“Her Friend Is Mrs. Scrooge”

They have been friends for many years, but she did not know that her friend was the wife of Mr. Scrooge. Their friendship started when they were both working with the same designing company. The company closed down, she moved to another state and they lost touch for many years. One day by coincidence, they ran into each other. They talked for a while over lunch. Her friend indicated that she started her own designing company and has a staff of 10 workers, but she would like her to come and work for her. She told her she would think about it. It did not take her long to start working in her friend business as a supervisor. Her job was tedious, but it was worthwhile. She performed her tasks perfectly and was really impressed with the creations that were done by the designers. Their salary was always on time so there were no problems to get the workers to perform. They were the backbone of the company and they were phenomenal. The business was doing well, and she was happy to be one of the people who were instrumental in making it a success. Christmas was coming, and she did not think that they would have a problem. On the Thursday morning before Christmas, her friend called a staff meeting. She told them that they were all going to be paid on the first Friday in January. She looked at her friend and wondered if she was crazy. Most of the workers started to complain because they needed their money. Her friend looked angrily at them then she shouted, “What the hell do you all want me do!”
Everyone got very quiet, but they all looked angry. She was also upset because she knew that her friend had the funds to pay the staff…

“Searching For Christmas Gifts”

My daughter told me that she and her classmates were talking about how they search their homes, to see where their parents hide their Christmas gifts…. I asked her if she searches our home and very quickly she said, “No.” I said, “Yeah right.” Then, she admitted that she does, and she never finds them. We decided that this year, we would make it very easy for her to find her gift. After putting the lights on the Christmas tree, we put her gifts in the box the lights were in… The box was then placed on the dining table. Her father and I watched her walk by the table, sat at the table to eat her meals and the box was right in front of her. Day in and day out, she sat at the table and completely ignored the box. The box was then wrapped and placed under the tree. Christmas morning, she took her gift from under the tree, opened it, then she came into the kitchen with the box in her hand.
“Mom when are we going to put the lights on the tree?” she asked.
“The lights are on the tree,” I said and I started to laugh.
“Why are you laughing? You and dad gave me this box of lights for Christmas, so when are we going to put them on the tree?”
“Open the box…”

"Favorite Christmas Memory"

My most favorite Christmas memory... From a very young age I watch my parents along with my brothers and sisters put the house in disarray then just before midnight Christmas Eve the house looks and smells fantastic... The final touch... the balloons that are blown and hung up over the doors and windows... I asked my father why we hung up balloons... He said, "Jesus Birthday."

“No”

Her high school graduation prom was taking on an old theme. Promptly at ten o’clock, the band was going to play ‘The Impossible Dream’ and all the graduates were going to dance the waltz. They rehearse for weeks and received praises from their dance tutor.
She did not have a partner to dance with, so she decided to ask her brother… He was a ballroom dancer. It was very hard for her to ask him because he never says yes. His favorite word in the dictionary is, ‘NO’.
Two weeks before the prom, she asked him and he said yes. Although he said yes, she reminded him as often as possible. He kept assuring her that he would be there and on time.
She felt elegant when she dressed for the prom. The compliments she received had her excited to dance the waltz. The food was tasty and she was having a wonderful time. To her, the evening was just perfect. At nine thirty, she phoned her brother, but got no answer so she assumed he was on his way. Panic set in when she phoned him at nine fifty and he did not answer. She kept looking at the door to see if he would walk through. The count down started. All the graduates and their partners were asked to step onto the floor. They all walked out and she was standing alone. The band started to play and they proceeded to dance. She took deep breaths to stop herself from crying… Every one looked graceful as they moved across the floor. The dance lasted about 6 minutes, but it felt as though it lasted for more than an hour. As the music stopped, every one stood with their partners, clapping and smiling happily… Her brother walked through the door, towards her smiling…

“Getting All She Wants For Christmas”

My daughter is getting all she wants for Christmas because she wrote an essay for Spanish class and got ‘A+' for it… The ‘A+’ is one of the reasons for all that she wants for Christmas, but the main reason is… When she mentioned me in her essay, she started the sentence, “My mother, who is 40 years…” That child took 10 years off from my age. When she came home from school she said, “Mom I am so sorry that I wrote your age down as 40yrs. but you are younger than that right, because you look younger? I was smiling from ear to ear…

“The Money”

My so-called friend asked me, to compose, and type a business letter, for a friend of hers. She also told me that her friend was willing to pay me for the letter… I told her that would be fine. I met with her friend, and we agreed on a price. After she gave me the information for the contents of the letter, I did a draft. She read it and found it to be exactly what she wanted. I typed the letter and my so-called friend collected it. When the woman received it, she phoned me and told me that she sent the money for me with my so-called friend… A week went by, and my so-called friend did not say anything to me about the money. Three weeks later, I asked her about it. She said the woman did not give her the money, but she would ask her for it. I told her that she could keep the money when she gets it. She said, “Are you sure?” “I said, “Yes.” She smiled then said, “Thanks.”

“Salivating Causes Indigestion”

One day, I was eating and a colleague looked at my food, licked her lips then looked at me. The look in her eyes told me that she wanted some of my food. I decided that I was not going to give her any, so I continued eating. After I was finished eating, a sudden feeling of indigestion came over me. As the minutes went by my upset stomach got worst, and my salivating colleague walked by, and smiled...

