friendship
C.S Lewis got it right: friendship is born when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"
Understanding a new friend
Third text of the day, beginning to feel like I was being ghosted. Tried calling and went to voice mail after all the chances to answer. Now I was starting to get upset! Used to have everyone answer my texts or voice mails in a timely manner. I define this as one to two hours as an appropriate length of time. Everyone is busy, in that window of time, one can respond with an answer. Having been married for thirty-two years and widowed another nine, learning to interact with the female of today is incredibly challenging. Emails, texts, and voice mails rule the way we communicate today. I have yet to have a discussion on the phone for anything but when and where we would meet. No lengthy calls about finding out more about each other. As a matter of a fact, my friend has not read any emails and attached letters, I have sent to her to my present knowledge. Seems I have a friend who has difficulty answering her voice mails, texts, and emails. A call came through in the car on the way home once and she just kept talking like it wasn’t even there. She has told me repeatedly that she knows she should try to do better with her phone and will. Time will be the judge of that.
By Ismael Fernandez4 years ago in Humans
A Greenlit Win
Enrique excitedly approached the spot where he was going to get brunch with his newfound friends, “In my 29 years alive it is rare to have connected with so many people, thank God I finally met some Americans in Mexico City.” He saw the familiar faces of Maria Elena and Cepheus now surrounded by less familiar but recognizable faces from the “networking event” of the previous night. He sat at the head of the table, next to Cindy, a 30-year-old blonde with soft wavy blonde hair, whose calm charisma and confidence provided an aura of tranquillity. To her left was an unfamiliar girl whose dauntless green eyes, and energy to match, struck Enrique and he forgot to introduce himself (during the conversation he learned her name was Taylor and she was 28). To her left was John,30, a youthful man whose head was topped with speckled grey hair.
By Hector.M. Huitzilopochtli4 years ago in Humans
Second Chance
Autumn leaves covered my car creating a scenic shade of fall. I took a deep breath and inhaled the crisp air. A light breeze brushed my neck and I bundled my jacket. The weather was cooler than usual for September. It was always my favorite time of year. There is something exciting about needing a light coat and a warm coffee.
By Stephanie Colella 4 years ago in Humans
Catching up with a friend
The amount of work that Sandra had to get done was slowing down with the season. Whenever the early spring rains were heavy, work in the artificial intelligence industry slowed to a halt. She had time now on the weekends where she would have to catch up with work at all.
By Sabine Lucile Scott4 years ago in Humans
Life is Better with Company
A common misconception about purpose in life is that one needs fame and fortune and force to be a success in our time on Earth. But the truth is, all one needs to make a positive mark and make a difference in this world is to have friends. And when you are gone, the measure of your impact on those around you can be appraised by the words of those companions you leave behind.
By Josh Walker Beavers4 years ago in Humans
Greetings Subscriber
Dear subscriber #1, Thank you so much for choosing to subscribe to me. Even though I am not sure what exactly that means for either you the subscriber or me the subscribee I am sure great benefits will be upon us both. For myself, it is a major ego boost. I was beginning to think my writing was mostly just a waste of time. I was not gaining much interest or traction on Vocal despite publishing close to 100 articles in only 2 months here. This after I had published nearly 2500 in 5 years on my Medium blog until my most recent suspension. That first account suspension lasted a year so that 2500 number was actually just 4 years worth of writing. And yes, you read that correctly, I did say, "first suspension" and "most recent suspension". So two suspensions in five years, that has to be some sort of record, right? In any event that (plus $99) is what brought me here to the warm embrace of the fine folks at Vocal.media where in two months I have yet to accrue a single account suspension or permanent banning. In my defense I have had ten articles rejected for publication and one that was published for two days before being pulled by the editors for reasons unknown. I also currently have two articles that have been sitting "in review" for over a month. Clearly I am a fan favorite with the reviewing staff here. As you can see from my stats, I am most definitely not a fan favorite in a general sense. This continues my proud tradition of not being very popular as a writer, which builds upon my even prouder tradition of not being a very popular person.
