Speech

My sister called the other day. That was monumental because she doesn't call anyone in the family.In fact if  you call her she doesn't return your calls, or texts, or smoke signals.

Since being a very small child, she has played the victim and pushes everyone away. She's always been angry, her reality has always been different from all of us around her. She's generally mean with a huge chip on her shoulder. But she is my sister and while I don't like her most of the time I do love her. She's behaved this way since she was at least 6 years old. 
Odd, I know. Nothing can be discussed or she gets angry and it gets ugly. We all have tried. After my mom died it only got worse. It just is what it is now. We all tread lightly and cautiously.

She called to ask about Rick, which was so out of character that I was seriously Gob Smacked.
I thanked her and acted like this was normal and we had a nice conversation.
Then she went on to tell me that she was telling her new boyfriend (she's a widow) about me having to practice my R's for speech class and how it drove the family crazy and would make me cry. (The sound was like ERR ERR ERR)

It was very nice to have her call and it was even nicer that we could laugh like that. 
It is so rare with her I'm sorry to say. I thanked her for making my day and calling. 

I was over at Mike's blog and he was talking about words pronounced incorrectly as well as saying them with a speech impediment and I had to laugh that this seemed to be this week's topic with everyone  apparently.

I couldn't say my R's. I remember coming home from school with a note stating that I had to go to speech classes 3 times a week at school. I was removed from my reading class and went to speech class in another room since first grade. 
I loved the characters that took the class with me. We were all together until the 7th grade in this class. A class of misfits. 

There was a dirty little boy named Chuck that was so funny. He always looked dirty, and the thing I remember most is that he was so happy. He was always smiling. Dressed like Beaver Cleaver with dirt on his rolled up jeans and he would pull things out of his jeans pockets and once it was a small frog. WHAT? He waited until class to show everyone. The teacher, Mr. Simon was not happy about this one bit. Ah, back in the oh so innocent days.

I remember telling my mom about dirty Chuck and she said that she was sure he wasn't dirty. 
I kept insisting that he needed a bath. I find that quite funny today that I was so worried about his hygiene and clothing at age 7. Not much has changed it seems.

Heather was another girl in my speech class and she couldn't say her S's and the TH sound. 
She also had a pet monkey and that was all I cared about. I know I've written about that monkey here before. I was obsessed with her monkey. I remember telling my mom this and her only comment was, "How filthy and smelly that must be at their house?"  I couldn't comprehend that being a lover of monkeys, gorilla's and the like, this was beyond thrilling to me.  I even invited myself to her house once. She said sure but my mom didn't take me. I just wanted to play with the monkey darn it.

There was another little girl who was so shy and quiet. She barely spoke except to repeat our lessons out loud and to practice the sound of the letter or letters you struggled with. She usually just looked at the floor when she spoke and I do recall Mr. Simon telling her to hold her head up a great deal of the time.  She and I were both stuttered as well as having a problem with R's and S's. (She was an S person, not an R) She stuttered a great deal and looking back I am sure that was why she appeared so shy.  I, on the other hand, did not stutter consistently. I was more the type that the faster I spoke, the more it occurred. And sometimes it happened for no apparent reason. Oh and it still does with a few drinks. But most often if I had a few too many, the R's slip as well, and by God Rick will point it out. He finds it funny and cute. A grown woman saying Wabbit is not cute or funny.

Because I had to say my R sounds for 30 minutes a night and my parents had to sign a paper stating I did indeed hurt their eardrums with my Rrrrrr'ing there were times when I got off with only 15 minutes. My sister reminded me of the time that my mom was washing the dishes and my sister was at the kitchen table coloring. I was drying the dishes. My mom said, "Peg why don't you finish up your R's while you are practicing your scales on the piano?"  Now as an adult, I realize she just couldn't take it anymore so go in the damn living room and make that noise in there.

I went into the living room where my father was reading his paper and I began to practice my lessons and my scales while Rrr, err, rrr'ing.  After what seemed like a few minutes, my father came over the piano saying nothing and slowily put the cover down over the keys and told me to go practice my R's in my room. I was being shooed away again because no one wanted to listen to this.

I went to my room crying and my little sister came in and said, "If you want me to I will listen to you Rrr'ing Peggy."  And God love her she sat on the bed and I timed myself for 15 minutes and did my annoying sounds and she sat and listened.  

Apparently while telling her new boyfriend this he laughed hysterically. She said that he asked, "what were you thinking just listening to her roar like that?" Pam answered that she doesn't remember it being annoying she was just listening and coloring and it made me stop crying. 

I think honestly that was one of the few times she was nice to me.
I'm glad she reminded me and we got to have a good laugh this week. 
I've had a stressful couple of months and it was so needed.
Nice to find the comfort from someone you'd never expect to receive it from.