THE WRITER Chapter Two



Taking Good Notes for my Report
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Having arrived early he sat in his car a 1946 Ford that he was making two payments on each month. One was the car payment itself and the other was the cost of repairs to keeping it running.

He laid out his plan of action; first he would position himself where he could see everything that was going on and collar the people for an interview, as they checked in.

He discarded this plan after the outset of 10 minutes for the first couple that came in was on the verge of giving birth and the woman was in great discomfort.

They disappeared into the delivery room and he was left standing somewhat dismayed.

Wow! He thought. “She couldn't be in that much pain.”

He had his note book in his hand and felt foolish just standing there alone in the hallway so he ventured into the fathers waiting room.

He thought to himself, “Well, here I have a captive audience,” and he could flesh out his story from the father's viewpoint. Which one should I tackle first he thought. Some of them were pacing back and forth and didn't appear to want to engage in conversation so he decided to wait until they settled down.

There was one man about forty, he looked to be calm so he ventured over and tried to start a conversation. After some niceties about the weather he asked if this was his first child to which the man said no, it was his seventh.

The writers mind went blank for a minute because he thought who has seven children in this day and age.

As he turned back to the man to question him further the man had fallen asleep and was snoring. Seems he was willing to let nature take its course without him worrying about it.

As the writer settled back in his chair he knew his editor would expect much more than a story about man with seven children who was snoring to fill a column so he ventured back out where the head nurse was. He wasn't getting desperate yet, but he knew he had to get something from a human interest viewpoint but he wasn't sure how to do it.

About this time he had what he thought was a brilliant idea. He sidled up to the head nurse but when he saw the stern look on her face he froze for a moment.

She gruffly said; “And what do you want?” 

He started to say; nothing but the vision of the editors displeased face came before him and he snapped out of it and said; “Do you think I could go in the delivery room and witness the whole birth process first hand because that way it would be a true story of what the hospital does in the maternity wing of the hospital?”

She, without changing the severe look on her face said; “I'll see what I can do.”

 

The writer thought “What have I gotten into now?”

Then the two "P s" Perseverance and Prayer came to mind and he hoped they would prevail.