To Be Elected

To Be Elected

“You have two choices.” Serious tone.

“Cake or death?” Always a tendency towards flippancy.

“You’re not taking this seriously.” Hint of a smile, masked by exasperation.

“You’re right – I’m not. And you know why? Because this is ridiculous.” Grimace of disgust and impatience.

“You’re the one who wanted to do this, not me.” Wagging finger, below reproachful eyes.

“And you’re trying to help me. I get it.” Begrudging gratitude.

“It’s not like I don’t have better things to do with my time.” Arms crossed, daring further defiance.

“Okay, okay, I’m listening. Lay it out for me.” Placating gesture, attempt at appeasement.

“Well, the way I see it…” Droning on and on, clearly not realising listening was a lie. “So now you just need to decide what to do.” Expectant pause, eyebrows raised.

“I… I elect you to be in charge of the whole operation.” Scrabbling for purchase and a way out of the situation.

“This isn’t about me.” Tone suggests otherwise.

“But you’re so much better at this kind of thing than I am.” Just wanting to abdicate responsibility.

“That’s as may be, but I’m not the one who suggested this in the first place.” Smug, not willing quite yet to give in.

“Oh, come on, you know how much you love being in charge. Plus, you’ll do a much better job than I ever would.” Wheedling, now, unsure of future prospects.

“What would you ever do without me?” Really keen to just take control, but not wanting to admit it.

“So, is that a yes?” Hope breaking through the clouds.

“I suppose so.” Giving in, secretly happy about it.

“You’re the best!” Big grin.

“I know.” Wry smile.