“The Smell Of Snakes”

A friend invited me to Thanksgiving dinner. The food looked great and smelt yummy. Before dinner, we sat down and had drinks while the hostess was doing the final laying of the table. I sat in a room with people I did not know. They were all taking about the food and how delicious it always taste. One woman whispered to me that every thing is tasty, but she doesn’t eat the turkey. I told her I love turkey and I cannot wait to get a slice of the one that is on the table. It looks really delicious.
“Wait until you are sitting at the table, looks, can be deceiving at times.”
I looked at her with a frown. This woman was a close relative of my friend, so I found her comment to be a bit strange. We sat at the table and the dishes were being passed around. I took a little of the vegetable rice, baked macaroni, lasagna, collard greens, potato salad and steamed corn. The food on my plate smelled good and my tummy was growling… Suddenly, a fresh smell flowed through the air. I wondered where that smell was coming from. My mother and father always told us, if we get a fresh smell, a snake is around. A feeling of fear came over me because I was thinking that my friend had a pet snake. I looked around the room, but there was no snake in sight. Every one was eating and not bothered by the smell. My friend’s husband offered me a piece of the turkey, and he put a thick slice on my plate. The smell was now on my plate… My stomach suddenly got full, and the lady who didn’t eat turkey, looked at me and smiled…

“My Personal Bully”

Every one had some one who bullied them… even the bully gets bullied at times… Some people are being bullied, at this very moment as I write this… Children, Women and Men are being bullied… I have a short threshold for bull, so when you add the Y now I get crazy… My son went through it, in elementary school. I told his teachers. They did what they could, but the bullying continued. The bully was making my son, his Personal Subject. I made a visit to the school and came face-to-face with the bully. After I gave him a little speech, the bullying stopped…. My daughter went through it and I went to the school. I gave her bully a speech about jealousy, and lacking confidence and it stopped… When I was in 1st grade, a girl who was in 5th grade grabbed one of my plaits and she tugged it. My eyes became teary and she started to taunt me… “Look the little baby is crying. She is so weak…" I was scared and my fears made me become her Personal Subject. Every day she made me cry until my sister caught her in the act…

“Macho or Stupid”

He and his wife’s relationship, was great, and he did not have any reason to stray, but a woman, he knew was challenging him for a romp.
“Nobody will ever know. Not even your wife,” she whispered to him one day. Just call me any time.”
He decided that he was going to call her, the moment he got the chance. It did not take long for the opportunity to come his way. The company his wife worked for asked the staff to work over-time to fill in the space of the workers who were on vacation. Her double-shift, was coming soon, and she knew it was going to be hectic, so she decided to have a romantic evening with him before it started. In preparation for it, she purchased, red sexy lingerie and hid it in her drawer. She knew that he goes through her things, but she hoped he did not find it. The opportunity to have the time with him never came. He told her he had to work over-time, but the work he was really doing was a touch-up and feel-up situation with the woman. One day it got very heated, between them, so he took her to his home and they did the unthinkable on his marriage bed. After she left, he thought about the romp. He did have fun, but to him, romping with his wife always left him feeling out of this world, this woman didn’t do that for him. “How stupid,” he thought and wondered if she would be true to her word, about silence? He looked around the bedroom to make sure every thing was in order, then he rummage through his wife’s chest of drawers, for no apparent reason. The bag with the lingerie caught his eyes and he opened it. This piece of lingerie looked strange to him. Most of his wife’s lingerie was black and other colors… nothing in red. He believed that the woman put it there, so he hid it…

“The So Called Friend”

Every time she and her friend went shopping, she paid for lunch, but it was not a problem for her. On one occasion, she told her friend she did not have enough to pay the bill. Her friend told her to give her what she had and she would put the rest. That was the first time she started to look at her differently. The next time they went out shopping, her friend said that she was hungry, so they went to a restaurant and stood on line. When it was their turn to order, her friend turned to her and said, “You don’t want anything right?” She said, “If you don’t want to pay for me just, order for yourself and pay your bill. Don’t tell me that I don’t want anything…

"Daylight Saving Time"

Oh gosh... I really don't like it... got up at 3AM, but it was 2AM couldn't sleep so I started writing... Had a meeting at 10AM got there the doors were closed checked my cell phone... 9AM... It's fall... the clocks fall back an hour... I really don't like it....

“Timid But Covetous “

A JEALOUS person is insecure. An insecure person doesn’t like himself or herself… If you allow them to get into your head, they would pass on their self-doubting to you… They would try to convince you that every thing is wrong about you… Every thing about you bothers a person who thrive on jealousy…

"Wisdom says"

No trace can be found after a ship traverse through the heaving water, there is no path of its keel in the waves. A bird flying through the air; no evidence of it's course is to be found--but the fluid air, lashed by the beat of pinions, and cleft by the rushing force of speeding wings, it traversed: and afterwards no mark of passage can be found in it.

