Story Chat is more than a writing challenge. It is a unique and proven online program encouraging interaction between authors and readers. It’s part writers group, part beta readers, and part fun fiction and pure enjoyment.
SUMMARIES will publish on Fridays a little over a week from the date the story or poem is published. As always, one, or a compilation, of your comments will appear with a link to one of the latest posts on your website.
Sophia Vazquez had decided that she would be famous. Ever since she was a child, it had been her only ambition. That, along with owning a Barbie doll which Santa never brought her. She did write a very terse letter to the North Pole, telling Santa about his obesity levels, and that while he was busy stuffing his fat you-know-what up and down chimneys, Mrs. Claus was busy having her chimney swept by The Grinch. She never got a response, and she quit believing in Santa that very year. She was thirteen. But Sophia was never more determined about anything else. One day, she would be famous.
She moved to Trinidad with her family in the early eighties and settled in very quickly to life on the Caribbean Island. Her broken English, or rather her broken Spanish, depending on who she was speaking to, became her calling card. Sophia had a temper, and she could be heard fighting with her father from sun-up to sundown over the simplest of things. Her nickname was simply “Rosie,” and she never understood why all the locals would never call her by her given name. It would be years before one of her best friends explained that Sophia Rosario Consuela Vasquez did not roll off the tongue so easily for a Trinbagonian, so everyone just called her Rosie. She accepted it readily, as she herself could never remember anyone’s name, and called everyone and anyone, Pappy or Mammy.
Rosie was famous in her own right. The fiery-tempered Latina was the envy of most women and the desire of most men. Boys never interested her, as she had figured out pretty early that only a man could get her to where she wanted to be in life. She eventually met such a man one lonesome Friday evening as she was walking around the Queen’s Park Savannah. He was a bit of a Dapper Dan. The shoes, the suit, the fancy hat. He was well-spoken, and charming, and bought her a snow cone, even adding a little extra syrup and condensed milk. To her, that meant he didn’t mind treating a lady. Most of the men who would flirt with her didn’t have two pennies to rub together. This man went all the way in, even took her dancing that evening, and not to one of those garage late-night fetes with the tarpaulin roof, but an actual dance hall. He had famous friends who made even more money than he did. Bank managers, store owners, and even two politicians whom she had seen before in the local newspapers. They danced all night into the wee hours of the morning. Sophia had hit pay dirt.
Dapper Dan Steve had swept her off her feet. It did not matter to her that she had to walk home all by herself at four in the morning, as Dapper Dan Steve had politely explained that he had left his wife with the car, as she had the night shift at the hospital. He was such a gentleman. Her father didn’t understand what her fixation was with him. But the only woman he’d ever swept off her feet was her mother, all the way to a divorce and back to Venezuela.
Two days later, she called from the payphone around the block from her house, just as they’d agreed. She didn’t mind standing in the midafternoon hot sun at the height of the Caribbean dry season. It didn’t matter that Steve had to hang up several times as his wife had entered the room, and she would wait for several anxious minutes before calling again. Dapper Dan Steve was even worth the sunburn. They talked until all her shillings had finished, and then she walked home with the biggest smile on her face. He had invited her to a fancy dress ball that Friday, and she had accepted his invitation.
The problem was that Sophia had only two dresses to her name. One she wore every day like a school uniform, and the other was her Sunday best, which she wore… well, every Sunday. No matter how hard she looked, Sophia could not find a dress that would fit her or one that she could afford. None of her girlfriends possessed her God-crafted figure, and their dresses fit her like flour sacks. Two of them did fit, but she looked like part of the Von-Trapp family from the Sound of Music. She wasn’t going to a fancy dress party, dressed as a curtain. And the other one looked like a used tablecloth. She was getting desperate, but Sophia knew this was an opportunity to move in different circles, and her charm and personality would take care of the rest.
She was sitting at home a couple of days later, sulking with her friend Sheila. The Latina pout, with the mean gaze, which very doltish men thought was attractive. She could do that all day, but her father could see past it.
“Que Pasa, Sophia?” He asked her. He was always asking her what was wrong.
“Mm.” was her response with an upturned lip.
“Problemas con boyfrenno,” Sheila told him. Her attempt at Spanish always made them laugh.
“Stop the foolishness, Sheila.” Sophia scolded. “Pappy, I need an outfit for a fancy-dress party tonight.”
“Why not take one of your mother’s dresses? She left everything in the wardrobe when she left us.” He suggested.
For once, the old man had something useful to say. She rummaged through the old wardrobe and found a nice blue dress that smelled like camphor balls and pine and had some dried stains on it. But it was too late to have it laundered in time for the party. She could bury the scents in some cheap perfume and leave the dress to air out all evening on the clothesline. Sophia had her gown.
The dinner was going well when Sophia felt something bite the back of her leg. She ignored it at first, but then she felt something wriggling under the fabric, and it made her fidget like a Pothound with an itch.
