The Secretary Bird, Friday Fictioneers, October 2015

Copyright Dale Rogerson

Copyright Dale Rogerson

I abhor her ingratiating manner, the sly puss.

“Your husband’s busy right now Mrs Adams, can I help?”

(Yes dear, you can tell him I found your hotel receipt.)

“Well it is rather important… and urgent …”

Her eyes gleam with interest. I pretend to consider.

“Perhaps I’ll leave a note. See he gets it, will you…?”

I scribble a note, and fold it over.

Later, the phone rings.

“Did I write Herpes, dear? Sorry, I meant to say I’d got Hermes, your mother’s cat. She’s gone on holiday. What? Of course I’ll help out in the office for a while…”

For one week only, at this time of the year, those of us in the UK receive the photo prompt at 7.30am.  Early birds rule, OK.  Rochelle, our fearless (or fearsome) leader seems to be awake at all hours of the day, however.  Incidentally, I agree with her comment about Blogspot, and indeed any site where I have to fill in paperwork in order to ‘like’ or comment.  Life is too short…

About Sandra

I used to cruise the French waterways with my husband four or five months a year, and wrote fiction and poetry. Now I live on the beautiful Dorset coast, enjoying the luxury of being able to have a cat, cultivating an extensive garden and getting involved in the community. I still write fiction, but only when the spirit moves me - which isn't as often as before. I love animals, F1 motor racing, French bread and my husband, though not necessarily in that order.
This entry was posted in Friday Fictioneers, Just Sayin', Published Work. Bookmark the permalink.

80 Responses to The Secretary Bird, Friday Fictioneers, October 2015

  1. Really funny story, Sandra. Looks like the note in your story caused a secretarial problem. 😀 — Suzanne

    Like

  2. Dear Sandra,

    I confess, I’m a drastically early riser and not much fun after 7 pm. But I’ll also confess to posting my story the day before and scheduling it for 2:30 am, my time. It helps to preserve the small measure of sanity I have left.

    Hermes? Oh this wife is one sharp cookie as is the author. I like her and I liked your story.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Like

  3. ceayr says:

    Perfectly scripted example of how Karma sometimes needs a helping hand.
    Love it.

    And re Blogspot, am I the only one who is forced to leave a Google, rather than WP, id?
    It does irritate.

    Like

  4. micklively says:

    Touche! Very funny: I’m still giggling.

    Like

  5. Ha. Funny. I recall a joke about a man who spoke English poorly talking about how he had gotten Hairpiece and all the women running away.

    Like

  6. Mrs.Adams is smart, but shortsighted. I bet there will be more secretarial problems in future.

    Like

  7. Sue says:

    Made me smile, Sandra!

    Like

  8. Sandra, a sharp, sly story from you, one I very much enjoyed, (but you know how I love puns, so…) One small punctuation item: just one comma before, as well as the one after, “Mrs. Adams”, (“now, Mrs. Adams,” 🙂

    janet

    Like

  9. Dale says:

    Love it! Smart cookie, indeed!
    Though I agree, once a skirt-chaser, always a skirt chaser. The Misus can apparantly handle it! 😉

    Like

  10. Hermes and puss is so different.. but it does give the result.. it’s good you can trust the trustless to read a secret note.

    Like

  11. What a delightful story to wake up to! Thanks, Sandra, for the early morning smile.

    Like

  12. gahlearner says:

    Hehehe, what a clever wife, I love it.

    Like

  13. Ha! Loved this one, Sandra. I once knew a couple like Mr and Mrs Adams. The word ‘herpes” crept into a dinner conversation once. He looked very embarrassed. 😉

    Like

  14. paulmclem says:

    Miaow…seems appropriate 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Wow! That was absolutely brilliant — clever and subtle, all in one stroke. Substitute a word for another word, get rid of the gleaming-eyed secretary, exact sweet vengeance, and get (worthless) husband back all in one fell swoop! WELL-DONE! 🙂

    Like

  16. Sightsnbytes says:

    How many times do we say one thing, but mean something completely different? Nice story gave me a great afternoon chuckle!

    Like

  17. elmowrites says:

    Hermes is a wonderful name for a cat, and yet it sounds like the daughter-in-law was even more inspired in her use of it! Fantastic story, as ever, you are to be commended, Sandra.

    Like

  18. misskzebra says:

    I’m sure I’d use a ruder term than “Sly puss”!

    Like

  19. hafong says:

    Hard not to smile. Hard not to get even. 🙂

    Lily

    Like

  20. The secretary isn’t the only one that’s sly here. A great story of cunning, it hits all the right notes.
    -David

    Like

  21. Corina says:

    I love this one! Of course it struck a familiar cord with me. Perhaps that’s why I laughed out loud!

    Like

  22. subroto says:

    Har! Har! That’s gold that one.

    Like

  23. LOL. That is a great way of dealing with the minx. Sly puss – both of them.

    Like

  24. Ha. Revenge can be so sweet. Love the way she did it, kept her marriage together, gained the upper hand. No more wildcatting for him.

    Like

  25. Really funny. Doubt he’ll be quitting the habit though.

    Like

  26. Melanie says:

    Oh dear! A most excellent “typo” on her part.

    Like

  27. draliman says:

    Ha, that’s a cunning way to solve a little secretarial problem 🙂

    Like

  28. Dave says:

    Do men still mess around with their secretaries? Talk about the obvious suspect.
    Still, I’d be saving her for ‘secondary revenge’, the oaf needs to be your primary target.

    Like

  29. helenmidgley says:

    I couldn’t help but smile, nicely done 🙂

    Like

  30. plaridel says:

    very funny. of course, the note was meant for his eyes only and not meant to be read by a third party. 🙂

    Like

  31. Amy Reese says:

    Ha! That showed her. Very cunning, Sandra. I’ll never be an early bird Friday Fictioneer. I admire your promptness and posting such an excellent story so quickly! Cheers!

    Like

  32. ottilliah says:

    Stylish revenge there.

    Liked by 1 person

  33. rgayer55 says:

    Color me tickled. Great piece of humor, Sandra. Your talent knows no bounds.

    Like

  34. stomperdad says:

    Ha! “I got Hermes”! That’s a great line. Well written Sandra. You captured a lot in 100 words.

    Like

  35. Are you sure that the cat has herpes?
    And why does Mrs. Adams have to help out at the office/
    is it a vet’s office?
    Is this the Adams Family?

    😉 Randy

    Like

  36. ansumani says:

    ha ha….Good one! I’m sure Mrs. Adams can think of a long-term solution now that the short-term fix is in place 🙂

    Like

  37. Susan says:

    Well done. Made me laugh with the herpes slip or so she wanted him to think. 🙂

    Like

  38. Oh there’s a lot of making up for that cad to do.

    Like

  39. Clever and funny! Looks like it’s time for a male secretary.

    Like

  40. penshift says:

    There’s a sneaky way to deal with adultery. 🙂 Nicely written.

    Like

  41. Margaret says:

    Great story. I like this wife’s tactics. It sounds like she’s dealt with this kind of situation more than once – she’s very cool.

    Like

  42. Judee says:

    Ha! Payback^s a bitch. ;D Love your sense of humor, Sandra, and how Ive missed reading your posts!

    Like

Leave a reply to Sandra Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.