"It Only Took A Smile"

He stood with a glass in his hand and ever so often their eyes would make four and he would smile. All night long he smiled at her and she smiled at him. She liked his smile because it set her heart racing. He was a handsome man, but she was wondering what was up with him, because a beautiful woman was standing next to him…

“Flatbush Avenue”

I don’t like shopping on Flatbush Avenue. The last time I shopped there, I purchased something that I thought I really needed. It was an emergency purchase. The rain was falling, so I bought 2 umbrellas. I used my credit card to make the purchase, and I received a slip of paper from a small cash register. I looked at it to make sure the print was legible then I put it in my coat pocket. Today, I pulled out the receipt and started reading it. The name, address and phone number of the store is on the receipt, the date, a batch number, type of credit card, the last 4 numbers of the card, my name, expiry date, and my signature. The two umbrellas that I purchased were not written on the receipt, but these people got my information…
I was not surprised to see this because for many years, shopping on Flatbush Avenue has been questionable to me; the receipt that you receive after a purchase is a little slip of paper. In most cases, the print is faded so you cannot see what is written on it. If you return something, (it doesn’t even matter if it’s 5 minutes after your purchase), you cannot get back the money you paid. You have to take something else from the store. When shopping with your credit card or bankcard, your purchase must be $10.00 plus. After remembering why I don’t like to shop on Flatbush Avenue, I am thinking that I should have pulled the hood of my coat over my head, and walk through the rain…

“Saved By The Bank”

She sat in the taxi waiting for the driver to get the amount of passengers he needed, to make his trip to Port-of-Spain. A man was sitting in the front seat and the driver stood outside the car. She said good morning to the man, but he did not answer. Before she got into the car, she saw 2 men standing about 30 feet from the car. They did not look as though they knew each other, but for some odd reason she kept her eyes on them. The driver got in behind the wheel. The two men started walking towards the car. When they got to it, one entered on the right and the other on the left putting her in the middle. A strange feeling shot through her body and she knew she had to get out of the car. A silent prayer crossed her mind as she thought about what to say. The driver started the car and pulled out into the traffic. She opened her handbag, pretended to be looking for something, then said to the driver. “I have to make a quick stop at the bank. I forgot some papers that I would need for a meeting.
“When you get to your meeting, call the bank and ask them to fax it,” said the man on her right.
This suggestion, had her more anxious. She did not want to make any of them aware of her fears, so in a calm tone she said, “We are near the bank. It’s not going to take a lot of time for me to get the papers. Are you very busy?”
“Come on guys you all know that this bitch is not comfortable around all this testosterone,” said the man on the left.
“She must be a lesbian,” said the man sitting in the front.
“Oh really. You guys probably don’t have a mother, or you probably just don’t like women.”
“Calm down guys. Let the woman go and get her papers. We did see her go into the bank earlier, and she just came out,” said the driver.
She realized that the men were all friends and they were looking at her movements. In her mind she prayed for the driver to stop, and he did...

“After It Is Gone”

As the old folks say, “Easy come! Easy go!”
Things that come easy, we take for granted. After we lose it, we realize the importance. The longing to get it back leaves us with the feelings that if we ever get another chance at it… We would never let it go.

“A Guilty Conscious”

The question was… Did you see my MP3 player?
“No I did not throw it in that pile of trash.
“Okay.”
“Why are you saying okay like that? You are sounding as though you don’t believe me?
“Really?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“A guilty conscious needs no accuser.”

"The Light"

I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I am sure it is not a train that is coming...

“The Dare”

Her son, who was 4 years, walked along side her while she was shopping. Her hands were filled with bags, so she decided to go home. They walked by a store and there was a red fire truck in the window. He asked her to buy it. She told him that she would buy it for him another day. He stood up, stamped his feet and shouted that he wanted it.
“I am not buying it today.”
He said that he would throw away the candy he was eating, if she did not buy it for him.
Livid was an understatement to how she was feeling. “How dare you challenge me?” She looked at him. He with his little unmannerly self threw away his candy. She smiled then looked to see if the bus was coming. He said, “So, you not buying me the fire truck?”
She told him no. He said, “You made me throw away my candy and you still not buying it?” She told him she did not tell him to throw away his candy. The bus came and they got on. He started to cry.
She knew that one thing he would always remember is never to dare her…

“Ask So-And-So”

I don't like when I ask someone to do something for me, they look at me with their, I really don’t want to do it expression then say, can you ask so-and-so to do it? The reason I asked you in the first place was because you were better equipped to do it...

“The TV”

The television stopped working and I was waiting and watching to see who would miss it first… One day went by and no one said anything. I smiled thinking that they all preferred the radio. It was playing some real good music. After the third day, my husband said, “You know the television is not working?” I told him yes, but I was waiting to see who would miss it first. He said, “Cool. Let’s wait and see.” We watched our children day in and day out. None of them said anything until the seventh day. My daughter went to turn it on to play the Wii. She shouted, “Mom the TV is not working!”
I shouted, “I know!”
“Oh. What happened to it? I want to play My Sims.”
“I don’t know. It just stopped working.”
“I’m really upset about that.” She took up her DS and started playing it, while she complained to her brother about it. He was surprised that it wasn’t working. My husband and I are still waiting and watching to see how long it would take them to be really aggravated that we don’t have a TV. We both think that the radio does a great job with the news and music…

“Weirdest Interview”