“Like you ready to dance, Sophia darling?” One of Steve’s friends extended his hand. He was the doctor.
Sophia wasted no time in accepting. They danced to two songs, and she did all her best moves, seducing the poor doctor. Her father had always told her, if she went fishing every day, she was bound to catch something. Here, she was in a pond full of fish. She could catch and release all night until she found something she wanted. If all else failed, she would leave with Steve.
As soon as they returned to the table, she was bitten again. This time she could feel more tiny feet scurrying along her back toward the hem of the dress. Something else was rummaging its way through her cleavage up to the cheap, fake gold necklace she was wearing. Sophia nearly went cock-eyed, trying to see what it was.
“Oh, Lord Jesus.” Her dance partner backed away, startled. “That is a cockroach on your….” The doctor swiped at the bug nestled on her bosom.
Sophia screamed as the brown, winged creature flew away from her and circled the table. She could feel another one writhing its way up the same escape hatch as the previous bug. This one was bigger. She slapped her chest, and that seemed to aggravate whatever else was hiding within her garments. Several tiny little critters scurried down her arm, and now, she could feel them in her hair.
Sophia freaked out and began to zip down her dress, shaking her neatly pressed hair into a ruffled mess. The doctor, forever the pretense of a gentleman, draped her with his jacket to preserve her dignity as Sophia stripped off the dress, down to her underwear in a panicked frenzy. The applause reverberated throughout the hall. Sophia could feel herself shrinking to the size of a watermelon seed. The DJ, sensing the mood, instantly played a song by Lord Kitchener, to great laughter: Kaka Roach in the Petticoat.
“Nobody knows what’s happening. Just play it cool, darling.” Steve whispered to her.
So she did. Sophia put on that big tweed jacket, borrowed Steve’s big brown leather belt, and rocked this new outfit all night. She was the talk of the party, as everyone knew what had happened. But Sophia Vasquez didn’t care. She finally left the party with the doctor, as it was his jacket after all. The cute blue dress, she left right there in the middle of the dance floor. She would be the talk of the town for several more weeks. She even entered and won a beauty pageant, finally settling into a long career as a model and air hostess.
But for all her fame, everyone always remembered the night that Sophia Rosario Consuela Vasquez had an entire cockroach nest in her dress. But she didn’t care, she was famous.
***
Biography
Nigel Byng is a freelance writer, living in the USA. He has contributed to several
anthologies, including Happiness in Unexpected Places – a collection of stories
compiled by authors and media professionals from across the globe; and Life’s Poetic Rhythms – a poetic anthology from Prolific Pulse Press.
His writing can be found on Signs of the Times Australia; Hotel by Masticadores, or on his personal blog http://www.hytsdaily.com where he displays his love of fiction and poetry, and collaborative ventures with other writers from across the world.
He is currently working with Melissa Lemay, the editor of Collaborature, writing The Last Auction, an on-going historical drama set on the island of Trinidad during the mid 1800s.
You can follow Nigel on his Instagram: hyts_daily
Read his most recent projects on his blog: http://www.hytsdaily.com
Or you may contact him via email at jkbyng@hotmail.com
Something to Think About
Of course, you don’t have to answer all or any of these questions in your comment, but they add depth to our discussions, if you choose to use them.
- What theme or themes did “All About Sophia” have? A list of 25 themes.
- We’ve all had embarrassing moments. How did Sophia’s compare to one you remember?
- What did you think about Dapper Dan Steve? Did your opinion of him change any as the story progressed? If so, how?
- How believable are the actions in the story?
- What would you have done if you were Sophia?
- What emotions did you feel as you read the story?
Attendance
- Collaborature
- Esther Chilton
- Fata cu suflet de surneala She writes in English, too.
- Fenland Phil’s Blog
- Helping You to Succeed (author)
- Hugh’s Views and News
- Jan Sikes
- Keep It Alive
- Myths of the Mirror
- Roberta Writes
- Rum and Robots
- Silent Pariah
- Times and Tides of a Beachwriter
- Unique Times with Cindy
- Who Let The Stories Out (also Six Crooked Highways)
- Writer Ravenclaw
- Writing Wrinkles
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Story Chat Volume II Book Blog Tour Schedule
- Colleen Chesebro – November 24, 2024 (US) Thanks for reviewing on Amazon.
- Gloria – November 29 (UK)
- Robbie & Michael – November 30 (SA)
- Diana – December 1 (US)
- Doug – December 2 (AU) December 1 (US, UK, SA) Thanks for reviewing on Amazon.
- Cathy – December 4 (UK) Thanks for reviewing on Amazon.
- Amanda – December 9 (AU) December 8 (US, UK, SA)
- Dan– December 11 (US)
- Philip – December 14 (UK)
- Cindy Georgekas – December 16 (US)
- Esther Chilton – January 30 (UK ) Thanks for reviewing on Amazon.
