Fourth Fiction: my paltry attempt

For those of you not following Fourth Night (FourthNight.com), it is the blog-based reality show where readers eliminate writers. And those brave or foolish enough to "play along at home" can post their own answers to each challenge. Being fascinated by Fourth Night and always interested in things creative, I thought I'd give it a try. Unlike the contestants, who could win a contest, I am doing this for my own pleasure. Of course, the only risk I take here is one of utter embarrassment and abject failure. But, of course, that presumes that someone other than myself reads this.

Well, here is my answer to the first challenge - write the opening sentence of your novella:

The conversation rambled the same well-worn paths those rare times he caught the old man on the phone; talk of sports would lead to politics and on in to work, then just before his father would hustle off to find his mother there would follow the same game.