She was heading to an interview for a job. A well-dressed man was in front of her. The moment he got to the elevator, the doors opened and he stepped in. She started running towards it and shouted, “Hold the door!” He looked at her smiled, but didn’t attempt too hold it, so the doors closed. She shook her head and waited for the next elevator to the tenth floor. When she arrived on the floor, the man was walking away from speaking to another man. He pushed the door to the room she was heading to, and he walked through. The door swung towards her and she stopped it, before it hit her in the face. In the back of her mind she was thinking of all the unpleasant words she should say to him, but it was imperative that she kept her composure. She had been out of work for many months and she needed this job. A pleasant demeanor, she hoped, will work in her favor. The moment she walked through the door, an elderly woman walked up to her and smiled. “You got the job.”
“What!” she exclaimed.
“I know you are thinking that you haven’t been interviewed, but you were. The gentleman who didn’t hold the doors for you was testing you. He wanted to see how you would handle situations like the ones you were faced with this morning…

“Good, Nice And Awesome”

“Good, Nice And Awesome”
My family was on a roll today… My husband started it off. He said, “You are a good woman.” I said “Okay?” He said, “Why you answering me like that? You are.” I said, “Thanks.” About 30 minutes later my daughter said, “Mom you are nice.” I said, “Okay.” She said, “Mom I don’t like when you do that. You sound as though you don’t believe me.” “I’m sorry, thanks for the compliment.” 3 hours later my son said, “Mom you are awesome.” I said, “Okay.” He said, “Mom!” I smiled and told him thanks. I continued cooking then it hit me. They were complimenting me because I prepared all that they liked to eat. For breakfast, I made sada roti and pumpkin for my husband, my daughter got French toast with scrambled eggs and my son just opened the pots on the stove and he saw his favorite food cooking. Peas and rice, stew chicken and the mashed potatoes in a bowl on the counter…

“Sex”

I know what it is. I believe God did not design sex for fun. It’s proper use is a sacred responsibility and privilege. It was meant for us to enjoy the closeness and to unite with our partners. Today it is painted in many different degrading tones. Vulgar is one of the main tones. To all the people who message me these explicit vulgar sexual links to videos I WILL DELETE YOU! We are just facebook friends. You only know me by what I post on my profile and what comments I’ve made. In my recollection I know that I have not posted or said anything vulgar. You know your selves so refrain from sending me any of your LINKS TO VIDEOS!

“Cookies”

I baked some vanilla butter cookies then I iced the top and sprinkled some colorful sprinkles on them before the icing dried. The taste tasters all gave me thumbs up. I still wasn’t sure how good they tasted because they were close family members, so I felt that they were saying that to appease me. Some friends and other family members tasted the cookies and they liked them. One evening, while I was home alone, I opened the cookie container and saw that there were five remaining cookies. I put them on a plate and made a cup of tea. I took up a cookie and bit it. My taste buds exploded with delight. I looked at the other four on my plate and wondered why I didn’t taste them before. Deciding to eat them slowly, I sat in front of the computer and proceeded to edit my book. After I read two pages I ate one cookie. It tasted better than the first, so I ate another. While I ate, I kept looking at my plate. I was down to the last two, so I edited three pages of my book then ate a cookie… continued editing then put my hand to pick up the last cookie. I felt nothing, so I looked down. There were no more cookies. I looked around to see if someone took my last cookie…

“To Dream”

This song was on my mind, all day… The Impossible Dream… What I love to hear most of all is... To try when your arms are too weary. To reach the unreachable star. This is my quest. To follow that star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far…
My son said that my dream is not impossible… I am doing it… writing… Thanks for the vote of confidence…

“The Facetious Driver”

His driver was a bit facetious, but he did not complain about it, because he knew that one day this foolish man would fall off of the pedestal he believes he was on. It did not take long for him to fall. They were headed from the Bronx to Brooklyn, when his driver made a wrong turn. He told him that he should have made a left instead of a right.
“Who is driving, you or me?”
“You are right, you’re driving.” he said and looked through the window with a smile on his face. He saw that they were heading to Queens, if they stayed on the road they were on. The driver continued on, then he said, “I think I am heading in the wrong direction.”
“You can make a left on the first street you are coming to, and another left on the second street on the block.”
“The GPS did not say that,” said the driver.
He said okay, then, he opened his bag and took out a book to read for two reasons. One; he did not want to use bad language, and two; he knew that the drive to Queens, at that hour of the day, would be brutal, because of the traffic. Two hours later, they were in Astoria, Queens driving around and around in circles…

“An X”

It is insignificant to me and it stands alone. The only use I have for an, ‘X’ is to place it to indicate my vote. I can sign my name so it is not needed on that line. To greet those who matter to me with a kiss… I don’t write xxxxx. All those close to me will get their kisses when I touch down in Trinbago… ‘X’ is in the right place… the 24th letter in the English alphabet and it represents a consonant sound… There is a ring to it when you say it, because the intonation of it lets you know how insignificant it is… leave it alone.