- D. L. Finn – February 4 (US) Thanks for reviewing on Amazon.
- Yvette – February 5 (US) Thanks for reviewing on Amazon.
- Hugh – January 27 (UK)
Story Chat: Online Literary Conversations
Our video from Volume I is still up and getting views. My goal was 100 views, and we’re over that now! Yay!
Upcoming and Ongoing on Always Write
- January 17 – SCD Summary Post “He Never Saw It Coming”
- January 21 – Story Chat Digest #2 Micro-Fiction Challenge “Winter Storms”
- January 28 – Story Chat Digest #3 Poetry Day
- Looking Back and Straight Ahead Over a Cuppa
- Story Chat Digest #1 “He Never Saw It Coming” by Amanda Forestwood
- Embrace These Seven Secrets of Journaling to Refuel Your Writing and Blogposts in 2025
- Celebrating Sunflower Tanka Over a Cuppa
Marsha Ingrao Always Write 
209 responses to “Story Chat Digest #4 “All about Sophia” by Nigel Byng”
[…] for my homeland and cultural heritage, The Last Auction with Melissa Lemay, and my short story, “All about Sophia,” being just a couple of examples. In Trinidad and Tobago, we have such a diversity of […]
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[…] comments, this month’s story, “Sir Chocolate and the Gingerbread Church” was another Story Chat success. Bookmark it for reference. Take a look if you missed it. If you love […]
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What an intriguing story! Was the cockroach symbolic? It seemed like Sophia was willing to do anything to get what she wanted, including have an affair with a married man. And then, when the cockroach incident happened, she left with a different man. The cockroach seemed to symbolize that she wasn’t a very nice woman. In spite of her great success, that’s what people remembered about her.
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Wonderful analysis, Dawn. I think she had a set of morals that matched how desperate she was. It will be interesting to hear an answer to the symbolism question.
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[…] February 4 – Story Chat Digest 2025 – “All About Sofia” by Nigel Byng […]
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[…] February 4 – Story Chat Digest 2025 – “All About Sofia” by Nigel Byng […]
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[…] 252 recent views, 30 likes, and 202 insightful comments, this month’s story, “All About Sophia” was another Story Chat success. Bookmark it for reference. Take a look if you missed it. If you love […]
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[…] February 4 – Story Chat Digest #4 “All About Sophia” by Nigel Byng […]
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I love the story; each character’s introduction is always done so splendidly in Nigel’s stories. It was an engaging story and I found myself wanting something nice for this woman who so desperately needed to find herself a way to be famous or some body truly special. Nigel showed us that she could manage to be anything she set her mind to be by having the nerve to still pull off the evening. I mean no one likes a cockroach. Thank you for sharing and for hosting Nigel, who is a great storyteller.
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thank you so much, Joni. It warms my heart to see your comment, and know that you enjoyed this story. Always happy when you show up, my friend.
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Thanks so much for joining in and leaving such a lovely comment. It was a fun story. I’ve never been famous to know whether or not it is worth the effort. She worked hard for it!
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it’s the rule of life..what can only reap what you sow. Lol. She put in that work. Didn’t come the way she expected it to though.
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That’s what made it a brilliant story, Nigel.
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Our opinion of Dapper Dan Steve soon went downhill and I thought it could only end badly for Sophia, but what fun that she still achieved her ambition.
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She turned the tides by not really getting emotionally involved in him, and by using him for her own purposes.
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Indeed, Sophia was always focused on what she wanted.
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I do think that Steve felt he was in control. But Sophia always had her game plan. Two disruptive people with an agenda. His marital status was dis not appear to be a conflict for either of them, lol.
thank you so much for taking the time to read and leave a comment.
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That’s the funny part, Nigel. His marital status wasn’t a problem for either of them, and wouldn’t be until his wife found out. That would add a new wrinkle. At that point, I think Sophie would disappear from Dapper’s life. Sophie would have to find a new ladder.
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Exactly. It’s all fun and games until the someone gets hurt, and then comes the recompense.
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That’s true, isn’t it. If someone starts to fall in love, then it gets serious for them, and not the other, or the wife gets hurt or vindictive, or it could go any number of ways. It sounds like Sophie’s affair didn’t last forever, and she got the fame she wanted. 🙂 Great story, Nigel.
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Feelings do complicate things. Im.glad I didn’t take the story in that direction. I tried to keep it light-hearted. Thank you, Marsha.
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Me too!
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Oh my, this is such an entertaining story. I can just imagine this ambitious girl trying to be sophisticated in her borrowed feathers and finding out there was a cockroach nest lurking. I liked the way Sophia handled it and I enjoyed that this story had a positive ending for her. Great work, Nigel.
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hi Robbie. I am thrilled that you enjoyed this story. She did indeed handle the predicament quite well. Thanks again for the referral, my friend. This has been a joy, thanks to you.
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Hi Nigel, I am so pleased you are enjoying Story Chat. It is such a fun and worthwhile series to participate in 🌈💕
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It has been surprisingly enjoyable. Thanks again, Robbie.
