Story # 8

She was a glamorous girl. But even more so she was a naughty girl. But she was never one to apologize for being who she is. And she had no shame about being a “Hollerback Girl”. She told her ex “If we ever meet again, you will never let me go.” when he left her for her cheating ways. But under her hard shell of “could care less” attitude were 7 things that she would never admit. One is the love she held for the one guy that never would love her in return.  She had in so many ways told him “I’m yours!” but his reply was mostly that he did not want her to be his and that she should move on. The second was the hard knock life she lives her whole life. Her dad was never in the picture and her mom was an alcoholic who could barely care for herself let alone her kids.  As a matter of fact the last time she saw her mom she told her “Mom, we are fine here without you. Why doing you stay away and just leave us alone.” when she was only 16. Having had raised her two younger brothers since she was 11 mostly on her own.

Third would be the hardest. That was the death of her youngest brother, Caleb, who died in a car accident where their mother was driving drunk. When she broke the news to Bobby, her other brother she simply said “It’s just you and me now”. From that moment on she felt she had to walk on broken glass to ensure Bobby had a decent life. She worked two jobs at all times, sometimes three. Doing so as a high school dropout.  When the bills got bigger, she felt she was left no choice but to become a stripper at the ripe age of 18 to make ends meet. In this she found her true colors she felt.  She considered her sexuality the only real gift her mother gave her as she was the spitting image of her mom. That she was able to live some enchanted life if she was pretty or sexy enough. For a moment she felt that she and Bobby “belonged” with the rest of the happy people.

This moment was short lived at the time. As she found she had a hard time staying awake during the day to do her jobs as a maid in a hotel that Bobby and her lived and as a waitress at a Diner down the road.  One of the girls turned her on to cocaine saying it is how she “Kept up with her brats and old man on top of stripping”. This was her fourth secret she would never tell anyone.  For some time she did well with this.  Till she realized she was doing to Bobby what her mom did to her.  From that moment she decided to never do drugs ever again. If she did she was no better than her mom.  But she failed to understand her body would go through withdrawal.  This is where her 5^th secret surfaced. While going through the withdrawal she looked up to see Bobby trying to wake her up. It looked like he had a halo. In her mind she needed to get the halo off him to save him from death. Where, in fact she beat Bobby so badly the people in the next room called 911 and Bobby was taken to the hospital and she was taken to jail.

She found out a few days later she nearly killed Bobby and left him with broken ribs and a cracked skull at 11. She was not like her mom. She was worse. She pled guilty to the battery and did not fight Bobby being put in the state’s care (Secret number 6). She spent 5 years in prison.  Every day was a climb for her. She was determined to come out of there a better person. She finished school and took college courses in fashion design. With it she felt she could make herself and things pretty again.  When she got out she worked hard to build a name for herself in the fashion industry, all the while looking for Bobby who was 16 by that point.  She changed her name also (Secret 7). She feels she left who she was before in prison and that girl can stay there. Now she simply goes by Pandora. Over the course of 10 years she became the biggest name in couture fashion and lived the “pretty life” she dreamed of years ago.

One Day  in November, after a near fatal  car accident that left me unable to walk for some time a turn of events happened that changed that chapter of my life. This is an account of that event:

I was going for my mini walk  of the day and I looked at my nurses and my PT and said ” Let’s go to Hydro ( bath).”. The walk was less than 100 feet away but for everyone there it was nothing short of a miracle. My nurses and PT were cheering me on and crying; even took a picture of me (seeing as it was a big deal). After hydro my folks were there and had no idea I had learned to walk again and were told we had a surprise for them. My nurses brought me back but stopped short of the door handed me my walker. I stood up and locked eyes with my daddy who was on the other side of my hospital bed. As I walked toward him; his knuckles went white and tears streamed down his face. Happy tears. I could feel my mom cheering and crying to my left. It was a good day.

As for the picture…. a year later I gave it to one of my biggest inspirations in my life, Mrs. Dot Malone; my Basketball coach and Mentor.

A man tired with all the troubles of this life packs his bags, buys a boat and decided to sail the world for the next year. The first week he made wonderful time and enjoyed himself. But in the mist of week two a huge storm tossed and turned his boat and left him shipwrecked on a deserted island. He wanted peace and quiet but not this much. Now he had more of it then he could stand. Be careful what you ask for.

*Note: A non-fiction story*

Last Sunday night America seemed to light up at 10:30 pm central standard time. We watched and listen while our president told us the nation’s biggest enemy was killed by a Special Forces team. This was met with a mixture of doubt and celebration. And still a week later some people are celebrating his death. While the ones with doubt are even more doubtful due to a burial at sea and being told “No!” on whether or not we can see a video or picture of his dead body. The doubter also say the DNA test is not enough and they want more proof. For me there is so much wrong with this, First the celebration that wages on.

