Summer Reading

“Words! Bloody English language is full of them.” Margaret’s outburst after twenty minutes of companionable book reading silence sends me into gin-assisted giggles. We are beside the hotel pool, it is December 28 and we are enjoying the best part of any Christmas break, sipping gin and tonics under a shady umbrella and whiling away the afternoon reading our Christmas book selections.

Margaret adds after an eye roll and another sip, “Plus they stole half of the words anyway, purloined them from other languages.”

I offer a snort and we collapse into laughter again.

“Margaret,” I say, “I am sorry, I seem to be leaking mucous from proboscis.”

We calm down, resolve to not order another drink until at least 30 minutes has passed and fall into silence.

After five minutes Margaret, who despite being a voracious reader can’t stand silence for too long breaks it when she demands apropos of the first conversation.

 “Your three favourite words in the English language to say out loud. Go!”

I leave Aunt Lydia’s disclosures for the moment and quickly think.

“Number three would be Serendipity.”

We, after sips of our drinks, say it out loud to each other three times. I practice it with an English posh accent while Margaret tries it an American deep south Foghorn Leghorn style. We agree that despite how you say it, serendipity has a wonderful construction for pronouncing out loud.

“Number two in my favourite words to say is…” I pause for dramatic effect.

“Murmur.”

Margaret looks disappointed.

I explain. “Yes, it is subtle but is the best example of onomatopoeia I know.” And then I realise that word should be in the list but it is too late now as Margaret is murmuring murmur to herself. She agrees that it has a certain something after all.

“And coming in at number one in the 2019 Andrea Top Three Words To Say countdown is PHILANTHROPIC.”

The affect is immediate. Margaret’s happy face changes to a frown.

“Oh no, I hate that word.”

“What? Why?” I exclaim, “It’s so much fun to say and also a good thing to do.”

“I have my reasons,” says Margaret, now looking conspiratorial and secretive.

“Well come on, spill it. I am going to ask you for your three words next. So why won’t philanthropic be on your list?”

I say the word low and slow relishing the thick, tricky syllables.

“Well to tell you the truth and I don’t tell anyone this, I hate it because I can’t bloody say it. I never have pronounced it right. Always comes out wrong. I just can’t get the last “r” so I usually end up saying philanthopic.”

And of course when she says it that’s how it comes out.

“I prefer generous or benevolent to save embarrassment,” Margaret adds in a rush, running out of breath and blushing red. All talked out for the moment, she takes a deep sip of her G&T, lies back and returns to her book.