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Sorry it was a surprise, Nigel. LOL
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I am an introvert by nature, lol. A lot of pep talks go unto these events
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I get that. In Story Chat, the focus is on you and your story for a period of time. I’m glad it was a good surprise, my friend. I enjoyed having you.
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And I enjoyed being here. Thank you so much, Marsha. It was a memorable experience. Great confidence booster.
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Yay! That’s my goal!
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This was a fun read that had me hooked all the way to the end.
I wanted to know more about Sophia Vazquez, and Nigel delivered that nicely in his writing. The characters, scenes and descriptions are all a delightful read.
The story reminded me of a connection to comedy sketch shows – Can you imagine how ‘The Two Ronnies’ (Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker) would have turned this story into a sketch that would have the whole audience in tears of laughter? Characters like Dapper Dan Steve fit perfectly with how those two wrote their sketches.
There are hints of comedy throughout this story, my favourite being the one of Sophia looking like part of the Von Trapp family from The Sound of Music. Laughter is something we all need every day, and this story certainly provides it.
The theme of this story is definitely comedy. Even though Dapper Dan Steve is married, I still could not help but love him because of the way Nigel introduced him to us. However, I did briefly wonder why Sophia dated him, knowing he was married, but then I remembered that she wanted to be famous and would do just about anything to make that dream come true.
Thank you for the laughs, Nigel.
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Great comments, as, Hugh. Does it get any better than Story Chat, Hugh? Always a new surprise.
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thank you so much for the wondeful feedback, Hugh. And I still watch sketches from the Two Ronnie’s. So many things from my youth influences my storytelling, and I am sure that the subtle hints at comedy was in some measure due to my adoration of that show and others like it. Delighted that you enjoyed the story. Thanks again for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. It has made my day, sir.
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We certainly got Sophie’s measure in the first paragraph, further embroidered in the next. Dapper Dan Steve came across quite quickly too – economical and effective writing.
She wasn’t going to let that little disaster end her evening though, was she? Amazing what a little determination to succeed can do. May we all be as determined to realise out dreams.
And as easily pleased with the result of our efforts? Maybe not.
A great bit of fun! I can imagine it on screen.
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It would be a riot on screen! LOL
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Oh Cathy, thank you so much. Short stories can be hit or miss sometimes when i write..it can be challenging getting the ingredients just right. I’m glad you loved Sophia’s story. I was so nervous sharing this with a first-time audience, but you lot have made the experience so rewarding. I would love to write for television one day… it’s on me bucket list.
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We can say we knew you when!
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From you lips to God’s ear. 🙏🙏
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You got it!
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Thank you, 😊
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😻
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I thought it was a quirky story – like Sophia.
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… with a personality of its own.
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That’s a good thing. Im glad you enjoyed it, Cathy. ☺️
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“She wasn’t going to a fancy dress party, dressed as a curtain.” I loved that line. It cracked me up. Nigel’s story has a lot of those clever lines and the pace is wonderful. I was engrossed in the story. I guess it wasn’t quite the “fame” that Sophia wished for, but it got her what she wanted. Great story, Nigel. Thanks for sharing, Marsha.
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Thanks, Diana. It is a very fun story. 🙂
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thank you so much, Diana. I appreciate you taking the time, to read and comment. I’m glad Sophia’s antics made you smile and that the story kept you engaged till the end.
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It did, Nigel. It was highly entertaining.
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Then I did my job. 😄
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An evocative tale of a woman to be both celebrated and mocked in equal measure but determined to escape her seeming destiny. I am familiar with the term ‘Trinidadian’ (especially related to the exploits of cricketer Brian Lara) but not Trinabogian. Is it somehow related to the Australian term ‘bogan’? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan
It would seem to fit in this case. 😉
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According to Google, “Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago.” According to Google Maps, they are both islands in the Atlantic, Trinidad off the coast of Florida, and Tobago off the coast of Columbia. I had to look them up, too. 🙂
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I saw you reference Brian Lara, and I immediately went down the rabbit hole on youtube of old Glen McGrath and Shane Warne clips VS the west indies. Took me back to the good old days. “Bogan” is an unrelated term, though I am familiar with it. An Australian editor once enlightened me as to its usage.
As Marsha already explained, we are Trinbagonians due to the twin island status of our country. I’m delighted that you enjoyed the story. Sophia is a handful. Love her or hate her, she will be seen and heard lol.
thank you so much.
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To continue down the rabbit hole, an anecdote about Viv Richards. He was playing in a county match and a young tearaway quick put a couple of balls past the edge of his bat and said ‘It’s round and red and weighs about 6 ounces’. Next ball Viv hit him over the grandstand and said ‘Seein’ you know so much about it, man, you can go fetch it.’
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Hahaha.. the old school guys were great at sledging. Viv was notorious for his temper.. big Merv Hughes as well. Trash talking was an art for those guys.
