The Truth · 3 May 2014
Regardless of how accurate I try to be when telling one, there are times when I cannot let the truth get in the way of a good story.
My wife, The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi, says that I cannot write about her anymore. She says that I do not quote her correctly. That I do not get the context right. That I lie too much. She seems to say these things every time I write something about her. Even when it is a nice story.
I have actually stopped writing about The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi from time to time in compliance with her request. But she is such an important part of my life that I just cannot keep away from writing about her for too long. Even if I sometimes get the story wrong. And even if I feel the wrath of my wife after posting it.
Which brings me to my rebuttal of my wife’s accusations. I really do not try to lie in my blog.
It is true that I do not always get the facts straight. After all, I am not being interrogated by Sergeant Friday and giving just the facts. I am just trying to tell a story. Hopefully, an amusing anecdote that will make people laugh a little. Sometimes life just hands those stories to you on a silver platter. And sometimes, you need to be a little creative in your memories. Or at least I do.
In my own defense, I really do try to get the facts straight, but sometimes the story gets in the way. Sometimes I hear the words I want to hear or see the things I want to see. Sometimes it is just memory. Sometimes it is just imagination. Or creativity. It is not that I try to make things up. Sometimes, it just happens that way.
Unfortunately, when I do not get the story exactly as The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi remembers it, I get in trouble. I get called a big fat liar. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” (She never really says that old school yard taunt, but it seemed like the right thing to say. Even if I get in trouble for it.) And when I hear those words, I shudder. My shoulders slouch and my eyes look to the floor in deference as I wonder what I wrote incorrectly or how I misquoted her.
Believe me, I try to get things right. Not just to keep from being scolded by my wife. I try to put her and everybody in a good light. But sometimes I fail. Sometimes I cannot remember all the facts. Or get all the right nuances correct. Sometimes, the story gets jumbled up because too much time has passed. And sometimes, I just make mistakes.
But I must admit, there are times when I remember the story a different way than it really happened. There are times when I change who said what to make things more interesting. There are times when The Mindboggling Mrs. Miyoshi is justified in calling me a liar. When it comes right down to it, there are times when I just cannot let the truth get in the way of a good story.
© 2014 Michael T. Miyoshi
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