parents
The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.
Too Little, Too Late
Today, I sold my father’s watch. If you’d asked me last week, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you if my father was even alive, let alone that he owned a watch. I watched, detachedly, as the pawn broker rifled through the small cigar box of junk my father had left me. Aside from the watch, there were a few chains, a brooch that I hoped he hadn’t stolen, and two plain wedding bands that might have been gold, among a nest of worthless ephemera. Faded tickets to a Supertramp concert, a tiny book bound in folded interlocking gum wrappers he’d made while in prison(I’d received one just like it for my eighth birthday, along with a letter asking me to tell my mom he still loved her), three mostly used books of matches, a few faded receipts, and a molar made up the rest of the box’s contents. I’d thrown the tooth in the trash bin before walking into the shop. No reason to punish the pawn broker.
By Nadine Duke5 years ago in Families
Abandoned
Carrie is a very shy girl who don't talk much and has no friends at all. She is about 5 feet 6 inches, skinny girl who weight 100 pounds, and had really bad acne. In high school she was a loner. No one talked to her unless they were making fun of her. She knew she wasn't as pretty as the other girls and didn't have the things that they had. Growing up, it was just her mom and her and they were struggling on a day to day basis. Her mom turned to drugs when her dad left when Carrie was 8 years old so Carrie basically had to fend for herself everyday. Carrie was now 17 years old and when she was 15 she got a job down at the local pizza palace waiting tables to try and keep the lights on and food on the table. She also tried to get her mom some help one day but she refused.
By Tameka Smith5 years ago in Families
The Lifesaver
Ben Rich’s children and their families are gathered at a funeral home for his viewing. Kathy, the oldest, was called first about Ben’s death and then she called her siblings. They came home from several states to plan his funeral and sit with him during his final hours tonight.
By Dave Haberman5 years ago in Families
The Seashell Kingdom
My last visit to see my daddy at his little beach house near Mexico Beach, Florida was as fun as ever. My visits to see him had grown few and far between, and the last really long visit I had with him was my spring break the year before I started law school. We had so much fun fishing, cooking the fish, just talking about life, and enjoying the stories he shared from his little black book. I grew to love that black book and started giving him a new one every Christmas. I also gave him a cell phone during the last visit so he could call me more.
By Vicki Ward5 years ago in Families
Spiraled
Ellie and Will stand in silence, taking in the row of canvassed paintings hung neatly on the small studio wall. Countering the alignment, an art desk is stationed solitarily on the other side of the room, full to the brim of supplies. Pieces of unfinished art are scattered all over the surrounding area. Poster tubes and paint-ridden boards are stacked in a messy pile.
By Ben Saunders5 years ago in Families
Kiddulting: Exploring the Spirit of Play for Adults
As someone who works with children, I see some variant of this conversation on a regular basis: Kid: (holding up a stuffed bear, speaking in the bear's voice) Well hullo there Mommy, how was your day today? I had some honey from a big, big tree.
By Chelsea Delaney5 years ago in Families
A Mother's Secret
It has been seven long years since I have seen my older brother Marcus and I am not proud of myself for that. It took the passing of our father to bring us back together. Family is so weird that way. We love everyone, but in the sad reality, no one seems to ever make time for each other. I am the youngest of three siblings and I would like to think that I was the most mature because baby, my older brother Marcus is a hot mess. Let me give you a little background on us so you can get a clear picture.
By Charisse Clark5 years ago in Families
Truth Hates Delay
There was a catch. There was always a catch. Raindrops splattered the intricately scribed calligraphy, which, to an 18-year-old, looked like the ancient writing of ancient beings, akin to a lost art. Ophelia Reynolds pulled her hood up and darted to the porch. Page by page, line by line, she frantically scanned the document, hoping to find some other way, any other way, to complete the seemingly insurmountable task in front of her. The delicate pages with didn’t spew forth any secrets, nor did they offer any alternative ideas. Names, dates, land descriptions, measurements. All meaningless. Perhaps if she read the Latin phrase haphazardly scrawled in red ink on the inside cover, all secrets would be revealed. Ophelia read the inscription aloud “Qui totum vult totum perdit”. She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily. To her dismay, nothing extraordinary had happened, no magic revelation, and certainly no instant sense of enlightenment. She was going to have to do the unthinkable: she was going to have to speak to her father.
By Nikki Mickens5 years ago in Families
