fact or fiction
Is it a fact or is it merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores relationship myths and truths to get your head out of the clouds and back into romantic reality.
Winners
Monday The air at the station blows like a convection oven, passing over and under her dress. No amount of hair wax will tame the errant, bean sprout curls along her neck and forehead. Beads of nervous perspiration dot her body in anticipation of the forthcoming interview questions. Rachel Herrera wants, no, needs this job.
By Francesca Flood, Ed.D.5 years ago in Humans
Three Rivers and a Blessing
It was Cecilia’s third visit to the small white church with the red and black motorcycle on the roof above the entryway. EVERYONE WELCOME the sign read, and right above that, THREE RIVERS BIKER CHURCH. Cecilia had decided to wear khaki dress pants and a simple wool sweater vest that was the hue of a bursting raincloud combined with a long-sleeve white button up blouse underneath. Last Sunday when she attended the church, she had realized that no one here dressed elegantly. Even more so, she had noticed that most everyone, including the women, wore jeans. And there was not a drop of makeup or piece of jewelry in the place. Cecilia judged by the glances of the others that her bright blue satin dress and diamond earrings were a bit much, and she had vowed to blend in more this Sunday. Not just because she was new to town seeking a home church and every other church was forty-five minutes away, but also because she thought maybe that was the reason behind the nearly seven-foot-tall three-hundred-pound biker, Kiran, intently watching her the last two Sundays.
By Brandi Ashley 5 years ago in Humans
The Bus Ride
The dyslexic homeless threw his ticket away after assuming he was holding a loser. "So close," he mumbled. I did not mean to peek at his numbers on the bus but his broken socks caught my attention. I almost wanted to take mine off my feet and give them to him. But then he may have thought me to be the weird one. I watched him fold it up and tuck his 'garbage ticket' between the two seats where he was sitting. Eventually he got off the bus, I slipped the ticket into my bag and opened it up when I got out. As I was unfolding the ticket, an ocean of thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously: Maybe I was the one who read the numbers wrong. If I did have a winning ticket what debt would I pay first? Would I tell my family? Would I even go and try to find the homeless man it belonged to? I should at least buy him socks. I mean, does it really even belong to him if he read the numbers wrong and threw his ticket away? The Libra in me started to reveal itself in my thoughts. Endless indecisiveness. Upon opening it up- it was indeed... a winning ticket. The man had a $20,000 prize. Unfortunately for him, the ticket was now mine.
By Kasey Walker5 years ago in Humans
And Then, It Happened
How could this be happening!? I just can't believe this. My world was just spinning out of control. I couldn't believe it. Here I stand at 17 being told that the only parent I have ever known is gone! The officer at the door was talking and I know I should be listening, but everything was all garbled up. He had a kind face that looked so sad. He was an older man with lots of wrinkles around his eyes and little creases around his lips giving away the years that he had spent smoking. I knew he was trying to say whatever he was saying as kindly and gently as possible, but I couldn't even hear him. My brain was racing, where will I go, who will take care of me, can I do this alone. I was going to be 18 in like three weeks!! Before the officer could even finish I remember just saying thank you and closing the door. He stood there for a bit, on the other side of our glass front door staring at me. He was probably wondering the same thing I was, am I going to be okay. I stepped away from the door and everything went dark.
By Aleah Peplinski5 years ago in Humans
Making Amends
Fozzie Bear?? Really? Damn Facebook game thing decides what Sesame Street Muppet you're most like, and I get that flippin' guy. Even after the second time. Consumed by my wish to be seen as Kermit, I hopped on my bike, hoping for the appropriate soundtrack. Again, no. But I had to be at my non-Fozzie spot on time, so I was able to bear the disappointment and head off to the coffee shop.
By Laura Chastain5 years ago in Humans
The Magic Little Black Book That Changed My Life
My name is Exquisite Lee. As a career, I get paid for my creativity, and I'm about to tell you this story of a book that changed my life magically. I am the single mother of three, 30 years old and nothing to show for my life except tenacity. I dream big, I go hard, and I believe in the power a person holds to manifest the life they deserve, but it wasn't until I came across a little black book that I ever even thought of magic being real. I wrote in this book the same story I'm telling you. May this story fill your life with magic and prosperity.
By Maya J Stephens5 years ago in Humans
The Mysterious Gift
Where is Oakwood? Exactly. You never heard of it before and its not the kind of place that just screams at you 'hey come visit me'. It was a small rural community in North Carolina known for, well pretty much nothing. This day in particular I was running late for work, walking the down the street of my beat-up neighborhood. My walk actually became a sprint as I was trying to catch the 8 a.m. bus so I can get to work on time. As I was sprinting I bumped into this sweet old lady named Ms. Washington, she have lived in the neighborhood for years and every one knew her. I apologized to her quickly as I made my way on the bus. After I arrived to Jazzy Jambalaya Joint on 4th street I proceeded to clock in and get on with today's menu. Our specialty was of course Jambalaya, it was my Grandma's recipe that I had perfected. I took off my coat and this little black book fell out of my pocket. It wasn't mine so I immediately began to look around, curious as to how it got into my pocket. I thought about it for a second and realized Ms. Washington must have put it there, but why? I shook off that feeling so I can start cooking today's specials but that thought just lingered in the back of my head. If you know me you know I am a curious individual so I told Miguel to take over and cover for me while I investigate what happened. I tried to find Ms. Washington but when I arrived to her apartment, her neighbors told me she left and wouldn't be back for some time. So, you know me, I opened the little black book and what I saw inside was shocking. It appeared to be an account number listed beside the name of our local bank and it had a little footnote beside the account. The note said " This is my life savings and I would like for you to have this because you have proven yourself worthy and deserving. Make wise choices. Love Mom". Now I am really confused by all this because I really never knew my mom, because she left me when I was 2 years old. I am now 43 years old and never even thought about her after I got over the fact she was never coming back. Could it be, could Ms. Washington be my mom? I had to find out, so I went to the bank and talked to the bank associates about this account. The associate confirmed that the account was in my name and belonged to me. I was flabbergasted by this ordeal and wondering what was going on, it didn't make sense. The bank associate then handed me a slip of paper and it showed that I had a balance of $187,563 in this account. I never said a word about it to anyone until now. Ms. Washington was my mother and she came into some money and set up this account in my name because she felt terribly wrong about leaving me and this is how she wanted to repay me. I ended up giving the money to a local charity because I didn't want her money, I had already received my blessings. All I ever wanted was her love. I went back to the Jazzy's and finished my Jambalaya and just thought like wow, I've seen this woman around for 17 years and the whole time... she was my mother.
By John Gonzalez5 years ago in Humans
