immediate family
Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family.
Big Mama's Plan
Sherie stood there smiling until the agent actually put the keys in her hand. The moment that happened she loudly screamed Halleluiah while continuously jumping up and down, around and around the room for several minutes. Although Henry Akin had experienced many other clients of his expressing jubilation during the process of completing a home sale he was certainly taken aback by Sherie’s act of joyful celebration. After several minutes of watching her try to calm herself he finally asked if she were ok and then stated, I bet your parents are quite proud of you for being able to purchase yourself your own very first home. His words stopped her dead in her tracks. She stood motionless for a moment, gathered herself and quietly replied to the agent. No. She said I truly know that they are not proud of me at all. As her tears started flowing uncontrollably, she stood there momentarily, but in her mind she stood there a lifetime reminiscing about so many of the hurtful events of her life with all of its trauma, tribulations and tears. She knew that this man could never comprehend how much that word home was resonating in her heart, mind, and soul. Home is not a word that she could or would have ever used before as a description of any place that she had ever lived. Sherie had just recently celebrated her 19th birthday alone in the same unremarkable hotel room that she had been renting for the past six months. Although the cost was making a serious dent to her limited bank account, she would continue her personal vow to never return to her mother’s house under any circumstances nor for any reason. Freedom could not be complete until she was able to accomplish her set goal of securing her very own home. For now that hotel room had provided the rest and security that she had so desperately needed for so awfully long as protection from her mother’s threats and control. With her grandmother now gone there seemingly had been no other place she could have run to for even the limited amount of sanctuary Big Mama’s house had sometimes provided. The recent few weeks of time that she had been able to stay there mostly alone had been such a blessing in that it was the catalyst to the incomprehensible changes that were now happening in her life.
By Keith Turner6 years ago in Families
Burnt
Suchitra wore red to the cremation. She buttoned up a crimson blouse and outlined her lips in carmine, defiant with joy at her uncle’s passing. She went dressed like the fire that would finally claim what was left of him, reveling in his death. To no one’s surprise the funeral was small. Baal was not popular by any means. He had no hobbies beyond TV-watching, and barely drank any alcohol, so the friendships made at the local watering hole did not include him. A couple coworkers from the factory came. A handful of family was there too, dressed in traditional white kurtas and head scarfs, huddling a fair distance from the burning pyre, as thick black smoke pushed upward through the midday heat. The wood crackled loudly, pelting glowing pieces as it broke. People stared at the woman in red, no doubt whispering about her disrespectful funeral attire. But after all her years of silence over what her uncle had done, this was her only semblance of retribution, and she found satisfaction in their gossip.
By Stephanie Ramlogan6 years ago in Families
In My Minds Eye
Well what does it mean..... Let me start by saying there is no easy way to explain this, in fact some things may not make sense to you at all, they barely make sense to me half the time. Bipolar is my condition, it has brought pain, strife, confusion, humour, heartache, adventure and joy from an optimistic stand point. Mental health is complex to say the least but even in sheer distress the wildest of adventures can play out, some good, some bad, some seriously horrendous but all together huge life lessons can be had. I am going to share my story in full at some point but first I thought I would throw out a teaser.... to reel you in of course, I have lead a very interesting life some days are boring like most average days but others............ Especially the ones from dark but humorous memories tell a story that one cannot deem real unless experienced from believing in prospects of being Married to Hollywood superstars, musicians etc (like I seriously thought Trey Songs was going to marry me in REAL LIFE....SERIOUSLY) "insert straight face emoji" .....To thinking I was a Ninja in a battle with every human in close contact while pregnant..... YES I DID SAY While Pregnant! There is a lot to tell so much that at some point in the near future I will be sharing all these stories in An OFFICIAL Autobiography...... untill then I will share snippets of my rollercoaster life to keep the creative juices flowing. My family tell me I am very dramatic (this is true) So don't be surprised with the mix and blend of fictional and non-fictional accounts from my effervescent imagination. (Gotta mix it up so you don't think I'm completely off my rocker)................For now please indulge, ask me questions, share your fantasical ideas so I can stay inspired and ME! I will share the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth....... As long as I am not triggered into a spiral of Depression....... I hope I can keep you ENTERTAINED...... Love n Kisses xoxo
By Careen Green6 years ago in Families
City of Brotherly Love
Concrete jungle. That’s what most people think of when they imagine an overpopulated city filled with the working poor. My mother was a master of the lost art form of making a dollar out of fifteen cents. She robbed Peter to pay Paul. Living paycheck to paycheck was the way of life you could set your watch by. Every first of the month, the lines would travel out the door at the local corner store as people handed over their food stamps for cash. That’s what most people think of when they think of my city, but that’s not where I grew up.
By That Writer Chick6 years ago in Families
Christmas
It was Tom’s and my turn to host Christmas. Rather than our choosing which among our widely scattered family members we should visit, they came to us, here in Louisiana. My daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and even my sister came, all the way from London via Indianapolis, where she picked up our 90-year-old mother and escorted her to Louisiana on mom’s first plane ride in many decades. It was a sweet and fulfilling time.
By JANINA M FULLER6 years ago in Families
Love you, always.
The kindest thing I could do for you was to say good-bye. I walked away when really, I was too young to make that decision but it was for the best and thankfully the next ten years proved that. You were always better off without me and I knew that and similarly, I was better for myself at a distance from everyone I loved. I didn’t leave because I hated or resented you, I left because I love you. I love you more than words alone could say and words are empty if actions don’t back them up.
By Chrisie Hopps6 years ago in Families
I Suck At This
“I suck at this.” I slammed my pen down and dropped my head into my hands in frustration. It was senior year and I was applying to colleges. My grades were just okay but I did surprisingly well on the SAT exams. I only applied to four schools because the application cost was ridiculous and I, and my parents, could only afford so many. Why does it cost money to apply to a university? What a dumb — that’s a different rant for a different day. My parents forced me to be choosy, narrow it down to four likely candidates to continue my higher education. Two schools I wanted to go to, one my parents chose (the most affordable happened to be the closest as well), and a safety school that I was assured admission. But grades and test scores were not enough! Oh no, these prestigious, middle of the road, far from Ivy League Universities all required application essays as well. Basically long form begging restructured into a thesis statement as to why, if granted admission, I would become the next great Golden Eagle, or Blue Devil, or Crusader, or Leatherneck, to go out into the world and change it for good while continuing to remember my yearly alumni donations. Please let me in, all powerful gatekeepers of education, I hold promise for great things, accomplishments unmatched by any of my peers from the other medium-sized mid-conference local universities! I swear it!
By Matthew DiMare6 years ago in Families
Midway to Utah
William Howard January 18th 2021 Midway to Utah Sharon Franks had spent the better part of her life running in any direction that didn’t lead her back to her father. She had grown up in Tallahassee, Florida; raised by a bi-polar dreamer of a father who always swore that his next idea would be the one that made them rich. However, he spent more time with his one or two friends playing poker and drinking beer than marketing his ideas to potential investors. As for her mother, she hardly got the chance to know her since she had abandoned the family when Sharon was seven years old, leaving her ‘loving’ husband, Jason Harkness to raise their child.
By William Gold6 years ago in Families