“Holding For Customer Service”

You dial the number and the voice mail comes on… “You have reached… press 1 to place an order or to find out about the order you placed… 2, 3, 4, etc… etc. You want to place an order and you are waiting to get live assistance. In the mean time, music comes on and it is the kind of dreary music that puts you in a sad nostalgic mood, or a scared mood. You feel as though one of the characters from a horror movie would come out and attack you. You get lost in it, so you start looking for a place to hide… the moment you find a place, some one says, “This is Gleason. How can I help you?” Now you shiver a little because he sounds like a real mysterious character… Then reality hits you… ‘Oh shocks, I was waiting to place an order’. You ask Gleason for what you want. He says, “That item is out of stock.” Now, you are upset that you didn’t hang up the phone in the first place.

“A Real Sad Story”

He was 20 and enjoying life, but then he was faced with a terribly tragedy. His brother, who was 16, drowned in a river. The pain he felt from hearing this was heart wrenching. He went to the river, so did all the other members of his family. The tears were flowing from them all as they waited for his body to be found. All the divers were well equipped with all the necessary gears as they went into the water, but they could not find him. He told his mother that he could find him, but the master diver insisted that if they can’t find him, no one else could. This aggravated him, so he decided not to stay by the river. Later that day, the divers came out of the river with the same report. His mother got to the point where she insisted that her son could dive and get his brother. The master diver finally agreed to let him dive. When he arrived, his brother’s friends pointed to where he went in the water. He knew it was a life or death situation because he may not surface, but his adrenaline was pumping. His mother reassured him that he could do it. He took off his boots, shirt and with out diving equipment, he dove into the river. The anticipation he felt, gave him the strength… he knew he was going to bring his brother to the bank of the river. The current pulled at him as he swam and he allowed it. He went deeper and deeper. At one point, his lungs felt overwhelmed and he prayed that he was at the exact spot his brother was. He swung his hand, felt the waist of a pants and he pulled it. The body moved and he knew that it was his brother. With one hand holding the waist of the pants, he started his ascent. He knew if he did not get to the surface soon he would drown. When he finally saw the sunlight and the bank of the river, he gasped. The divers came and took his brother. At that moment, he felt like lying back in the water and allowing it to take him where, ever it wanted. A friend quickly got into to the river and helped him out of it…

“My Life Story.”

Every body has a story... My story takes the cake!
I really don’t know what it is about me that make some people believe that they have my permission to speak for me… hmm...

“Time Waits On No Man”

I am just like time… I wait on no man. There are some places I don’t like to be late for; church, school and work are the top places on my list. If I am late, I must have a valid reason.
I was heading to my college class for my finals. I had every thing in place. Our exam was an open book, so after I was finished studying, I put my textbook in my bag along with every thing that I needed for class. As the time was drawing close for me to leave home, anxiety set in, but I tried my best to stay calm. I finally left home. When I got on the bus, I knew I would get to class twenty minutes before it started. I decided to look over some of the notes I had highlighted in my textbook. When I opened my bag, my book was not in it. Being freaked out was an understatement. I phoned home and told my husband to look for it, while I headed home to retrieve it. I sat in a taxi and was praying that every streetlight we came too was on green, but no luck in that department. My husband phoned me and told me that our son had it in his bedroom. When I got home, I was ready to reprimand my five year old, but he said, “I am sorry, I just wanted to see the inside of the human body.” I told him it was okay then I took the book and got back into the waiting taxi. I looked at my watch and I knew I would be twenty minutes late for my exam. Time really, doesn’t wait on any man.

“No Stress For Me”

Today was one of the most seriously funny days of my life… I was trying to communicate with someone who was new to a situation. She started listening to my explanation then she told me that another call was coming through, on her phone. Instead of pressing flash to switch the call, she hung up. That was confirmation that she did not want to hear me. I chuckled. No stress for me. At the end of the day, I was told that she did every thing that I was going to tell her not to do. The person in charged called me and said, “He thought that I was going to explain to her, how to handle the situation…

“Burn That Bridge”

She remembered the great conversations she had with her dad. Any time he told her to mix him a drink and one for herself, she knew that he wanted to talk. One day over drinks, he said, “If you decide to walk away from any situation, walk with dignity. Don’t start talking about how much you invested in it and who did what… When you turn that last page, close the book. There are some books that need to remain closed. She looked at him, thinking that she had to defend herself, but he continued as though he read her mind. “I know you want to defend yourself. Let it go. You will have peace of mind. Remember that there are times you have to burn that bridge down.”

It is not in my DNA to be mean to any one

“My Food”

After a hectic morning at the office, I was anxious to go to lunch. I need to get away from the monotony of it all. My boss was the main factor in my day. He was going on a business trip so he had me busy putting his to-do-list together. The best thing he said to me was that I can go home after he leaves. The next best thing of my day was going to be the moment I sat eating the leftovers from my Thanksgiving dinner. The moment he left, I put the container with the, fried turkey, roasted turkey, corn bread and sausage stuffing, macaroni pie, lasagna, vegetable rice, stew chicken, collard greens with smoked turkey, and spaghetti delight in the microwave to hot. Then I put the potato salad, lettuce, tomatoes, watercress and cucumber salad, a glass of sorrel and a piece of red velvet cake, on the table.
The aroma of the food filled the kitchen. The microwave beeped and I took out my food, and immediately started to eat.
“What smells so good,” asked one of my co-workers. Before I could answer, two others came into the kitchen and asked the same question… One of them said, “I should have known it was your food. The aroma is always good, so I think it’s about time I tasted it.” They all agreed with her. She picked up a fork, took up my food and started eating. I watched as she passed the bowl to the others and they all ate from it. They eventually handed me the bowl and thanked me for a great meal…

“Should She Laugh Or Should She Cry”

She was sitting at her desk and her boss stood behind her. He wanted to know if she was up to speed with the work he had given her. She leaned back in her chair and started to inform him about all she had accomplished. The chair tilted to far and she fell backwards on the floor. She sat there for a moment, wondering… “If she should laugh or if she should cry.”

