Michael: Put your little markey at the top.

Melissa: But I wanted to talk about tents!

Michael: We are, right now!

     Okay, right off the fecking bat.

     No exclamation points.

Melissa: If you keep talking about exclamation points, all our posts are going to be about exclamation points! Give it up! Exclamation points are going to happen! See?

Michael: “Give it up” didn’t need one.

Melissa: Didn’t it?

Michael: No, you added it superfluously.

Melissa: Stop talking about exclamation points!

Michael: We’re not talking about exclamation points. We are talking about writing about writing about uh—tents.

Melissa: “Yeah, statue!”

Michael: See, you couldn’t even do it for that one?

Melissa: Whaddyou mean?

Michael: Say it first!

     Try to make them two separate acts.

     I don’t want your typing to influence what you say.

Melissa: It isn’t!

Michael: It is! Because it always ends up sounding so much more flowery than you really talk.

     I’ve done it twice myself already. And I wasn’t even typing!

Melissa: How is anything I’ve said “flowery”?

Michael: Well, that’s because we removed it. And don’t think I didn’t notice that last exclamation point!

Melissa: We haven’t removed anything I’ve said!

Michael: Well not removed.

Melissa: Give me one example.

Michael: Okay, not removing it, changing it.

Melissa: Like where?

Michael: I don’t remember.

Melissa: That’s because it didn’t happen.

Michael: Just because I don’t remember doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Melissa: But I don’t remember either and that’s because it didn’t happen.

Michael: Good, you did it that time!

     And you’re allowed to use the exclamation point!

Melissa: Woohoo!

Michael: But not again!

Melissa: Whoops.

Michael: Maybe that’s where it ends.

Melissa: But we haven’t talked about tents!

Michael: We’re not going to talk about tents!

Melissa: I’m very disappointed.

Michael: But we’ve been writing about writing about tents. So indirectly, we have been talking about tents.

Melissa: But I wanted to talk about my memory of sleeping in a tent in my backyard when I was little!

Michael: That shouldn’t have an exclamation point. You didn’t even say it as an exclamation point.

Melissa: You didn’t sense the enthusiasm in my voice?

Michael: I know you’re enthusiastic! You just didn’t say it that way, with that little up-twist at the end.

     You just said it out straight.

Melissa: Isn’t an up-twist a question mark?

Michael: Yeah, you’re right.

     Then I mean—

     do another dash.