fact or fiction
Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about our family dynamics, traditions, and if there's such thing as a 'perfect family.'
Roots
I fell asleep that night, crying as I always did. It was about 2:38 a.m...I set up and thought to myself “Now what?!”. I look at those 3 little heartbeats that depend on me to make things happen, and I break. Being a single mother isn’t easy. Being a single mother with little to no income, even harder. I cleaned my face at 3:11 a.m; I slept with defeat.
By Latoria Pierson5 years ago in Families
The End of Her
The End of Her She had taken to staring at the corners of her room. Eerily, she would stop talking and look, right over your shoulder toward the nearest corner to you and just…stare. One time as I was greeting her upon entering her room, she suddenly turned her head away from my voice and with that beautiful smile of hers, gave the cheeriest “hello” to some invisible person. Now this might upset some folk. They might assume that she was having a “moment”. You know, like the moments that they attribute to dementia or Alzheimer’s, when the sufferer slips in and out of the current time to visit some era past. But not so with her. I always had the feeling…no the understanding that she knew exactly what time it was and exactly who she was talking to. Whether or not she invited you into the conversation was another matter.
By Renita Shadwick5 years ago in Families
The Stranger With The Little Black Book
It had gone a hair past peculiar and was approaching down right creepy. It has been six months since I noticed the stranger, but who knows how long it went on unnoticed. I tried varying my routine to see if I was just being paranoid.
By Tobi Jenelle5 years ago in Families
Cara, My Darling
There I was, ten minutes away from selling my car and makeup online so I could make rent next month when the phone rings and a paralegal was asking me if I was my mom’s daughter and setting a day to meet with his boss. The next thing I knew I was walking out of a lawyer’s office with an old black notebook and, more importantly, a check for $20,000.
By MWM Pomodoros5 years ago in Families
Patena
As she looked in the glass the liquid shimmered, all the sounds of the room faded as she stared at the water. It mesmerized her, it always had. So elusive and yet so real, so commonplace and yet so magical. No one else seemed to give something so simple so much thought, certainly no other girls her age. No adults either for that matter, at least no one she knew, except maybe her grandmother Patena. They didn’t give much notice to circles either. Like the fact that all glasses seemed to be circular. There was also the idea of the glass itself, or chalice to be exact. So many questions and so few answers, always the same. As she took a sip of the cool liquid the noises and colors of the room returned. She remembered to smile and nod, as her grandmother had reminded her while hiding her thoughts. Hiding thoughts had become a habit, it was much easier to hide the thoughts than to actually try to mention them. “Yes! It’s delicious, the most refreshing water is always here”, Ena replied as she handed the chalice back to the priest. She was truly appreciative, the water has always been special to her. She really believed in its magical properties. No one ever really explained from where the water came. It was as if it came from the protected rock, but that really seemed illogical. Rocks don’t produce water, she knew. It was another thought and question to “saved” for a later time. She would ask grandmother later. Practicing for the Transformation Ceremony with the actual water of the mountain was exciting. She couldn’t wait to tell grandmother Patena.
By Elida Deluna5 years ago in Families
By any other name
The twenty thousand dollars felt lighter than it should have but she didn’t have time to check. Lily lengthened the strap on the duffle bag and pulled it over her head so it rested across her body. The handoff was clean. She’d taken the streetcar east on King, disembarked at Cherry street and walked south toward the Portlands. The Toronto winter of mid-January seemed to have flit right past zero and into frozen nostril territory overnight.
By Simren Deogun5 years ago in Families
Good Days
I clutched at the peeling, faux leather purse strap that draped across my chest as I traipsed down the familiar, pristine hallway of Pureheart Wellness Center. I hastened my steps, attempting to keep pace with the stout, fast moving silhouette of Nurse Jackie as she led me toward my intended destination. After about five minutes of walking, we came to a halt in front of a white door with “15” in golden numbers. Nurse Jackie turned to me with a tender expression etched in her face.
By Earl Jackson5 years ago in Families