“Dogs”

I like some dogs, but some of them make me very uncomfortable. A slim woman was walking a pit bull. He looked heavy and mean. They were walking towards me and I was thinking, “Suppose this dog suddenly pull away from his owner and attack me?” I know he/she could take me down in a minute. I continued walking then breathed a sigh of relief when I was ignored. The next day, a man was walking his pit bull this one looked more vicious, so I crossed the street. A lady with a small dog (I think it was a Chihuahua) came out of a building. The Chihuahua started to bark loudly, and was trying to get at the pit bull. The man crossed the street, with his pit bull, as it started to become agitated. They ended up on the same side with me. I didn’t cross the street again, but my heart was going one mile per minute…

“The Man Who Sells Munchies”

“It might just be human nature… just a human being mean. On her way home from school there is a man who sells candy, chips, etc. One day she purchased a small container of Pringles chips and the man charged her one dollar. “Mom, my school sells this container of chips for 50 cents,” she said.
“So why did you buy it? Was it because you had the dollar?”
“No. I bought it because I like Pringles chips.”
Yesterday while she was coming home from school, she told me she wanted to buy a container of Pringles. I asked her if she noticed that many children walk by the munchies stand and they don’t stop. Let’s look and see how many children would stop to buy. We walked slowly towards the stand. All the children that walked by looked, but they kept on walking. Four children eventually stopped and he took up an item one of the children asked for. The child looked at the item then counted his money. He was short by 4 cents, so the man put back the item...
“Did you see that?” I asked.
“Let’s go home,” she said.

"The Well Dressed Man”

He came to my office and gave me a folder asking me very politely to research a medical procedure for him. This man was well dressed, so I assumed that he was in a managerial position. I was also new to the job, so I thought that it was part of my task. It took me two days to get the information and he thanked me for doing a great job, then, he handed me another folder to research. After the third task, I decided to speak to my boss. She indicated to me that he is a doctor’s assistant just as I am, and he is sneakily giving me the assignments his boss gave him. She also told me that I work for her and no one else, leave the folder on her desk and tell him to come to her office to retrieve it.”
He arrived the next day and I sent him to her office. After his meeting with my boss, all I said was, if looks could kill… I would be dead!

"My Winnings"

I just got a phone call. The caller said that I have been selected as one of their sweepstakes's winners. "No purchase necessary, but do I have a Visa or MasterCard credit card." I told him I don't. Then he asked, "Do you have a debit card with the Visa or MasterCard logo on it?" I told him no, so he hung up... There go my winnings.

“Cookies For Twenty-five Cents”

“How could you look into a child’s eyes and refuse him/her food?”
My son’s first grade teacher sent a note stating that she was going to give cookies to her class. The students had to bring in 25 cents every Monday, and she would give them 2 cookies per day. I always put the money in an envelope, write my son’s and his teacher’s names on it and what the money is for. Two weeks went by and every thing was going smoothly with the exchange of money for cookies. One day, when I picked up my son, he looked stressed. I asked him what was going on. He said every thing was fine. The next day, he looked the same and the day after he broke down in tears, because I insisted that he tell me why he was upset. He said that his teacher gave everyone in his class cookies and she did not give him any for the week. He also told me that he gave her the envelope with the money. Thursday morning, I put three cookies along with his sandwich and juice in his lunch box. Later that day, I paid a visit to his teacher. I relayed his story to her, and she told me that he did not give her the money. She turned and asked him what he did with it. He told her that he gave it to her, and she put it under the mat she had on her desk. She lifted the mat, and there was the envelope with the 25 cents…

"A Question About Dying

Someone sent me a request asking if I want to know when I would die… I clicked yes, but it was my intent to ignore this request. I am not concerned or interested in finding out about dying. At this moment my concerns are about doing the things I set out to do for my future. God, already set my future. I know he paved the road that I am walking. My history cannot be altered, but I could forget about it. This is my future, and I am living each day, loving the people close to me and doing the things I love to do… PRAISING GOD, and WRITING.

“His Sister… Hmm”

There was no apparent reason to go to his apartment because he was at work, but since he gave her a key, she decided to surprise him with dinner. As she shopped, she felt excited to see the look on his face when he arrives home. When she arrived at his home and opened the door, she heard his voice. She put the bags in the kitchen then walked to the bedroom, and called his name. Standing in the bedroom was a beautiful woman, dressed in sexy lingerie. He was lying on the bed exposed, looking bothered to see her.
“Who is she?” asked the woman angrily and she looked as though she was about to pounce on her.
Shocked but yet poised she said, “No… no I’m so sorry. I am his sister and I came to bring the things he asked me to get at the grocery. I’m leaving now”. She walked out of the apartment feeling very hurt but thinking realistically… she whispered. “I don’t know how it happens to me… Why it happens to me… some people would say that I was at the right place, but at the wrong time. I know I was at the right place at the right time… I’ve got a flair for adventure, and the flair, to embrace the truth."

