To See or Be Seen
(This mini saga is 100 words instead of 50. Consider it a double feature.) I was thoroughly excited to attend the New Edition concert with my best friend, Amanda. Imagine…
Good News
Today was Cassie’s first time meeting her new primary doctor, a naturopath who showed concern about her lab work. “Disturbing markers,” the doctor commented while reviewing the charts with her.…
Package Deal
He broke up with his girlfriend knowing she was pregnant with their first child. He wanted to be in the child’s life but not the mother’s. He didn’t comprehend they…
Battles
By misfortune, she found the toilet seat still raised. Though discourteous and inconvenient, she kept her cool and went to make breakfast. Dishes from his midnight snack were on the…
Her Majesty
Bedtime was the best time of the day—not a common sentiment among eight-year-olds but not every eight-year-old had a big sister whose impromptu storytelling capabilities could captivate endlessly. The two…
Half-Empty
She never hid her lesbianism but she never broadcasted it, either. Straight people do not have to declare their sexual orientation, so she figured why must she. But when her…
That Last Time
She didn’t want to give the eulogy. That last time they were together, cheering up each other with teary guffaws, was how she wanted to remember her best friend. Besides,…
Dress
I wrestled with wanting to look pretty for her and wanting to be true to myself: I am truly not a girlie-girl, but I chose a long dress with a…
Heart
That she’d spend all day in her kitchen preparing meals for others to eat: yams, collard greens, pinto beans, ham, and cornbread—just to give to the homeless—was only a small…
Hill
The hill was so steep hubcaps would fly off if it were carelessly descended. The fourteen-year-old girl had never given the hill much attention; to her, it was more a…