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Very interesting & fantastic write you.
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Thanks, Raj. He is a great writer. You should visit his blog and read some of his other stories as well.
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You’re too kind, Marsha. Thank you. 😊
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Most welcome , Marsha! Iam so glad.
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Thank you so much, Raj. I am pleased that you enjoyed this story.
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Really enjoyed this one, Nigel. You have a keen sense of humor, amigo. Incredibly believable characters and a good sense of place make this story shine.
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I agree, Mike. Thanks for stopping by Story Chat to comment. 🙂
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Hey Mike. I truly appreciate this, my friend. This story is a tribute and throwback to all the books I read as a child. Writers like V.S. Naipaul and his Miguel Street, where he told the stories of the people in his neighborhood influenced the style.. Your comment warms my heart, sir.
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😀
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A brilliant story, sending a letter to Santa was a brilliant move. Glad she got to be famous.
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notoriety is just the other side of that coin. She got her fame all right. Thank you so much.
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The letter certainly showed her spunk and personality. Great technique.
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As we say back home, Sophie had a hot mouth. She didn’t put water in her mouth when she spoke to you. That letter to Santa had me giggling as I was writing it.
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That’s fun to know. Our characters do talk. People who don’t write don’t understand this phenomenon.
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dialogue brings out the real essence of a character, sometimes.
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I agree 🥰
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Oh, my goodness, Nigel. What a tale! You took me right into the scene with Sophia and her dilemma plus determination. Fantastic writing!
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thank you so much, Jan. Sophia is a character I enjoyed writing about. Her determination is commendable.
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She definitely knew what she wanted, but I doubt she had any idea what was going to propel her there! 🙂
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All she knee, is that she was gonna get there, by hook or by crook. Gotta love her. 😊
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Can’t even hate Dapper Dan Steve even though he was a bad boy. He was a bit of a gentleman – even to his wife, putting her needs before Sophia’s. He would have made a good Mormon in the days they had plural wives, not that some of them still don’t.
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Lol… Steve has someone with an eye for Mercy on his side. But I have to agree, he did show a “kindness ” to Sophia while at the same time maintaining a warped fidelity to his missus.
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Warped, but there to an extent. Sophia knew her place!
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She most certainly did. I would have been an interesting conundrum to address as the writer, if his wife had somehow discovered her presence.
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It would happen in a longer story. Part two!
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That would be fun to tap into that story again. 😀
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I agree, Jan. I think this is brilliant, as Phil put it. I laughed for a long time!
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I’m so thrilled that you got a buzz from this story, Marsha. 😁
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I did. 🙂
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Truly a great story, Niquel. You had me engaged from the beginning and to the end and that doesn’t happen a lot for me in stories. I was so mad at Santa and I couldn’t blame miss Sophie, Rosie… yes, that name was a mouthful.
I kept wondering if Santa not getting her a gift (perhaps out of poverty, I’m not sure), gave her the desire to be The Bell of the ball. Sophie Barbie.
Well, she got her wish and she actually handled it all pretty well as the bugs were biting, heads sure to be spinning and everyone was Dancing.
Quite a story and with so much ingenuity and fun throw in. It brought me back to my dancing days… The show must go on!
Thanks for the fun story and surprise. Brilliantly penned!
Hey and she rocked the plaid coat but let’s say ignorance isn’t usually bliss Dapper Dan Steve and the price one might pay for fame. i can’t imagine the hiccups or roaches that might show up to bite him later. By the way, the roaches were hysterical.
👗👏🎬
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thank you so much, Cindy. Sophie was more than just a little disappointed with Santa. I think she handled her societal debut quite well, despite the roaches. I do believe that Dappa Dan Steve will have his comeuppance in due time.
And I learned that Cindy the writer, loves a good night out… I hope you were a hell raiser.
thank you for your warm and enthusiastic feedback, Cindy.
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You’re most welcome. I can’t blame her for that. I was mad at him too. She most certainly did and he most certainly will! Maybe he’ll land in the hospital and his wife will have to take care of him and it will be payback time. Next installment maybe.. lol
Ha ha ha I can’ tell all my stories but I loved dancing professionally in the day. I may have to share that sometime. lol. I was a straight lace, no fun kinda girl though.. sigh.
You’re more than welcome! It was a highlight.
🎬
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A professional dancer? Wow…. yes Cindy, you definitely have to share that with us one day.
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Definitely! 🙂
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A wee stint BC (before children). Oh you could spin a great story.
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You were a regular hullabaloo lulu? Lol. Maybe one day I will write a sketch about your shenanigans.
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hahahaha, hardly but people that know me might think so.. .. lol To be clear that snake was my son’s.
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Lol.. I hear ya. 😄
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😇 I was goody two shoes.. if i could go back… sigh.. lol
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That sounds like your story to spin, Tiny Dancer.
