immediate family
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Family Tree
All he ever wanted was some damn peace and quiet – to sit alone with a box of Fuentes and a glass of Johnnie Walker. He had put in his time, working nearly 50 years to provide for his wife, son and daughter. With his children finally grown, occupied by families of their own and his wife ten years gone, he felt his selfishness was relatively justified. He was never a bad father, just terribly busy – often starting work before his children woke and returning far past their bedtimes. This left very little time to do fatherly tasks such as teaching them to ride a bike or building the tree house in the backyard he once promised.
By Sarah Lynn Hyatt5 years ago in Families
Luck's Smile
Luck’s Smile Busara kneeled as she cleansed her face with the ice-cold water from the creek. She felt it rinse the dust from her cheeks and forehead as it dribbled down her chin. The evening air began to chill as the sun set, it was around six o'clock in Tanzania. Busara was always amazed that the horizon she passed every day can look so different. She had just finished a sixteen-hour shift at the tanzanite mines and she still had a long walk ahead of her. Busara hadn’t found anything in the mine that day, as usual. She has been working in the mines since she was twelve. When she started, she was frightened of the long walk to and from the mines; but as time moved on, she got accustomed to it. She walked dragging her feet behind her, stopping at the water pump to bring back clean water. People had forgotten about that water pump, during a drought it started to get people sick even when they boiled the water. The pump always seemed to have an overpowering smell of rotten eggs. The government had built a new pump closer to the village and people soon forgot about the old pump. One morning, Busara walked past the old pump on her way to work. She was so thirsty that she decided to try to drink from it, aware of how unsafe her choice was, she had noticed on her travels that ever since the new well had been built the smell from the old well had begun to disappear. The day passed by uneventfully, and when she told her family in the evening, her father said not to tell anyone. The main water pump of the village was always crowded and dirty, so the family agreed to keep it a secret. From that day on she got water from it every day. She would leave a bucket beside the pump every morning and every evening she would bring it back full.
By Niki Newport5 years ago in Families
So, this is Goodbye.
James, I should’ve let you know that I was pregnant. I knew you would've made me stop drinking and I never would’ve made it full term if I was sober. As I sit here and down my last bottle, all I can think about is how much better off you would've been if I'd done this sooner. If you didn't have the burden of knowing that I’m your mother, you could've amounted to more. Please, understand that I had to tell the hospital staff that you’re their father. They need you James. You’re all Kiah and Dominic have.
By Janice Daily5 years ago in Families
Concerning Ladybugs and Time
My dearest Lucy, I hope you enjoy. - Amma Lucy stared at the writing. It was on a folded up piece of notebook paper, tucked inside the binding. She shut the notebook, keeping her thumb inside. Just a plain black notebook. Nothing notable about it. The cover was a smooth leather-like material, most likely faux, with no distinguishing lettering or marks. She flipped it back open.
By Lara Isabel5 years ago in Families
Like Mother, Like Daughter
You’d never know what hit you until the time comes. At least, that’s what Elaine told herself nearly every day. Things were tough, an immeasurable amount of trying, and trying again, was in Elaine’s past, and in her distant future as well. You’d think she could handle it well after all these years, but she doesn’t, and she won’t.
By AJ Lee Young5 years ago in Families
SLICES OF LIFE
Slices of Life By Maggie Heilig Aubrey suddenly became aware of a throbbing pain in her neck. The cold plastic of the cafeteria table was pressed determinedly against her face, doing nothing to absorb a trickle of sweat that crept across her forehead.
By Maggie Heilig5 years ago in Families
The inner prize
The cold stung his eyes as he shouldered the porch door open. He stopped for a moment to listen to the stillness of the morning, not a soul was moving nor dogs barking. Every morning Arthur would make the trek from the house to his paper-box gathering the morning news for his route. Crunch, crunch went the crusted snow almost echoing off the sleeping houses with their chimneys pumping out a fog keeping everyone warm. Another delivery another day, Art was thinking of Saturday, collection day when his customers would pay him for his labor....hopefully.