I understand that he was our biggest enemy and that due to him some really terrible things happen. But to celebrate as much as we have: Doesn’t that make us no better than him? He found pleasure in our misery and pain, just like we are doing in the case with him.  In my opinion the excessive celebration is marks of “stooping to their level” and pettiness. I admit that night I was happy to hear the news but come the next morning I knew anymore celebrating would be unfitting for me to do. Even if you look at him as a monster that we prevailed against, there are plenty more out there. Put in terms of mice and rats. Say you see one huge rat in your house one day and set a trap and kill him. Does that ensure you will not any more problems? No. There is an old saying “For every rodent (mice or rats) you see there is 10 more in the walls”. So we got the Rat king. That does not mean everything is done nor that there will be a quick and easy ending here. It took us 10 years to make this chess move, now it’s their move. We have to be educated and aware. Plan out our next move no matter what move they make.

Because like it or not this is war. And there never ever comes good out of war. But to protect and maintain our life and lifestyles, wars must happen.  Every battle won is not a time celebration, but a time for deep thinking and soul searching toward future things. If there was no war there would be harmony.  And in Harmony not war do we honestly win.

Mary Beth was tired of the single life and the endless parade of first and sometimes only dates. She wanted someone who could connect with her,. Being that she was “plus size” and  a mother of 3 boys seamed to curse never to find love after her divorce. It was not her fault her ex husband decide he did not want to be married or to have a family anymore and left one day never to be heard from again. It took her a year after he left to convince herself he was not coming back. And another year to get the divorce final due to not knowing where he was and his family also cutting ties with her and her boys. When he left Josh was 2 , Travis was 5 and Greg Jr. ( named after her ex-husband) was 8. Now Josh is 7, Travis is 10 And Greg Jr.  ( who has now asked to have his name changed)  is 13.

For the last 3 years she has tried every way to find someone to interact with. She has been fooled a few times and heartbroken even more. Finding a job after Greg left was not as hard as this is. Tonight she was meeting a guy by the name of Harrison for drinks. He is the brother in law to one of the doctor’s at the hospital she does book keeping for.  It seems everyone is out to help her find live now. But Harrison seems like a good possibility. He himself is divorce with 2 kids (a boy and a girl), he is a contractor with a major local construction company, he is around her age (she couldn’t believe how many dates she went on with guys that were closer to her dad’s age) and when he saw the picture text of her that she sent he remarked she was beautiful. The only thing that is left to make it a great match to her is good conversation.

She wants the type where the conversation never gets weird or too silent. The whole experience is not brought down by it but heightened by it. Now that she looks back she can see she never even had that with her ex. She knows it can happen because she once before she got married had a boyfriend where they could and would talk for hours and both want to talk more. He since had married and has kids They are still go friends but she would never flirt with a married man.

Now she is sitting at the bar wait for  Harrison to get there. He text her a few moments ago to tell her he was running late due to work and was about to take a shower to  get all the dirt and sweat off him , then he would be on his way. She ordered a diet Spite to calm her nerves of meeting someone new. As she takes the first sip she sees him walk in, his picture text that he sent did not do him justice. Now she was even more nervous.  He came over, smiled and gave her a friendly hug. The hug was so warm andfelt so good.  He sat down and asked her what she was drinking and she told him what it was. He ordered a beer for himself and asked if she would like a “harder” drink or wanted another one of those. She could tell he wanted to buy her a drink of some sort so she asked if a glass of red wine was ok. He smiled big and said it was. And much to her surprise he started talking. And before she knew it there was a conversation going. A conversation that lasted for hours; a good conversation. And with that she knew she found love again.

Sarah has always loved books. Her favorite time of day growing up was the story before bed. She loved the story so much she would sleep with the book instead of a stuff animal. Before long she was reading novels like Gone with the Wind and War and Peace, just for fun. So it was not a surprise to her friends and family that she wanted to be a writer herself when she “grew up”. But what nobody expected was her to become a world famous author and be worth millions, All because he daddy would read her a bed time story.

Megan hated nights like this. It was Saturday late afternoon and she was bored. She had spent the morning cleaning her house and running errands. She did it so well and so fast she was already done and it was one 5 o clock at night. She was too wired to sleep or read and too tired to go out on the town. There is nothing on TV and she has watched every movie that is out that she would want to see; besides the fact she just can’t sit still to watch TV. Yep, these are nights Megan without a doubt hate.