By Everyday Junglist4 years ago in Humans
Southern Love Story
The sky was orange with hues of pink and purple as the sun began to rise in golden excellence. The rays hit the dew droplets that littered the two yards, sprinkling the earth in tiny diamonds. The cicadas were already awake and screaming into the empty air as the birds sang love songs to the sun. It was a perfect southern morning in a sleepy little town in Georgia. Abilene was already awake collecting eggs from the chicken coop when she heard the twins from next door out running around. "Hi boys! Y'all eat anything yet?" The boys came running up to her, "Yes ma'am we did! We had cheese grits with biscuits and gravy." She smiled at the boys with the beautiful big blue eyes and freckled cheeks. Their skin was sun kissed from running around outdoors all day and their hair was a sandy blonde color. They looked so different from her yet she loved them like kin regardless. She has babysat them since they were in diapers and now they were little tornadoes kicking up dust wherever they went. "Well boys I'm ‘bout to make my breakfast and I'll be out in a while to do my chores. If you want, you can help me feed the pigs in a bit." They nodded at her and ran off to cause hell somewhere in their yard. She took the eggs inside and prepared breakfast for her family. "Hey daddy. Breakfast is ready, you should eat before you head out to the fields." Her father smiled brightly at her, filled with pride for his daughter. "Your mama will be down in a minute, she's cleaning up Junior's bottom." She had prepared a bottle and some oatmeal for Junior and a plate of eggs and bacon for her mother. In their house everyone pulled their weight. Her mother was a seamstress for the town and was a high commodity for the housewives who kept up to date with the city styles. Her father tended the farm and his fields while Abilene cooked and took care of the animals. Next door were the Callaway's. They had a house full of children and they would come help with the farm. Mr. Callaway was her daddy's best friend and worked on the farm and in the fields with her father. He made his older boys tend the fruits and vegetables and hard labor around the farm while the younger kids cleaned both of the houses. Mrs. Callaway was a teacher and she taught her kids as well as Abilene and a few kids from down the road. All in all it was a simple life. Abilene loved her simple farm life. She cleaned the kitchen and headed out to feed the pigs. She had just walked into the barn when she heard, "Well hello there Ms. Abilene. You're looking mighty pretty today. Is that a new outfit?" She blushed at the sound of Winston Callaway's voice. They were the same age, exactly two months apart. He had blue eyes as well but his hair was a light brown color. Freckles sprinkled across his face also but his skin was a little more of a reddish tan from the sun. She shyly smiled, "Yes, sir. My mama made these britches 'cuz she said my other ones was getting a little too snug on me." He poked her arm, "Well Ms. Abilene, I think they look mighty fine on you." He gave her one of his smiles filled with charm as he walked off to the tomato patch. She didn't understand why she got butterflies in her stomach when he came around, it wasn't like he could ever like her more than a friend. Just then the twins came running in crying out to be the one who got to feed the pigs. She had them help her with the animals and the barn chores to get them to settle down. Once they were done with everything she excused herself and headed out to the backyard. She walked down the trail and headed towards the pear trees. Afternoons were her favorite time of day. She would make her a small lunch and head over to her favorite pear tree and look out toward the flower fields right outside the woods while she ate. She settled in and started looking through her picnic basket. "May I join you Ms. Abilene?" She jumped at the sound of Winston's voice. "Of course, Winston. You know you're always welcome to have lunch with me." He smiled his charm filled smile and sat next to her. He had a basket of his own and was mighty proud of himself which peaked Abilene's curiosity. "I hope you don't mind, but I packed some treats for you too, Ms. Abilene." She was really curious now. "I made you some banana bread and sweet tea. I also got some strawberries. I asked your daddy if I could bring you the biggest ones I found." She didn't know what to say, it was the most thoughtful thing anyone other than her family has ever done for her. "Winston, this is amazing. I can't believe you did all this for me. But I don't understand why?" It was his turn to blush and he cleared his throat, "Ms. Abilene, I'm sweet on you. I think you are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on. I spoke to your daddy and asked his permission to have lunch with you. There is nothing I wanna do more than make you happy." She didn't quite know what to say. She blushed hard and smiled at him. "Winston, I have been sweet on you for years. I just didn't think you would like someone like me. I thought you would be keen on someone like Hattie. She has such pretty golden curls and all the boys seem to like her." He laughed a little at that, "Hattie?! You thought