"The Devious Look.”

Rita and Cheryl worked with the same company and every time their paths crossed Cheryl grinned deviously. Rita always smiled, but would ask her what’s so funny. Cheryl always shakes her head, keep smiling then walk away. This went on for many months, causing Rita to feel very uneasy. It was as though this woman knew something about her. Rita knew that she did not have any skeletons in the closet, so she wasn’t worried. The only situation she had going on at that time was the hope for a better relationship. The one she was in had gone sour, and she wanted to end it; she was hoping and praying for the right reason to get out. All her family and friends believed that Raymond her boyfriend, was the best thing that had happened to her. When they were in the company of friends and relatives, he lavished his attention on her. She always took it all in, with a smile, not wanting to burst his bubble. Months later, the opportunity to walk away came like a thief in the night. During her lunch break, she left the office and decided to take a walk. Her walked took her to a street she never walked on. There were many stores, and she decided to go into a dress shop. While browsing, she heard Cheryl’s voice so she looked in that direction. Cheryl was talking and smiling happily at Raymond. He was sitting, smiling at her while she models a dress for him.

“His Teacher Shouts”

My son told me his teacher doesn’t like him. I told him he is not in her class for her to like him, he is in her class for her to teach him. He said, “She shouts too much. You and dad don’t shout at me.”
“We could practice, if that would make you feel better,” I said then I started to laugh. “Mom, that’s not funny.”
I told him he was right, then I asked, if he wanted me to speak to his teacher, but he told me no. I contemplated about what he said. This teacher had a class of 30 students and I know that it is sometimes difficult to deal with one child, so 30 children, is another story. The other thing I thought about is his age. I felt since he was the youngest (4yrs) in his kindergarten class, he would feel a bit anxious because the other students were all 5. I told him that he needs to listen attentively and do not speak to any of his classmates during class. He agreed. I did not hear any more complaints, but I paid a surprised visit to his school. Before I entered the class, I stood at the door and looked to see what he was doing. He was copying work from the board in his notebook. His classmates brought his attention to me and he smiled in his little shy way and whispered, “mom.” I smiled then his teacher and I spoke. She reassured me that he was a good student and is doing well.
On the last week of school, the teacher requested a meeting with me. I was worried because this was final report, and moving up to the next grade. The moment I walked into the class, I saw a sad look on my son’s face. My heart started to palpitate and I asked why he looked so sad. His teacher told me that she just told him, that he is not moving up to 1st grade. I looked at his flushed face and I wanted to scream at her but I listened. She said that she reassured him that he is smart, but he is young and would not be able to compete with the other students. I reminded her that he would be five, but she insisted that the children would be six and much bigger than he is. I wanted to lash out but I told her okay. Then she said you know he is a good child? I told her, “I know that, you don’t have to remind me!” My intonation of those words brought on an uncomfortable moment, and I stood quietly looking at her. She then summarized her point and I told her have a nice day. I finally believed that my son was telling me the truth about her. I went to the vice principal’s office. She was in charge of kindergarten through second grades. The moment I walked in she said, “Your son is doing great. We are not giving out report cards yet, but look at his… he had perfect scores on all subjects. Then I mentioned to her what the teacher told me. She said that she tested his class, he reads above his grade and she is going to place him in a gifted class…

“fOoLiSh ThInGs Us PaReNtS dO” 4

I was waiting on my turn to use the ATM in a bank. All the machines were being used. A little girl about seven or eight was walking around haphazardly. She eventually stood next to a woman who was using one of the machines. The woman was concentrating on what she was doing, and she didn’t notice the child looking at her every action. When she saw the child she said, “Excuse me, please move.” The child made no attempt to move she just kept staring at the woman, who looked shocked. A woman behind me said, “Who is this child’s mother?” No one answered and she asked the question again. Still no one answered. The woman stepped out from behind me, pointed at the child and said, “Get your little ass from there. You are too damn nosy.” “Don’t speak to my child like that!” shouted a woman. “I will speak to her like that. She has no manners. You saw your child being a nuisance and you stood there, ignored that fact. You have no decorum… no class what-so-ever!” she shouted while walking towards the woman. The woman was trying to move away then she grabbed her daughter’s hand and walked quickly out of the bank. Some people were commenting and some were laughing. It was a funny yet serious situation. Many people were making comments. One person suggested that the woman probably put her daughter up to it so she could get someone's account information.

“D~~I~~A~~L~~U~~P”

For the past few days, I stepped back in time… Way back in time… My refrigerator was not working. It really did not stress me out because I had a huge icebox, so I was able to keep the cold items at the right temperature… The stress of this back in time moment was my high speed Internet. It was off and my online service gave me dial-up until they could restore my service. You talk about stress… hmm. When I log on, I had to wait 10 minutes for the page to load. I started emailing some pictures. One picture took 6 minutes to load. The second picture got timed out before it could load, so I had to start the process all over again. It took me three and a half hours to send 15 emails…
To all my followers, I am so sorry I did not blog, but I am back…

“Mind Control”

He spoke with authority and she agrees with every thing that he says. Her children, takes second fiddle to him. What ever he says goes. He is the king in their home… a dominating and abusive man. He dishes it out, physically and mentally. I am her friend, watching from a distance. As a teenager, she was a gentle spirited person, yet she had a mind of her own, but today the king is in charge of it. Her king is a liar, a thief and a tyrant. I also have to say he is ignorant… and what is ignorance? hmm… bliss to a fool! I watch him walk and speak with clout and I know he feels blissful. This fool is laying the gravel on the road to misery and she is helping him pave it. Mind control works on people who don’t think.

