humanity
Humanity begins at home.
Two Gifts
TWO GIFTS By Jason Lambert-Lee “WHAT is happening?” I somewhat softly and characteristically exclaimed as I woke to my cell ringing. After flipping my body over to grab it, I could see two important things on the tiny preview screen on the top portion of my flip-phone. First, it was 3AM. “Ugh.” Second, it was Aunt Louise. “Oh, no.” I knew this wasn’t a surprising emergency for which I was randomly chosen to receive bad news. We don’t do that in my family. We try to avoid conversations that would draw criticism, and we DO NOT like to ask for help if avoidable. So, I did not answer. With no second call, I felt safe in my assumption of what it was about. There was a voicemail. I went back to sleep.
By Jason Lambert-Lee5 years ago in Families
Baby Alba
"Goo goo gah gah" "Goo goo gah gah gooooo." That sums up my understanding of Albert Einsteins Theory of Relativity. Just kidding. I will put aside the baby talk so we are all on the same page. For future reference I'm more of a "Ohhh aaa eeee oooo" baby. Goo goo gah gah is so last century.
By Anna Humphries5 years ago in Families
The Commuter
The elevated rail rocked and clicked its way north, towards downtown. It was just another loud, swaying commute. A commute Andre made at least twice daily for what seemed to be much of his life. He rode that same line for as long as he could remember. As a boy, with his mother, where she worked as a hotel housekeeper. As a teenager, to Middlestadt College Preparatory Academy, where the nation’s best medical professionals came from. Chicago’s best school, his mother found herself working two jobs to afford tuition. She had always underscored the value of higher education. She did not want Andre to have to stress and work long hours for minimum wage his entire life, like she did. As an adult, Andre rode the train to the same hotel his mother worked at, only as a valet on the late afternoon shift. They would always meet one another on the platform, Andre disembarking to finish the block and a half walk to the hotel, his mother, exhausted from a long day’s work, boarding for home. The young man was excelling in school and was on schedule to be his class’ valedictorian.
By Cameron Stevens5 years ago in Families
Inheritance
Dear Annette, Happy birthday! I can’t believe you’re 16 today! You’ve become such a kind, passionate, and perceptive human being. I couldn’t be more proud of you. That’s why I’m passing on this gift to you. It’s a family secret. Not even your father knows! I don’t really need it anymore, and you’ve more than earned it.
By Kaatje Leilani Jones5 years ago in Families
Unveiled
Everything is still dark. The constant drum of muffled chatter from the main hall continues on as usual. From time to time a ruffle of sheets can be heard. Machines beep. A cough. Heavy breathing. Moaning. And that smell, always that sanitized smell, like clean death. The hall grows louder. The door to the wing opens. Footsteps, heavy but calming, approach. SHING, the curtain one over to the right opens. There is a moment of silence.
By Geraldine MacDonald5 years ago in Families
A Derelict Stone Cottage
Anna had persuaded Sarah to come for a walk through the woods, up in the hills of Cumbria. Before heading deeper into the woods, they stood next to the bubbling stream, watching the little waterfalls, interrupting the flow of the water.
By Kaarina Vanderkamp5 years ago in Families
A Moleskine called Molly
The dust drifted in the air like snow flurries on a late fall day, harbingers of harsher times to come. John surveyed the attic that had served the dual purpose of storage and study in his parent’s house. One half jam-packed with boxes and the other held a desk, filing cabinet, bookshelves, and a well-used recliner. Accumulated layers of dirt proved how long it had been since anyone had sorted out this space. No matter how committed he had been to clean, something would always distract him. Time had caught up with John; and now there was no backing out. The auctioneer was arriving in two days. John promised his sister he would handle the clean-up of their childhood home. Preparing for the sale should be a piece of cake compared to the daily care Pam had taken of their Mother and Father. In fact, John had dumped everything on Pam’s shoulders as their parents had gotten older. Taking responsibility of this was the least he could do.
By Vickie Lynne Sargent-Kler5 years ago in Families
Little Black Book Adventure
There were several paths I took home from work. I would randomly choose each day which path I would walk so I wouldn't become too predictable. (There is lots of riff raff in my town.) One day I decided on the path that goes by the park. It was a chilly day so I zipped my coat and put on my hat and put my hands in my pocket. ( I had no gloves because I always tend to think I won't need them and then I leave them at home and regret it later.)
By Jessie Michelle5 years ago in Families
The Little Black Book
As Ruby was pondering and praying for divine help for her two beloved sons and her seven grandchildren. The oldest and his three children had already been to court for eviction not for non-payment of rent but for a small trash pile from necessary repairs.
By Melony Johnson5 years ago in Families
Watercolor Pencil
The weather channel said that it would be sunny, mild, and dry...RIGHT!! The only thing they got right was that it was relatively mild if you consider 40 degrees mild. It was cloudy and rainy, not the usual downpour that we expect in the spring here in the northeast, but it was a steady rain. I dressed for my morning walk, wearing my red and black Columbia jacket with the hood up so that no umbrella was needed.
By Cheryl McPherson5 years ago in Families
This or That
Cynthia walks home on a cold, crisp evening. One arm wraps around her torso to keep herself warm while the other holds tight to a tiny, white cardboard box. Home feels miles away, though just around the corner. She enters a building and walks over to the mailbox that reads 216. Tiny keys clatter from her pocket as she unlocks the compartment. Just on the other side of the glass door, she spots a homeless man outside. A shopping cart and a sleeping bag are the only things that accompany him on the chilly, gloomy night. Her eyes pierce through as she grabs a pile of envelopes and closes the mailbox. For some reason, this man smiles from cheek to cheek as the wind blows his patch of hair in another direction.
By Annmarie Gomez5 years ago in Families