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Professional dancer – along with everything else! You never cease to amaze me, Cindy!
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Oh the stories I could tell… lol! real ones too, like you will soon. Thanks so much, I actually amaze myself if I stop to notice. 💓🙏🏼
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That deserves a pat on the back. 🙂 xxx
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🙌🏽👩❤️👩
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Those roaches were hilarious. After just having bed bugs in the hotel, I could really relate to how that felt! LOL
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Bed bugs are a scary proposition lol. As long as the roaches ain’t the aggressive flying ones, I’m usually quite calm.
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We had roaches in an apartment in Colorado Springs because we lived next to the laundry. The entrance to the building was at the end of the hall and some people kept garbage in the closet there. One winter, my dad visited us and wanted toast. I took the toaster down from the refrigerator. When the toaster started to heat, roaches poured out of it. I screamed, and my dad grabbed the toaster and threw it out the patio door into about five feet of snow. We moved as soon as our lease was up. We nicknamed the apartment complex Roach Country Estates.
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Ha ha ha… yeah apartment living guarantees roaches. No matter how often I have the place sprayed.
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Yes, they had it professionally exterminated each month, and we had our share of home remedies, but the roaches ruled.
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Oh NOOOO! They sure were. One time I came home from dinner with our 2 babies and I was wearing white pants and they were poka dotted with fleas. OMG I freaked because one was a small baby and we checked into a hotel for 2 nights and fumigated. I’ll do anything for a break. lol 😂
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You had baby fleas? JK We used to get fleas when we had a poodle in Oregon. It seemed we couldn’t get rid of them in the long grasses along the creek, the damp weather, his thick fur. We often had to fumigate. We’d take off and go to Portland to visit my mom for the weekend.
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haha. real babies. sorry. Oh my, that happens sometimes. I think the dogs were out of the house for awhile and we were on vacation so they had nowhere to go but my “white polka dot” pants.
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I was being silly. Sorry. I do that. 🙂 xxx
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I’m usually a little quicker on the draw.. 🤣
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Yeah.. no can do fleas or bed bugs. I’ll burn the place down. 😆
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It was a hotel, LOL. I reported it to authorities – even the American Cancer Society, which paid for the hotel for those who needed lodging during cancer treatment. Can you imagine cancer patients also fighting bedbugs and filthy conditions. I was super fortunate. One of my blogging friend’s brother and his partner put me up for two days so I only had one more week of hotel living after parting company with Bed Bug City Hotel.
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Well, you can never have a bed at my place then.. you just never know. Arson has fines you know. I’ll have to have you sign on the dotted line. 😆
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Lol… I grew up with a house full of sweaty messy brothers.. I’m used to creepy crawlies. I’m sure your places is well kept, Cindy lol.
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no wonder you have a vengeance for them.
Don’t be so sure, when I sold my old house the boa I had got loose. 😆🤣
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Oh dear God… 😳
Lol. My gym buddy owns a python. Brings him to work or wherever in her handbag. Very peaceful. But still scares me.
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LOL, This conversation between you two may end up as a separate chapter in the next SC book. 🙂
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LOL I was trying to remember whether I told her about starting a fire at my mom’s house. Then I looked and saw she was talking to you, Nigel. Whew! 🙂
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Excellent writing, Nigel! I really enjoyed reading this story.
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thank you so much, Bianca. I am glad you found this story entertaining 😄
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It’s always a pleasure to read your stories, Nigel! You are a brilliant storyteller 👏👏✍️.
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I agree!!
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Thank you, Bianca 😊
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Thanks for stopping by, Bianca. Hope you will come again. 🙂 xxx
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It’s my pleasure, Marsha! 😊♥️
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😻
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🥰♥️🌹
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I was curious to learn more about Sophia and how she was going to be famous. I certainly didn’t expect the outcome! I think I would have been mortified, but of course Sophia’s goal was to be famous and she certainly got her wish! You’ve given us something different here, Nigel.
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the entire premise of the story is based on a calypso from back home, which speaks about a roach infestation of a woman’s petticoat. I too would have been mortified. But you’re right, Sophia never lost sight of her goal. Thank you so much, Esther. I am enjoying my first visit to Story Chat.
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The background is fascinating. Thank you for sharing that, Nigel.
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You’re welcome, Esther.
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Your story is quite popular. It is brilliant, Nigel, and gets more so as I read the comments and realize how each little part of the story adds to its success, the letter to Santa, for example. I hadn’t given it much thought, but I could visualize her writing it. 🙂
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This is wondeful news. I really wanted to deliver a wonderful story, that would generate engagement. Beginning the story with that letter, establishes that even from an early age, Sophia wasnnot going to let anyone deter her, or walk over her… and she’d give even Santa a piece of her mind.. 😄
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I love that! 🙂
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That is the joy of Story Chat, to me, Esther. It’s always something different.
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I’m realizing that this is really nice vibe. So grateful for the invite.
