It’s another symptom of adult attention deficit disorder, thought studder, or whatever you want to call it that happens with frequency when stress, distraction or overload is the mode of the day. It would be most annoying if I didn’t usually find it absolutely funny.
The phone call
Store Clerk: May I help you?
Me: Yes, well, I hope so… I’m looking for the, the…
Clerk: um
Me: Sorry, I’m having a moment, I can’t think of what it’s called…
Clerk: Okay
Me: It’s the stuff that’s under the deck that catches the water that drains off decks, do you know what I mean?
Clerk: Yes.
Me: Do you have some?
Clerk: It’s in stock.
Me: Great, how much is it?
Clerk: um… What’s it called?
Me: I don’t know.
Clerk: It’s over by the corrugated roofing supplies.
Me: Okay… Can you look it up?
Clerk: I need the name.
Me: Yes, me too. That’s why I called.
Clerk: Can you hold on? I can go look.
Me: Sure, I’ll hold.
Musical Interlude
Clerk: Hi, Are you there?
Me: Yes.
Clerk: It’s Deck Drain.
Me: Laugh
Clerk: Laugh
He continued and gave me the size and price information.
Me: Thanks
Clerk: No problem.
4 comments:
Haven't we all been there before? You can see it, describe it, but can't name it. So frustrating!
How fortunate you had a clerk who saw the irony of it all. Many would just give you some droll retort and use the incident as fodder for a lunchroom laugh. That's not to say they didn't laugh about it in the lunchroom anyway, but hopefully it was in a light spirited fashion!
Ginger B.
http://coppertopcollins.blogspot.com
www.gingerbcollins.com
The clerk probably has ADD too and could relate. Why do you think he had to actually go over to the aisle to look up the name of it. He is sooo not going to bring this up in the lunchroom because all the other employees already tease him about his inability to name the noun.
I'm the same with people. If I don't meet them when they're wearing a name tag, I file them in the "people I've met whose names escape me" part of my brain. I have coffee frequently with a group of friends at a local coffee shop. I've done this for over a year. I still call Harriet "Hillary".
Couldn't resist tweeting about this post. All writers who struggle with dialog should read this. It's the way people really talk. It's a gem!
Ginger B.
http://coppertopcollins.blogspot.com
www.gingerbcollins.com
LOL... I've definitely experienced that. I think I have a chronic case of it. Too funny!
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