Theresa Yantz
Bio
In high school, my friends and I would barter when completing homework assignments. I would write everyone's essays if they would do my Biology and Math homework. The trade off worked, and I still love to write, so it's a win win!
Stories (4)
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Fruits of Temptation
North and South “Ahh, The first sip is always the best.” I say to my husband. He looks over the breakfast bar at me and smiles in agreement. We sit and sip our morning coffee in unison. Just like we’ve done for over three decades. “What’s on your agenda for today?” He asks. “I guess I’ll take a walk on the rail trail and then stop for a few groceries on the way back.” I respond. “How about you?” I ask. “Maybe I’ll stop in at the shop for some guitar strings.” He says with a smile. We both know stopping at the shop for guitar strings is his guise for the opportunity to spend the afternoon with his buddies and catch up on the local gossip. His favorite pastime. Since we reside on the north side of town we rarely stray from our conservative routines. We understand it’s a privilege to be surrounded by corn fields and acres of soy crops. And we feel fortunate to be able to hear the neighbor’s cows “moo” and their sheep “baa” as they wait impatiently for their breakfast. We understand it’s a mystery and a blessing that we have somehow managed to remain unaffected by the construction of mega stores and warehouses invading all around us. I realize they will discover us someday, but for now we persevere. Although I do enjoy an occasional “visit” to the chaos on the south side, I always treasure returning to my sweet suburbia!
By Theresa Yantz3 years ago in Blush
Tour de Parfum
“Wow," I moan, “I’m not feeling so great." "I feel like I have the worst hangover ever.” I pull myself up and adjust the reclining position in my seat so I’m sitting up straight. I rub my temples, hoping to feel some relief from the pounding headache ripping through me. As my blurry eyes adjust, I turn to see a bearded gentleman watching me. “Welcome back,"he says, “You had me worried!” “I’ve been monitoring your chest movements for the last few hours to make sure you were still breathing.” “I’m glad there was no need for me to use my rusty CPR techniques.” “You may not have fared so well.” “I’m a little embarrassed.” I whisper.” “Should I know you?” He smiles and answers, “No, not really.” “Last evening when I chose the seat next to you, I was being anti-social”. “You were sleeping so soundly.” “ I figured you wouldn’t be one of those annoying passengers that would talk my ear off.“ “So, I locked up my luggage and plopped myself down.” “But when I woke up and you were still passed out, I started to worry." “You still don’t look so great if I must say so!” “Are you feeling alright?" I respond weakly. “My head feels like it weighs 200 pounds and I’m a bit queasy.” “Not to mention, I don’t even have the faintest idea how I ended up here on this…. train is it?” “Seems the last thing I remember, I was in my boss’s office and he was shaking my hand.” “ He was congratulating me on my promotion.” “How’s that for a mind boggler?” He laughs. “Hmm, I have to agree with you.” “That is a very distressing situation.” “ Unfortunately, I believe I can top it.” “I’ve noticed that in the last few hours, as I was sweating it out wondering if you were ever going to wake up, our train has not stopped at one of it’s designated stops.” “Passengers are becoming irate and there is not a crew member in sight.” “The entire staff seem to have disappeared and our train has run amuck.” “Oh, yeah, and our phones have no service.” “So we are unable to contact anyone to find out what is going on.” “Now that, my friend is a mind boggler!” I yell at him. “You’re kidding me!” “I finally get my big break and I’m stuck on a disappearing train!” “Unbelievable!” “So, what do we do now?” He says, “Maybe some investigating is in order.” He stands up and introduces himself. “I’m Chuck by the way.” “I just recently retired from the Post Office.” “This trip is my wife’s lovely idea.” “She purchased a surprise ticket for me to my favorite guitar center in Indiana.” “It’s a great idea, but I think her motive was to get some alone time.” “We’re still getting used to the retirement routine." As I laugh, I reply, “I’m Evan.” “The newly appointed CEO of “Brilliant Blends", the best distillers of essential oil fragrances in the USA.” “Impressive, huh?” “But I guess it doesn’t do me any good right now, does it?” “So, I’m all ears if you want to include me in on your “investigation plan.” Chuck is a big dude so he suggests that he be the one to head to the front of the train. He will try to find out who is in charge. He tells me to start asking the passengers if they have any idea of what is going on. He takes off and begins to stagger his way through each railcar in order to reach the operator of the train. When he arrives, he realizes the door is bolted shut. Peeking through the window, he sees what appears to be the engineer, the conductor and various crew members bound together. They are being held captive. The man who seems to be in charge has his back to the window. It is impossible to identify who he is. Slipping away quietly so he does not become the next hostage, Chuck fumbles his way back through the cars. With that he realizes that whoever is in control at the moment has no plans of aborting their mission any time soon. He fears we are all in real danger. Peeking through the window, he sees what appears to be the engineer, the conductor and various crew members bound together. They are being held captive. The man who seems to be in charge has his back to the window. It is impossible to identify who he is. Slipping away quietly so he does not become the next hostage, Chuck fumbles his way back through the cars. With that he realizes that whoever is in control at the moment has no plans of aborting their mission any time soon. He fears we are all in real danger.
By Theresa Yantz3 years ago in Families
Pearl's Gift
Pearl’s Gift “Hi, would you like to buy some perfume,” says a little girl with dirty blonde hair as I walk around the corner. Her voice is a pleasant interruption to my daily stroll through the neighborhood park. She points to her display of glass bottles. Some are colored brown, some blue and several clear. Each one is filled with varying degrees of what appear to be mucky green pond water. “You can pick which ever one you want” she says. Stepping up to the wooden board strew across two rocks for a makeshift shelf, I admire her collection. “Wow, where did they come from?” I inquire. “Me and my brother found them.” She answers happily and she points into the grove of trees behind her. Then I see an older boy that is the spitting image of her carrying even more treasures to put on display in their market. He stumbles up the hill with a rusted can, a plastic cup from a local fast food restaurant and more bottles in his hands. The quarry several feet down the slope seems to serve as the warehouse to replenish their inventory. “Okay, I think I like this pretty blue one.” I say and pretend to smell the make believe “perfume”. “Twenty- five cents please.” she states. I dig in my coat pocket hoping to find some loose change. Mixed in with my car keys and some crumpled up tissues, I find a quarter. When I hand it over, she exchanges the bottle with a big smile. A grin passes between the two siblings in honor of their transaction.
By Theresa Yantz5 years ago in Families
