Natalie Braden
Bio
Just a manic creative, lazy wanna-be Wiccan, baby puke covered childcare teacher looking for an outlet to write.
Stories (4)
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107 Stitches
I found myself in a stark white room, itchy from the pilled fabric chair. Sitting next to me was man in a hospital gown, attempting to pick off and eat the chipped linoleum. I glanced down at my right thigh, embarrassed and disillusioned by the foot long bandage. This was rock bottom. I was committed to a mental health institution for a 72 hour suicide watch.
By Natalie Braden5 years ago in Confessions
I Was An Exotic Dancer For Exactly Four Nights. Top Story - April 2021.
“I’ll pay you $200 if you come to my car with me,” he said with hot breath, piercing my personal space bubble. “I really can’t, that’s against the rules” I rebuffed, implying that I ever would agree under different circumstances. “Come on now,” he persisted. I stood with my head cocked to the side to get a little further away from him. I watched as my friend Kadence flirted across the room with another man. “What do you think my name is?” she asked with her seemingly innocent, doe eyes. Finally getting away for some air, I whispered “Why did you tell him he was correct when he guessed ‘Christina’?” She leaned in slyly, “I’m not telling him the truth!” she giggled. “This is how you play the game. This is how you intrigue regulars to come back to see you dance.” I looked behind my shoulder to the stage. I was already way out of my depth.
By Natalie Braden5 years ago in Confessions
Thrift Store Queen
Above me hangs a square sign in its tarnished white and star-printed glory. Rusted bikes, Fisher-Price kitchen playsets, and dated plastic picnic chairs sit in front of the glass doors on the sidewalk. What will I discover today? I push the heavy metal handle and walk inside, hearing the hustle and bustle of some of the most unique shoppers around. A garbage pit to some, this is my tshatshke goldmine; my penny-pincher Olympics. This is my favorite gem, the Red White and Blue Thrift Store.
By Natalie Braden5 years ago in Styled
Why Lorelai Gilmore is Kind of a Crappy Friend
In the fall of 2000, Amy Sherman-Palladino gave us one of the greatest dramedies on television: Gilmore Girls. Set in a picturesque Stars Hallow, (a tiny town even my loner self would kill to live in) young Lorelai Gilmore raises her daughter, Rory, in all her single mother glory. Chock-full of pop culture filled references and mile-a-minute speech, their close-knit "friends first, mother/daughter second" relationship is one to be admired. Alongside the duo stars Melissa McCarthy as Sookie- the loveable, quirky, perfectionist chef; Lorelai's coworker at the Independence Inn, and trusted best friend.
By Natalie Braden5 years ago in Geeks
