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.'
Sunset
It’s true that you couldn’t see the sun for most of the day, but once in a while, on a very lucky day, you could see it at sunrise and sunset just as it touched the horizon, as if the edges of the cover of filth over the world were burned away briefly to reveal the sun.
By Mark Abukoff5 years ago in Families
Little black book
“ C’mon’ Babe, it’s just a one-time investment of $500.00, It’ll pay off in the end, I promise, I wouldn’t steer us wrong.” Luke Jennings said in his most confident and reassuring voice to his wife Eve of almost 8 years.“ I just don’t know Luke, it’s a huge risk, and we can’t afford to just take $500.00 and invest it in some future cryptocurrency that may or may not double in price... eventually,” Eve mumbled under her breath. Luke was always coming up with these crazy get-rich schemes that his Air Force buddies put into his head. Most of the time, Eve went along with them, but this time she was feeling a little hesitant. Investing was not something she or Luke was familiar with, especially not in cryptocurrency, it seemed an extremely high risk to her, and $500 was a good bit of money to a young couple with 5 kids living paycheck to paycheck. “Okay babe, we’ll hold off buying the Bitcoin, but your gonna hear me tell you I told you so one day, watch and see.” Luke broke out into a huge smile and scooped Eve up in his arms and planted a kiss on her cheek.
By Jennifer Bettelyoun5 years ago in Families
The scavenger hunt and the little black book
I woke up about 6:30 so I could get ready and go to school. I got in the shower, which took me about 15 minutes, then, I got dressed, it took me about 5 minutes, and last of all, I have to get to school in time, so I started off. On my walk to school, I walk by a lot of houses. One house I walked by had a stack of money, and a little black book on the ground. I picked up the stack and opened the book. “Huh” I thought as I read it. The book read “If you happen to find this money on the ground, please return it to the owner.” I stopped reading for a second and looked to the house it was in front of, and then I remembered the book. I went back to reading, “The thing is, this money does not belong to the person in this house. There is a scavenger hunt you have to go through to return it. Or, steal the money, and I will call the police. There is cameras by all the locations. If you don’t go there within 24 hours, the police will be called. The first location is at the park nearest to this book. Good luck!” That’s where the book ended. I looked at the time and it had been 5 minutes. I took too much time looking at the book and thinking about it that I lost track of time. If I wanted to get to school in time to study for a little bit and get settled, then I’d have to run. So I did.
By Peyton Williams5 years ago in Families
Wolfing the Wolves
I was ten when I invested in my first stock. Of course I had to do it under an account with my mom’s name but trust me, I have my ways. I had my mom’s MasterCard number memorized like my classmates knew times tables. When she asked what the Robintown charge was I told her it was a couple burgers, that the bank meant to put Round Robin; classic typo. She had just looked at me weird, what’s she supposed to think? I knew the charge would get lost in the flood of her shopping splurges anyway. Plus, I was ten.
By Alexis Pulmano5 years ago in Families
Write your way to success
Mya stared at the cheque. Twenty thousand dollars. She counted the zeros a few times to ensure she was seeing correctly. And it didn’t help that it was one of those giant cheques that was six feet wide. She had seen people on TV receiving those cheques, but never thought she would be standing this close to one in real life.
By Safiya Robinson5 years ago in Families
Book of Names
"Your available balance is 20,000 dollars and no cents." the matter-of-fact robotic voice sounded through Luz's iPhone speaker. She rushed to silence the seemingly booming smartphone and sipped her latte casually to avoid extra stares. The quaint New York coffee shop was uncharacteristically bustling that day, and she glanced casually around to see if anyone was looking in her direction or overheard the blaring sound. Fortunately, no one was paying attention. She had already taken off her oversized red fedora and had it lying next to her leaning against a wall, so everyone who was intrigued by that had settled down.
By Regine Demure5 years ago in Families
I Blame Aquarius
I Blame Aquarius My less than stellar track record when it comes to love, luck and happiness have a very simple root cause: I am Aquarian. Yep, I have looked back at every whoops, faux pas, idiotic decision and crashed dream, and after careful examination and soulful root cause analysis, the truth is each was inevitable and I blame Aquarius! First of all, my mother, (hereafter to be referred to as The Empress of Pain, more on this later) was a. Scorpio, believe me that deadly scorpions were not just her astrological sign but her spirit animal. This chubby smiling Aquarian child and The Empress were doomed to be nemesis from the start. Her favourite child was a nice safe Libra swinging this way and that and always landing feet on balanced scales. School was heaven for me, sure, but Catholic academies are not good places for the idealistic Aquarian’s who just can’t take no for an answer. When Chatty Cathy Aquarian’s just can’t help asking questions that challenge the status quo, problems ensure. Like at the school trip, in 4th grade to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
By Rosanna Pittella5 years ago in Families
The Journey Home
On a cold blistery night when Samantha got the phone call that her mother was being rushed to the hospital, she was hours away and had a million regrets running through her mind. Why did she agree to put her in a home she thought to herself, why wasn't she with her? Why did she get married?Her guilt was just overwhelming. Only one person was allowed at the hospital and her sister Jamie was in town so she made it there first. Overwhelmed by it all it, not long after did the second phone call come. Sam was too late, she made a short stop to grab a bottle and a bag to kill the pain . Again with so many regrets flashing before her eyes Sam was a complete mess, battling drug addiction since sixteen, her father a recovering alcoholic when he passed. He and Sam were alot alike but Sam was very young when he passed. Sam started on her journey home not realizing that for the first time she was going on the journey of her life. She drank, smoked and drove, drank, smoked and drove until eventually the car died and she finally gave up and peacefully laid