Amy does not suffer fools gladly while Ava loves them

As you all know, the Quill Sisters don’t just write, they also read. A lot.  Sometimes, they’ll read anything they can get their hands on. Which brings me to an essay I read at the back of a fashion magazine. The gist of the story was about rich people and how they spend their money. The essay ends with a story about a man and his issue with gravel. It seems, he does not like gravel driveways because the small bits of rock get stuck in his tires and then make a sound. He does not want to hear this sound – ever. He abhors this sound so much, and this is true, he PAYS a worker(s) to remove the gravel from his tires morning, noon, and night.

What is really funny about this story, besides the obvious, is how it illustrates that while the Quill Sisters think and act very similar, we do have differences. I read the end of the story to Amy and she laughed and was glad she never met this man because she would not behave well in his presence. Amy would just look at him like he was insane – because he is – and be on her way.

The HORROR – but don’t worry, he ends up happy

I, on the other hand, would question him about every aspect of his gravel hate. Did the hate come on gradually or slowly, rock by rock? How much does one pay to remove gravel from ones tires? Is it an hourly job or salaried? Is there just one person who does it? Is that all the person does? If the man is busy and it’s noon does he stop what ever he’s doing and go home to the “rock remover”? Does he think there are enough people like him to necessitate inventing a tire that repels gravel? What happens if he losses his fortune and has to file bankruptcy like Donald Trump – does he get over his problem or does he pick the rocks out himself? Does he consider this to be the teenage white-girl problem that it is? Can you write the cost off on your taxes? Can we see the operation performed?

Here’s what happens at the end of these situations as Amy is grabbing my arm, hard, and steering me away:

Amy – Why do you do that?  That man is clearly insane and you just encouraged him.

Me – Are you kidding? When are we ever going to meet another crazy person like that again?! When he dies, gravel haters will be extinct and then we’ll never get our questions answered. He needs to be a character in one of your books.

Amy – Who’re you kidding? You chatted him up to annoy me. Admit it, you did.

Me – Here’s the plot. Man hires boy, who is really a girl, man discovers ruse, falls in love with her due to her amazing gravel removing skills, and they live happily ever after. It’s called “Gone with the Gravel”.

You’re welcome, Amy.