Friday, January 14, 2011

Sweet Nothings

The Red Dress prompt this week was to pull out an item from your pantry and incorporate the ingredients in a story. Hey, I may have pulled the easiest thing (organic honey), but I just couldn't make my brain hurt too much this Friday!


“You never call me a pet name. You ever notice that?” He asked.

“What are you talking about?” I said, puzzled.

“Well, most boyfriends and girlfriends call each other things like ‘Baby’ or ‘Sweety,’” he explained.

Eww. I thought. “So, what are you trying to say?”

“It would just be nice to hear you call me something, you know, affectionate. It would show that you loved me,” he said.

“I don’t see why I need to call you some kind of ridiculous name like ‘Honey’ or ‘Sugar’ in order to show that I love you,” I said hotly, starting to feel irritated.

It just didn’t feel right. Nothing about this relationship felt right.

“Can you just give it a try?” he pushed.

I was incredulous. “You want me to say something, even though I find it silly, just because you think it shows that I love you?”

“If you really loved me, you wouldn’t find it silly, honey.” His voice was tight. He enunciated each word carefully. Like I was stupid.

“Oh, come on, you know I love you!” I said in a bright voice, trying to lighten the mood.

He stared at me.

I considered my next move.

“Well, which, uh, name do you like best?” I asked.

“Baby. I’d like you to call me ‘baby’ sometimes,” he said. “Like, you could say, ‘How was your day, baby.’ It sounds so loving.”

He was completely serious.

“Um, ok. I’ll try,” I said. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it.

Nothing about this relationship felt right.

28 comments:

Jessica Anne said...

I'm with her, pet names are fine if they come naturally but just weird if they're forced. I like how you used a little thing to show how the relationship isn't quite right. Great job!

{Stephanie}The Drama Mama said...

I dont even care that you used "honey" from your cabinet and totally cheated. :P I love your story. I love the dialogue and how well you show how demanding he is over her just through their words alone.

I am signed in through my writing blog account but it's still me. ;)
--The Drama Mama

Cristina said...

hey sugar honey! I want to smack him, I really do, I hate needy men, lol

Yvonne said...

I found this kind of funny. Loved it.

SherilinR said...

next thing she knows, he'll be requiring x number of "i love you"'s throughout the day as well.

MultipleMum said...

Nothing about the relationship sounds right! What a dysfunctional couple you have selected PnP! I reckon if you have to have a conversation about terms of endearment you have some connection issues. Cute story and excellent use of the prompt x

Babes Mami said...

Pet names creep me out!! I will admit my husband and I call each other 'booshie' but it has this background story no one cares about but we do lol. I think the honey, baby, sugar thing is gross.

Cheryl said...

Yes. Forced endearments are SO icky. Especially if you're not feeling it. At all. Fun post!!

Rathi said...

Pet names creep me out, I can do that probably like while texting.. but saying those words make me feel like something's crawling over me... this is a funny post because it brought so many memories back together... the things i did in college... gosh!

Tina said...

I have never been one for pet names either. I think I would cringe if my husband sed 'honey' to me haha!

Venassa said...

Very nicely written. I'm not such a fan of pet names either. Sometimes they come out, other times it feels so forced and not right. Hun, is the only one that feels okay with me. Or calling my nephew 'baby'.

Katie said...

What a cool writitng prompt!
Good job!

Ca88andra said...

You write well! I have a tendency to call everyone "sweetie" - that includes sons, lovers and friends. Its kind of an all encompassing pet name.

Anonymous said...

Great stuff... loved the back and forth!

Reagan said...

What did you end up doing?

Kristy @Loveandblasphemy said...

This was a true story from an old, long ago boyfriend. I was young. And, yes, dumb. It was not a good relationship, I never called him a pet name, it only got worse from there, and thank goodness I had the where-with-all to dump his butt, get rid of him, and I never saw him again.

Now? I LOVE pet names!!! It comes so natural and easy. I call everyone honey. It feels right and loving. I call my husband honey most of the time. I call my son, my bub, and all sorts of other stuff. Even the cat and fish get sappy little cute names. Sometimes.

Dumb Mom said...

I cal my dudes pet names all the time. But, not Dumb Dad. Somehow I don't think he's dying to be called suga boogie anyway, so yeah!

Amy Sullivan said...

This was great. What a fun prompt! I might get in on the next one.

Not Just Another Jennifer said...

Great job! I completely overdo the pet names (I hear myself and think I'm ridiculous at times). It's hilarious though when our 3-YO calls my DH "babe" because she's heard me call him that. :)

Nancy C said...

Yeah, he's got serious control issues. And "baby" is probably the worst of the bunch. You've got two characters with some real "meat" here. There's a lot to work with, even though it might not end well...

Nicely done.

Melissa said...

Fabulous! I love how much you convey about these characters and the status of their relationship with just a discussion of pet names. Well done.

Tina L. Hook said...

Whenever a relationship feels forced it is bad news.

Heather said...

Oh how true about pet names. It's one thing if they come naturally. It's a completely other thing if not. So trite.

Stopping by from SITS.

sandra said...

Visiting from SITS. Nice writing! I can tell you really enjoyed it. One always knows if their pet name is really sweetness or an excuse for sarcasm. Sandra

Anonymous said...

Very well written. It made me feel really annoyed for the protagonist!

I think it's really awkward when someone asks you to call you a specific pet name. I think that they should come naturally and evolve with time. For example, the pet names my husband and I call each other were kind of made up without intention and they just kind of stuck. In my mind that's the way it should be.

Anonymous said...

online dating sites absolutely free http://loveepicentre.com/ free dating phone services in maryland

Anonymous said...

[url=http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/provigrax.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/7.jpg[/img][/url]
archers pharmacy http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/zithromax.htm cvs pharmacy carbondale [url=http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/tetracycline.htm]pharmacy technician jobs in delaware[/url]
pharmacy customer service http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/strattera.htm montana pharmacy school [url=http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/ed-discount-pack-2.htm]ed discount pack 2[/url]
pentoxyifylline equine pharmacy http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/bystolic.htm does albertsons pharmacy carry plan b pill [url=http://redbrickstore.co.uk/catalogue/y.htm]kohlls pharmacy omaha[/url]
pharmacy technician jobs in 33948 http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/lipitor.htm full pharmacy of pain killers to buy [url=http://redbrickstore.co.uk/products/avapro.htm]avapro[/url]

Anonymous said...

dvd player software linux http://downloadoemsoftware.co.uk/es/product-37361/VersionTracker-Pro-4-0 opensource portal software [url=http://downloadoemsoftware.co.uk/product-16444/BitClamp-Mac]open source training software[/url] shopping cart software worldship ups
[url=http://downloadoemsoftware.co.uk/it/category-8/Herramientas-de-la-Oficina]Herramientas de la Oficina - Cheap Legal OEM Software, Software Sale, Download OEM[/url] tascam multitrack recording software
[url=http://downloadoemsoftware.co.uk/de/category-5/PC-Diagnose][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/1.gif[/img][/url]