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For me, the story touches on themes of survival and the human condition, injustices of social class, the search for self-identity, and possibly (no matter how skewed) love and sacrifice.
The humorous touches move the story along and keep the reader engaged. I laughed about Sophia’s letter to Santa, the name ‘Dapper Dan Steve’.
The cultural references make the story feel authentic, inviting readers into a shared experience with a world possibly outside their own. The moral and ethical dilemmas of infidelity, dating for a way out of a lower class, are all too real and relatable. They pull us into the characters’ inner sanctums, and stir our emotions. I don’t want to like Dan, but perhaps he exhibits tenderness in offering the jacket. I almost don’t want to approve of Sophia’s actions, but tied in with her motivations, it gives me empathy for her.
The cockroaches seem like almost a karmic response, in a way. And a lesson in planning.😅
Overall, and enjoyable read, Nigel.
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*an🤦🏻♀️
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Beautiful analysis, Melissa. I think most people can identify with embarrassing moments. Maybe not quite dramatic ones, but she was a dramatic person, so it fit her. I wonder where all the cockroaches went. They could have caused their own stir if people hadn’t been so caught up in her show. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by. xxxx
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Oh yes! I’ve had my share of embarrassing moments. I’m not thinking of anything off the top of my head.🤔 I’m sure in the moment, no matter what it’s about, embarrassment feels rather a big deal for the person experiencing it.😬
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When I was younger, I went from one embarrassment to another. I didn’t wear my glasses like I should have, and I waved at the wrong people, went into the wrong restrooms, couldn’t read the board in high school, tripped going up stairs, got on the wrong bus. My mom finally allowed me to wear contacts – not that it stopped the embarrassing moments. I never got famous, though! LOL
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Lol… you’re a riot, Marsha.
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So I’ve heard. Only when it’s an accident. 🙂
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😄😄
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yes.. her personality would’ve fit in to any situation and Sophia would not have bat an eyelid. She has a most defiant personality.
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example, the letter to Santa. 🙂
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Oh my word. I did sanitize it a little. 😄
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beautiful analysis and quite accurate. In my head, Sophia was one of the girls from my mother’s childhood. Poor, not much supervision, determined to survive and escape poverty, a child of immigrants who just disappeared into the melting pot of Port of Spain, and preyed upon by men who should have known better. I am glad that I manged to pull that off with a touch of humor and salutes to the culture of my homeland.
Thank you for such wonderful feedback, Melissa.
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“Preyed upon by men who should have known better.” Sophia almost makes it seem that she is the one preying. She uses Dapper Dan Steve for what he can offer. I don’t think her heart is involved too much other than getting out of poverty and surviving – becoming famous.
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Survival of the strongest. She understood the name of the game from an early age. It’s a jungle out there.
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I just watched a doggie documentary the other day, and the premise is that man, being the most dangerous hunter in the world changed things for the animal world. The trick became the survival of the friendliest. Dogs won out and are still winning and surviving (for the most part – there’s abuse there too.) I think that might work for women to an extent, too. I was in some potentially dangerous situations as a teen and young woman. I think that friendliness helped protect me. It doesn’t always work, but it doesn’t hurt. I think Sophia had that going for her.
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Oh yes. Having a personality that can navigate potentially dangerous or compromised situations, can be a life saver. Some may see it as a weakness though. I’m glad you got out of those hairy situations unscathed.
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So was my mom. I wasn’t worried, too much.
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Youth knows very little fear. 😆
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True and they are very sure they are right about everything. Humility is a hard lesson to learn as well as caution.
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The hard headed have to feel it to believe it. But thankfully most of us are spared the consequences… grace walks the path ahead in many instances.
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Exactly. I am one of those blessed by more grace than I deserve.
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Aren’t we all, undeserving? Yet as the song says, He giveth and giveth again.
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Yes and yes. And I am more than grateful.
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Amen.
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This is brilliant, Nigel I really enjoyed it.
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Thanks for your comment, Phil. Have you had or written about embarrassing moments that either you or your characters have had? I don’t know if I have, and what a great story it made!
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The only story that springs to mind straight away, is a story I wrote, with the title, Strange Times. The story is inspired by a dream I had, in the dream, I was walking down a road in Cambridge and without any explanation I found myself in the front room of a house I was walking past at the time.
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Sorry I missed out some full stops but can’t edit it.
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That sounds like a dream I had about Vince. We were in a resort, and he was trying to get a hook up for his computer in the middle of the night, and went into someone’s room. He was sitting on the bed next to a sleeping woman trying to get internet service. I got out of there, and the Canadian police came and hauled me away and asked where he was. I didn’t know, of course. Fortunately, I woke up before doing any jail time.
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Wow… that’s a messed up dream. Would’ve left me feeling a bit uneasy.
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I was uneasy! It’s totally unlike him, of course, but it was hard not to be a little put out at him for being so hard headed about having to get internet that he would put us in danger. And why I went in there with him is beyond me. The scary thing was that it was very vivid, and pieces of it stayed with me. I dream movies – sort of.