I would be keen on Hattie? Not when I've got the prettiest girl living right next door to me. And may I ask what's wrong with your curls? You also have the greenest eyes I ever have seen. They remind me of this flower field with the sun right overhead. Your smile can light up a whole room and your laugh is as beautiful as the church bells on a Sunday morning." She blushed even more at hearing this. She never quite felt like she fit in. Hearing his words made her feel like she was on top of the world. Her mama always tells her that she's the prettiest girl in town but it didn't feel the same as when Winston said it. She had caramel skin, with long, thick curly, red tinted hair, green eyes and long legs that her daddy called frog legs. She was skinny but fit thanks to working on the farm. The other girls picked on her for her muscles but they were not as big as boys' muscles and she could never understand why they picked on her for that. Winston continued to tell her all the things he found perfect about her and to her surprise all of those things were what she had considered her flaws. They spent the entire afternoon together under the pear tree. Abilene read her book out loud to Winston as he leaned back on the tree, lost in the sound of her voice. They would talk about everything, laugh at the stories of mischief the twins would cause and just sit in comfortable silence with each other listening to the sounds of nature. Abilene felt like the day couldn’t get any better until Winston scooted over closer to her and slid his hand over hers. He leaned in slowly toward her and kissed her gently on the cheek. “Ms. Abilene, would you be my girl?” She began to blush again. “Why Winston, I would be proud to be your girl.” They both blushed and giggled. Winston shyly leaned forward and softly kissed Abilene on the lips. “We should get going. School time for the older kids is ‘bout to start. Here let me help you up.” Winston stood up and helped her to her feet. They gathered their baskets, innocently intertwined their hands and headed to the Callaway’s house. Abilene was smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt but she just couldn’t stop. She snuck a quick look over to Winston and saw he had a huge smile on his face too. She giggled a little and squeezed his hand. Mr. Callaway and her daddy had just arrived back from the fields and caught sight of the two. “It’s ‘bout time them two got together. I was wonderin’ how long my son was gonna follow her around like a puppy before he let her know he was keen on her. He made a mighty fine choice in Abilene. She’s a good girl.” Mr. Callaway smiled brightly as he talked about the two teenagers. Abilene’s daddy nodded his head in agreement. “Winston’s a good lad. I know I can trust him with my baby girl’s heart. I’d be proud to see her with him.” Mr. Callaway elbowed Abilene’s father, “You’re just saying that ‘cuz you’re my best friend!” They both gave out a hardy laugh and walked inside the house. Everyone smiled at the sight of Abilene and Winston. They truly were a beautiful pair. Abilene and Winston were inseparable from that day forward, wrapped in the bliss of their new relationship. Winston made sure to tell her every day how perfect she was, while Abilene made sure to make a special lunch for them to share at their favorite pear tree. Every day they sat under the pear tree for lunch and every day their love grew stronger. Abilene truly loved her simple farm life but she enjoyed it so much more now that she had Winston to share it with. “Winston, I will always love you.” Abilene shyly admitted as Winston blushed so hard his cheeks burned. “I will always love you too, Ms. Abilene.”
By H. L. Ridgeway4 years ago in Humans
Rediscovering Manisha
The following 1975 song was Manisha’s favourite; I absolutely understand why. She wrote about this song in her letter on January 30, 1976, for St. Valentine’s Day. She wrote, “St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated here also not only by those who are in love, but also for those who are very dear to you. This song by Steve Lawrence, the words are very nice and meaningful, I like it.” She loved romantic songs of Steve Lawrence, a well-known American singer. Since a lot of her time, she spent alone at home she enjoyed these songs on the radio and imagined me near her and felt the love we shared. In her earlier letter dated January 12, 1976, she had said that she keeps all my letters and photographs in a separate album; she wrote, “Everyday especially when I am alone, I take out all your photos and letters to keep me company.” I contemplate that during such moments she might be playing her favuorite Hindi songs and music of Steve Lawrence on her record player. Her favourite song was “Now That We're in Love” sung by Steve Lawrence. The lyrics is as follows:-
By Arun Kumar Ph. D.4 years ago in Humans
Using Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
I gave CPR to someone I just met. In 2001 I found myself giving cardiorespiratory resuscitation, or CPR, to my good friend’s life-long buddy. My friend and his friends were a little older than me, in their early 50’s. For this story, I will change the names of those involved for privacy reasons.
By Cathy Money4 years ago in Humans