By Alan Kwiatkowski5 years ago in Families
An afternoon in the theater
On a beautiful, cool autumn afternoon my son and I were driving very cautiously and competently in his red convertible Mustang. I sat next to him in the front seat and I smile. My shiny brown hair played in the breeze as I watched excitedly as the soft wind moved the colorful leaves on the trees. You could see the little birds fluttering over the treetops and their sonorous songs could be heard for miles. My son parked very close to the cinema entrance under a tree whose leaves were orange yet still full of life. We were the first to arrive. He opened my door gently. We made our way to the theater’s back seats but when I unfolded the seat to sit down I could see that it was occupied. An old black book rested on the seat. Immediately it caught my attention and I was invaded by curiosity. He wanted to know what the contents of the black book were. With great care and delicacy, very slowly I took it in my hands. I opened it and was stunned. My hands began to sweat a cold sweat, I could not believe what my eyes were seeing. He couldn't believe what was inside, the pages were yellowed from the passage of time. A myriad of dollar bills started to fall out. I could see it spread over my fine white silk skirt. My damp hands were shaking, I didn't know what to do with them. I picked up the bills and put them back inside the old black book. Grabbing my son by the arm, I rushed him out of the theater quickly. He was curious to know what was going on. Everything went so fast, the movie hadn't even started yet. He didn't understand anything but he went out with me. I told him let's go inside the car and I'll describe to you what happened to me. We opened the old black book and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes went wide as an owl's. He exclaimed, "let's count is already!" The dollars were as soft as butterfly wings. Twenty thousand dollars. After counting all the money he said "let's look inside the book, maybe there’s a dedication in it so maybe we can find whoever owns the old black book and the money." The biggest surprise of our lives was written inside. We discovered that the book belonged to a woman. It was surprising that some time ago my grandfather, who was a writer of ancient stories from the old west, had written that book to his beloved wife, my grandmother, where he captured his great love story. It started on a long train ride. He was lucky enough to see a vacant seat in front of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. When their eyes locked they were struck by great love. Love at first sight. He was a tall young man with deep green eyes and very well dressed. He looked like a prince. She was a tall young woman with abundantly blond hair and eyes as blue as the crystalline water of a river. He often liked to travel by train because that way he would travel from city to city. Looking for interesting stories. She was looking for fine silk fabrics to make dresses for the most cultured ladies of the time. In his youth, he loved traveling but he did not stop writing beautiful love letters that she kept in an old trunk where she also kept her beloved old black book that her late husband had given her after they were married for 60 years. They were cinema lovers so when they got married he bought her a beautiful big house in front of a movie theater. In the center of a large room was a fireplace where they sat and drank hot chocolate every morning. The house was so warm and surrounded by a beautiful garden where different kinds of well-kept plants grew. There were orchids, geraniums, gladioli, and a variety of roses of different colors. In the garden, you could hear the whisper of little bees perched on the flowers to collect the nectar to make delicious honey and in the center of the garden, there was a small wooden bench where the grandmother used to sit every afternoon to read her black book. That afternoon in front of her stood a tall, elegant man, and well dressed, who was wearing a black gabardine suit. His shiny hair well combed back where you could see some gray hair. He was the man who had bought her one of her old paintings that was given to her by her late husband. The man had given him twenty thousand dollars for that valuable painting. She put the twenty thousand dollars in the black book but then it was time to go see one of her favorite Old West movies. She loved it because it reminded her of when she and her husband saw him together, and through the intoxicating nostalgia, she forgot that she was carrying the twenty thousand dollars and the book. Due to the 90 years of age, she often lost her possessions, for example, she lost her glasses, her umbrella, and once she lost her scarf. That's why when the movie was finished she was so excited that she rushed out of the theater and forgot her old black book with the twenty thousand dollars in it. When my son and I arrived at my beloved grandmother's house. We found her sitting on her old sofa in front of the fireplace. Gently stroking her white cat and crying unconsolably because she did not remember where she had lost her beloved black book and the money. But to her great surprise, we came and hand-delivered her most precious treasures, her twenty thousand dollars, and old black book.
By Joel Rivera5 years ago in Families
