immediate family

Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.

Lucre
“Don’t go into the woods, Daniel,” Mom called from the kitchen. She popped her head around the corner, phone pressed to her ear. The smell of hot cocoa brewing on the stovetop, of soup bubbling in the pot, filled the air of the cozy, woodside cottage.
By Ronald McIntire5 years ago in Families
Wishful Thinking
Stevie sighed, breath steaming in the cold, like escaping frustration from his boiling thoughts. He was starting to detest thrift stores. Ever since his dad had gotten sick, his mom had dragged him from one junkpile to the next. Brooke, his annoying little sister, was in quite the opposite mood. Her two braids with sparkly beads, bounced with excitement as they crunched through the snow, to the entrance of the store with BRAD’S BARGAIN BIN written on over it. Stevie wished Brad, whoever he was, had decided to open something more exciting with his money. Like a laundromat. Or a tire shop. It could be worse, he thought grumpily, like Linda’s Lost & Found. That lady couldn’t decide if her shop was a store, or just a place to let her six cats run wild, stinking up the place.
By Reed Moore 5 years ago in Families
Granny Four
The first half of the Belfair Community Talent Show featured a troupe of adorable, heavily sequined tap dancers, an occasionally funny but more often not comedian, several singers (mostly children, but a couple of adults as well, including the special treat of local treasure Donna Weathers singing an aria from the Marriage of Figaro), and one rather overly-earnest poet neurotically tucking her hair behind an ear while over-sharing about a failed relationship. It was only at intermission that Debra discovered that Sophia’s mother, Rosie, was sitting right behind them, and sent Kurt off to the snack bar with Mia so she and Rosie could catch up. It was funny how little you could interact with other parents - even ones whose kids seemed to spend nearly every waking moment with your own.
By Gina King5 years ago in Families
Not This
I didn’t want it. The envelope sat fat and heavy on the corner of my desk. I no longer had to open it to see the contents. I lost track of how many times I had picked it up and looked inside, hoping somehow this time would be different. It wasn’t. The contents remained, stolid and unchanging.
By Sarah Roberts5 years ago in Families
Eight Ball
Jackie had a decision to make, and there was only one way to make it. It wasn’t a difficult decision. But, when you’ve come across a foolproof way of making the right decision every time, it was hard not to use it.
By Adam Patrick5 years ago in Families
The Little Black Book
Erick Ruden was in the prime of his life. Graduated top of his class at the University of Iowa school of Medicine and is in his first year of residency at the University’s hospital. He enjoyed working in the pediatric unit, where from the windows you got a view of the Kinnick football stadium and all of the college games that were played throughout the season. The kids were brimming with excitement every time they got the opportunity to watch, which brought serene joy to Erick’s heart in his choice to dedicate his career to these children.
By Tyler Fletcher5 years ago in Families
Chai or Coffee?
For as long as I can remember, my father woke up every morning and made a large pot of chai. He was a poet, an artist - I knew because I’d seen his old souvenir notebooks filled with rhyming verse, frayed sticky notes and hotel napkins decorated with elaborate sketches of cars.
By Anaakhya Kavi5 years ago in Families
Sincerely
'Dear Mom-Who-Abandoned-Me,' No, too dramatic. -------------------------------------- 'Dear Mom-Who-Never-Accepted-Me,'
By Dani 5 years ago in Families
The Inheritance
“A nice little windfall,” I said to myself, looking at the check for $20,000. My dog raised his head, stared at me, then huffed a sigh and laid his snout back down onto his paws. I had interrupted his nap. Well, his latest nap. He takes several a day.
By Cheryl Gross5 years ago in Families
"Millions to One"
It is after midnight. The Kimball residence in South Highlands is dark, save a light on in the living room. Rose Kimball sits alone in her nightgown, overcome with emotion. She laughs, smiles, sniffs and sobs. The middle aged woman looks once more at the well worn “little black book” in her hand, gently closes it, and works to compose herself. Slowly, Rose creaks her way upright, turns out the light and heads to bed.
By Joey D Kent5 years ago in Families
Pennies From Heaven
The dusty tan Impala station wagon slowed to a crawl in yet another tiny town in the southern Okanagan region of British Columbia. Nearly as road weary as the car, a passel of children tumbled out of all available passenger doors as the driver, a woman with dark hair pulled into two long ponytails draped over her ears, eased to the curb along what appeared to be the town’s main street. The woman and the smallest child, a blond boy, headed for a bank across the street from the parked vehicle. The other two children looked up and down the road and then selected a bank about a block away. The girl appeared older, though not much taller than the boy, but she led the way confidently as if she knew exactly what she was doing and where she was going. The boy, looking mildly annoyed followed a half pace behind.
By Maria Calderoni5 years ago in Families
The Final Christmas Tree
Walking the long way back to her seat from Mr. Robertson’s desk, Catherine glanced outside the tall thin window to see if it had started snowing yet. Living in the Selkirk mountains you’d think the children would tire of the deep snow, but to the contrary each new downpour was celebrated. It was almost Christmas vacation and the student’s were eager for long days romping and cavorting through the snowy yards and neighborhoods. At nine, Catherine was a slight girl, the shortest in her class. Short yes, but not in confidence. She and David Stewart, who was of similar stature, constantly vied for the moniker “Smartest Kid in the class.” Though never conferred as such by the teachers, they compared every grade and test and constantly asked for extra work to stay ahead. Both David and Catherine were well behaved and often called upon to be the teacher’s helper. On this particular day they were racing each other to finish the most times table worksheets. Though only third graders they had cajoled the teacher into giving them multi digit multiplication worksheets and each worked diligently trying to finish the most problems correctly. When the lunch bell rang, these two stayed put finishing their final problems until the teacher grabbed their work and sent them off to get lunch. “It’s snowing!” excitedly called a first grader from the eastern corner of the large one room schoolhouse. The first and second graders had the best view outside as their classes faced the large playground and they had larger windows. Everyone rushed to finish their homemade lunches, eating at their desks and then cleaning up quickly. It was a race to get outside and make the first footprints in all the fresh snow! The snow banks were already taller than the tallest children and the untouched snow, though there wasn’t much of that, was at least 3 feet deep. And now more was coming down rapidly.
By Maria Calderoni5 years ago in Families