to gather those two-year-old bulls?”

~~~~~

Back to the present. Night before last I was working away at the computer when my son strolled up and said, "So, Mom, other than shit, damn and F#%&, what words can't I say?"

I scraped up my jaw and demanded, "Where did you hear those words?"

"You and Daddy."

And this, my friends, is why taking your kids along when you work cows is not always a good idea.

~~~~