The Word That Haunts Me

 

I had one of those moments this week—you know the kind. You know a word isn’t right, but for the life of you, you can’t think of the correct one. So, what do you do?

You rewrite the entire sentence just to avoid it.

Call it a brain fart if you will. I do.

Anyway, in one of the many books I read this week, I came across a word that made me physically cringe.

Undid.

She undid her bra.

He undid his seatbelt.

I mean… really? Can you see my face right now? Because it’s not pleasant.

Even in my moment of word-block earlier, I refused to use that word. I knew it wasn’t right, even if I couldn’t immediately replace it. And then, like a lightning bolt to the brain…

Unfastened.

There it is. Clean. Correct. Not cringe-inducing.

She unfastened her bra.

He unfastened his seatbelt.

Much better. Even “removed” would be better!

I moved on, finished the book (which, to be fair, was actually pretty good), and started another.

And within the first few chapters… There it was again.

That. Awful. Word.

At this point, I’m starting to think “undid” is following me. Lurking in the pages. Waiting. And if I see it one more time…

I just might unread the book.