Megan has always been a “busy bee” as her grandfather would call her. She was raised on a beautiful cattle ranch in Iowa. She was up before the sun was on most days tending to her “farm chores” of feeding the horses and Chickens. She was also in charge of changing the bedding for both and the collect any new eggs. She then would go to school and make the best grades she could which usually were As and Bs. She made such good grades that she got a scholarship to many highly known and held universities. She decides on The University of Iowa, to make sure she was still close to home. She graduated there with honor, getting a degree in Accounting. She then joined an accounting firm in Iowa City and shortly afterward bought her first house.  She misses the ranch as it never seemed as boring there as it does in the big city to her.

“The ranch” She thinks as she makes herself a glass of ice tea. She always says that she is busy and that is why she never calls home to her folks. This would be a perfect time. She reaches for the phone. She is sure her parents will be done with dinner and able to talk.  She dials the number and it rings. She hears and familiar and loving female voice. “ Hi Mom, it’s me.” She says  with a touch of homesick in her voice. As she begins to talk she smiles. She is not bored anymore and night is one of the best nights she has had in a long time.

Now at the park Emily has been left to play by herself as her brother and his friends sat in the treehouse clubhouse that the community dads and sons
group built last year. Emily can not climb with out her dad there as he told her on a previous trip to the park. After playing on the slide and swings for a
few minutes, Emily gets bored of them and walks to the small pond that sits in the center of the park. She likes watching the ducks people fishing in the
pond. As she gets closer she sees this one “very pretty” duck near a bench waddling around. She could tell he was not a baby duckling nor was he a grown
duck. That he must be a “kid” duck. ” Quack Quack” she calls out as she gets closer. But her hurried manner scares the young duck away back into the water.
She sees him land with the finesse of a airplane landing smoothly. And it hits her. ” Hey Walter!” She calls to the duck. The name just seemed so right since
he seemed so at home in the water. Over the next hour she call to him at first to just receive a cold shoulder from the duck then he seemed to take a liking
to her and it was almost as if he was playing with her and calling out to her fron the pond. When she left she yelled out a promise to “Walter to be back
soon to visit him.
The next day Emily was back. This time she came with her mom. They just dropped off cupcakes for the bake sale and Emily pleaded with her mom since
getting home last nightto go back, telling her mom all about Walter. Her mom found it cute that Emily thinks she found a friend in a duck so decided to humor
her and take her to see him. They brought some old bread for Walter and a picnic for themselves. Scott went to spend the next few night with his friend and
in a few days the boys will be all at there house, So Mom was getting in any quiet relaxing time she could get.But to Mom’s surprise. Walter seem to actaully
befriend emily too even after Emily gave him every morsal of the bread he did not leave their picnic and actually ended up laying down slightly close to
Emily and falling asleep. what was more amazing was this time when Emily got ready to leave, Walter started to follow her and even when mom told him to stop
as long as Emily didn’t say anything it was like he was set to go with her. Finally Emily tolds her friend to stay and that she would see himthe next day.
And she did. As a matter of fact she saw him almost every day that summer.

Then the first day of school comes and she is starting 1st grade. She could not be more excited. Halfway thru the day she thinks to herself “I wanna
share this with Walter.”. So when her Dad picked her up from school she asked to be taken to the park. By this point the whole family was aware that Emily
had made friend with Walter and that being near him makes her happy so her daddrove to the park that crisp Fall day.When they got there though, She could not
find him anywhere. she called and but he never came. And as she looked around she noted that all the ducks were gone.she begain to cry thinking someone took
her friend away. He dad pick her up and put her in the car where she continued to silently cry for her friend. When they got home Dad turned around in his
seat and explained to Emily how more than likely all the ducks have flown south for the winter and that Walter would more than likely be back in the spring.
Emily missed Walter, but her dad never lied to her so she is certain what he said was true. She ask her mom to help her count down the days til spring,
whereas her mom got her a calendar for Emily to mark each day off. Which she did. Finally the first day of spring comes, before school as they drove past she
looked out the window to the park and could see there were no ducks. But she did not give up and after school she went back again. This time when she walked
up she could see there were a few ducks. She hurried to the pond and scaned the water. And there in the middle of the water was a now grown Walter ( she just
knew it was him) and his “wife” and 4 little duckings. And Emily smiled.

• Mother’s Day
• one day of the week to spend with Will ( my fiancée)
• My best friend/cousin’s birthday
• Grocery Shopping
• Etc.

As you can see That is a busy day for me and it is likely I will not make the daily deadlines those days, so instead of beating myself each Monday for a missed day, I plan ahead to not write on those days. So, on with the show……