Italian 003 / Rainy Thursday / Say Hello to Your New Amico
"Ciao."
He flips through the textbook with thick, heavy thumbs. Certainly he will be able to respond to this. Ciao. The first freaking word we learn. Ciao! Hello!
"Uhhh..."
His jaw hangs, slack and sleepy. He smacks his lips, once, twice. Then, I see it, lodged between tongue and teeth. What is it? Trident? Orbit? Juicy Fruit? No, it can't be Juicy Fruit. That's my favorite. It must be Dentyne. I hate Dentyne.
"Ciao," he mumbles at last.
"Como ti chiami?"
What is your name? This is easy. Any fool could answer this one. I could say it in my sleep.
"Ahhh...hmmm..."
His voice is like smoke belching from an engine. His mouth is closed this time, but I know what's going on. He's passing the gum around. Right side. Left side. Chomp chomp. His lazy lips part, and SMACK. The gum has been cracked. I grip the edges of my desk. What happened to decency, to that little notion that chewing in somebody's face is rude? I bite my lip and wait for his dimwitted reply.
"Whoa, whoa. I'm totally in the wrong room. Shit."
He chuckles. I squirm. This is funny then?
"I gotta get to Spanish. Sorry 'bout this," he says, stumbling to his feet and slinging his backpack over one shoulder.
A few final chomps and a piercing crack of his gum, and he is gone.
Idiot.
THE END.
How I used "shifty voice" :
My narrator can't stand the sound or sight of someone chewing gum, and channels all of his/her hate onto this poor, innocent guy who ended up in the wrong classroom. The reader is led to believe that this guy is an "idiot", when really he is just clueless and likes to chew gum. Although I have to add that gum chewing is really really insanely annoying. However, I do like Juicy Fruit a lot.
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