her head down. Waking up suddenly she thought to herself everything must've been a dream . Sam started the car and to her surprise it started right up. She felt a sense of calm and protection so she drove to the nearest town to get her car looked at. The shop was busy and couldn't get the car in till the next day. Sam went to the nearest motel to unwind her mind and soul. Laying in bed crying her heart out all the sudden Sam had an intuition to look under the mattress, to her surprise there was one single dime. She was always told growing up dimes is a loved on looking over you. Growing up was no treat dad drank but eventually got sober and she knew then it was a sign from him. Sam had a brief bout of sobriety and during this time she found dimes which to her felt like her dad was close but she couldn't figure out what it was although it soothed her and gave sense of peace she never felt before. Sam's childhood was no bed of roses. Her mom worked and Sam always competed with her older sister Maggie. Jamie was the oldest sister that married her highschool sweet heart and had the happy life. so Maggie helped raise Sam but with only a year apart Sam resented Maggie because she was always referred to as Maggie's little sister and got all Maggie's hand me downs and Maggie resented Sam because she always had to take Sam with her. Maggie married soon after and went off to live the happy life too and eventually they grew further apart. Sam lived with her mom Grace up until she married shortly only a year before Grace passed away. Sam slept like a baby that night and woke feeling refreshed and with a sense of self she never felt before. She cleaned up got dressed and handed in her key to the front desk. It was a short walk to the garage and the sun was shining the birds were chirping and Sam even stopped in the park to smell the flowers. She entered the garage to pick up her car which was ready. The mechanic handed her her keys and said enjoy your journey she thought it was weird but answered I plan too which she thought was weird too. On the road again driving for which felt like hours but only one hour away she didn't even turn the radio on she just drove by herself and for once was okay by herself which she knew was now more a reality than ever now that her mom her best friend Grace had passed. She felt somewhat grounded it was a calm she had never felt before . She finally pulled up to the gates of her childhood home .She drove up the drive and took a deep breathe before stepping out of the car. Her feet hit the pavement and she felt a sense of being grounded , the darkness she always felt returning home was gone. She finally didn't have to live up to anyone's expectations but her own . She had choices and a sense of self. She walked up the steps opened the door with her key and to her surprise the house was empty. Sam was so relieved. Sam raced up the stairs to her moms room where she laid on the bed talking to her angel now in heaven when again her intuition told her to look under the mattress and there it was a dime and 20,ooo in an envelope and a small black notebook .Wrote on the first page it said, You were meant to find this recipe book and the envelope .This is god giving you what you cannot understand , you are not different, you are special, follow your intuition, tap into the spiritual world with your ancestors and take what you have learned and share it with the world. On the second page it said learn from your lessons Divine timing is everything and sometimes you are meant to keep somethings to yourself because you are special . So go live your life but always remember the lessons you have learned . On the rest of the pages were family recipes handed down from generation to generation. Sam took her 20,000 from her mom's mattress and her family recipes and bought a restaurant and has never looked back. She helps today to feed the less fortunate and that's by the grace of god. Sam found her calling in life she is in recovery giving back what lessons she has learned in life trying to make the world a better place.
By Cheryl Doan5 years ago in Families
Dear Beloved
A Thursday night service at Church. I sat in the back pew. I didn’t want anyone noticing me or coming over to talk to me. I’ve never been here before. I wasn’t dressed anything fancy. I was just looking for a place to rest for a bit on my way home. People were singing and clapping. I didn’t feel like doing either. The Pastor was singing beautifully I thought. I tried my best to concentrate but it was hard. All I could think about was the lady I ran into on the way over here. She seemed a little strange, but she told me she was in a hurry to visit a special friend. She wore a red coat and her hair was like a white or silver color that came down her back. I’ve never seen anyone that looked like her. She dropped a gray bag she was holding while walking fast to catch the bus. When I saw it, I ran after her to give it back and almost missed her. The bus door had closed, but I was able to knock on the door and luckily the bus driver opened it. I called the lady over to hand her the bag that she had dropped. She thanked me kindly and I told her to slow down and hold on tight to her belongings. She told me there’s plenty more where it all came from.
By Sisceley Banks5 years ago in Families
The Musician and The Beast
The sun shown bright above the sky that day, its long golden rays warming up the ground below. The great city stood, buildings stretching up towards the sky, the light reflecting off the windows creating a shimmering glare. People walked around the sidewalks, oblivious of anyone else, running into them and shouting whenever it happened. Some went to work; some walked dogs, others rode bikes while others chose to jog instead, listening to music to drown out the sounds of honking cars from the dreadful amount of traffic.
By Shirley Blancas5 years ago in Families
Angelica Gains Her Wings
When you finally learn how to read and write, the feeling is exhilarating…no matter the age. There are people who are able to become successful while being illiterate. Those same people may finally learn at the ages of 50, 25, 37, or even 68, or never at all. But this account is not about them. It is about a little girl Angelica, who at the age of 7, gained confidence in her literacy skills. Her mom recommended becoming a pen pal to practice and strengthen her skills. She further suggested the nursing home Angelica’s grandmother used to live in. She had passed no less than a year ago and Angelica never got the opportunity to be her grandmother’s pen pal the way her mom had been with her grandmother. So the suggestion was welcomed with open writing fingers.
By Christina DeFeo5 years ago in Families