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Yes, I too, dream in living color. And dreams affect my moods until I can make sense of them. I’m one of those guys who write down my dream as soon as I wake up. I have two children stories that were the result of dreams. An artist is currently illustrating them. Maybe they get released this year. God willing.
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How cool! My dreams are much too dark for children’s stories, but they would make good mysteries. How weird is that? One of our good friends dreams jokes. He is hilarious.
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Lol… they must be continually smiling in their sleep. That’s is great. 😆
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Um, I’m not sure that they are all smiling. In my last one, Vince was frowning, frustrated because he didn’t have internet service on a vacation at a nice resort in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, the lady was snoring, and the Mountie didn’t smile at me, although I remember him being handsome. I still looked like a scared old lady.
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I meant the friend who drama about jokes. Lol. I would be worried if Vince was smiling while trespassing 😆
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He was oblivious, I think. LOL I was asleep, after all! Everything gets sketchy after a few days!
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thank you, Phil. Would you be so kind to share the link to your story Strange Times? I’d be happy to pop over and have a read.
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Nigel, I’m not sure how to go about it. The story is published in a book of my and George Holmes’s short stories, Strange Times and Other Stories. George is a Great Great Grandfather of mine and a pen name I use. It’s close to 4000 words a bit too long for a blog post. I don’t know whether this will work:
Strange Times and Other Stories eBook : Cumberland, Philip, Holmes, George: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Your link doesn’t work in the United States, Phil. I clicked on it and it wouldn’t allow me to do anything unless I changed my address to England.
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That’s a bit tricky, Marsha, I don’t want to distract from Nigel’s story and the discussion about it. I checked the longest story on my blog is Wednesday Again which is about 2000 words. I will post Strange Times on there at a later date and if it is acceptable post a link to it on your blog.
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I also have an Amazon UK account, so I’ll have a copy brought to me. I Auvergne a friend who travels back n forth regularly. And it’s not a distraction Phil. I’m happy if people reading the comments get to know about your work. This is the blessing of the community.
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Well said, Nigel. That is Story Chat in a nutshell. 🙂
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Sure. It doesn’t distract, Phil. It augments. If you link, then people can visit it if they want. That’s one of the joys of chatting. We share. 🙂 xxx
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That’s annoying Marsha.
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I know. Maybe you can fix it in your KDP account. I am not an expert in that.
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Thank you, I’ll visit and purchase if necessary. And don’t worry about the length of the posts. I’ve dropped stories in parts that are 20k plus words. Thanks again for the share. Phil.
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Thank you, Nigel, that’s very kind.
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You’re welcome, Phil.
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Exactly! (Only for Story Chat, and even that is arbitrary.)
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I tried to purchase it, but couldn’t.
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It won’t work for Kindle..but hard copies. The shipping costs are ridiculous, so I just wait till my friend is coming to the US.
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Shipping costs are ridiculous. I tried shipping the first Story Chat book to authors in Australia – over $30 per book. LOL
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Wow.. what was the work around? Did you find publishers/printers in Australia or distributors?
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no, I didn’t. I’m not as persistent as Sophia. LOL
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Lol.. I guess it’s a dilemma I need to consider as I wanna publish something soon.
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What it did was to quell my desire to send free copies to my authors – sorry to say. But the cost of our first SC book was killer. The second one was not, but I haven’t recouped the cost yet. So the publication itself is my gift to all my authors, and I love doing it. 🙂
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Oh dear. I’m sure that they all understand. I know a former colleague mentioned having to alter some stories in another edition of his books, so that it could be published and printed in that part of the world, thereby Allowing access to his fans in Australia and Asia. I hadn’t realized these regional restrictions existed even with Amazon.
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I didn’t either until I published. 🙂
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[…] everyone, my short story – All About Sophia – is now live on the Story Chat Digest. Host Marsha Ingrao has extended the invitation to […]
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What an interesting story Nigel. You make the characters come to life and then they have all our sympathy and attention. Great writing my friend.
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Nice compliment, Sadje. Have you read Nigel’s work on his blog? I’m enjoying the series he has going with Melissa.
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sadje is a die hard. She doesn’t miss an episode.
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Thanks 🙏🏼
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There you go. I don’t know how she gets around to everyone and posts twice a day, and writes stories for Story Chat, too. She’s amazing. 🙂
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She is a boss blogger for sure. I struggle to keep up. But Sadje does this with ease. One of the engines that keeps the writing community going.
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She really is.
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Thanks Marsha! Nigel is such a gifted writer and I enjoy his writing very much.
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I am new to his writing, so I am just getting started. 🙂
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You’ll enjoy his stories.
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I know it. What I’ve read so far have been fantastic.
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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thank you so much, Sadje. I appreciate the kind comments, my friend.
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It’s always a pleasure to read your work my friend.
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