“My First Day and Sleeping Is For The Night”

I remember it. Little, me heading to school dressed in my uniform. It was a dark red pleated skirt with a cream shirt. I had a First Primer West Indian Reader, a copybook and a pencil in my dark brown book-bag. I had three sisters and one brother who attended the school. They were in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, grades respectively. On the first day, they walked with me to school. I was feeling anxious but was happy. We arrived at school and we joined the lines in the back yard. One of my sisters told me to start running home the moment my class was out for lunch. My other sisters and brother agreed with her then they all went to join their lines. We all repeated the prayer that was said by one of the teachers. The principal told us we have to learn the prayer and a hymn. When we got to class I looked at all the faces but they were all strangers, so I did not speak to anyone. The only time I spoke was the moment my teacher pointed at me to say my name. My voice trembled, but I said it. Most of the people looked at me as though I had a stupid name. One girl smiled at me and I smiled. During recess she spoke to me and I thought she was funny. We became friends and we are still friends 45 years later. The morning went well. Our teacher read a story and we did writing and Arithmetic. At lunch time the teacher reiterated what my sister said about running home. I started running not realizing why it was important, until the bigger children caught up to us. They got out of school fifteen minutes after we did and they were like giants. It was scary and I stood up while they zoom passed me. I felt better when one of my sisters came up to me. She held my hand and we ran together. What I did not like about the early school years was nap-time. I believe that sleeping is for the night and not the day. If I fall asleep during the day I wake up feeling stupid and when I realize it’s not the next day I feel more depressed. I hate going to sleep and waking the same day. Daytime should be spent doing something meaningful. I promised myself when I was a teenager, if I ever had children, I would never make them sleep during the day. I found a preschool for my son and was happy that the principal agreed with me. When most of the children in her school were asleep, she gave him class work, or he read books and played educational games. My daughter followed in her brother's footsteps. Now they are teenagers and they believe as I do… Sleeping is for the night.

“A Name”

You hear the name and you wonder should I laugh, or should I cry. The questions flows through your mind: Didn’t his/her parents/caregiver love them? Did love conceive the child? How could you look at an innocent baby and call him/her that? Remember there is something noteworthy about a name. The meaning and the intonation of the name, tell the story.

“Some Teachers Care Some Don’t”

A teacher spends more time with your child than you do when school is in session. The power is in their hands to steer your child on the road to success or they could leave them standing at the crossroad… They could fail your child… Pray that this year you get a teacher who is a first class educator, counselor, motivator and caregiver. If you get that package, your child would be on the road to brilliance…

“The Sneaky Smiles.”

Our staff meeting started and one of the workers, who was an acquaintance of mine, handed out copies of her presentation. I started reading it then I looked at her with eyes wide opened. She gave me a sneaky smile, while she spoke with eloquence. Our boss was shaking his head as though he was impressed. I was flabbergasted and my emotions were going to get the better of me, but I took some deep breaths. At one point, I couldn’t listen to any more and I wanted to walk out. Our boss raised his hand stopping her. He told her to give two or more courses of action. She stood there dumbfounded. “You want funding for your idea, but you cannot show the comparison between the costs, and the outcomes? I am going to give you an hour to come back with something worthwhile.” I stood up and informed him that I could make an effective comparison of the cost and the revenue that can be generated from it. He told me to go ahead. I smiled sneakily at her to let her know that I did not tell her all of the details of my proposal. When I was finished, he looked at her. “I don’t want you in charge of this project." He turned to me. “You are in charge, bring your folder and come to my office.”

“The Truth”

I got a phone call from a friend who was having a situation with her daughter. She believed her daughter was not telling her the truth, although she claims to be a Christian. I told her to tell her daughter, ‘I am using God as the mediator’… then ask her the question. She did and her daughter said, ‘You are something else, why do you have to bring God in this?’ Then she hung up the phone… My friend told me that was the fastest answer to a question she ever got from her daughter.

"August 31 1962"

August 31, 1962. The year Trinidad & Tobago gain Independence from England. I was 2. I remember the celebrations and the fireworks. My parents talked about this joyous occasion for many years. It feels great to hear my 85yrs old mother still talk about it. Now I tell my children about the parades and the festivities.... Happy 48 Independence to all Trinbagonians....

“Forgiveness”

A friend told me that he knows that God would not forgive him for many of the things that he did… The way he is behaving now, I believe that he accepted his fate…

“The Big Picture”

Our minds are sometimes focused on the small picture and we grasp at it, making it into something distasteful… We do not think about the repercussions of our actions. I would see people get involved in situations because they are seeing it from their point of view, not seeing the big picture… In most cases, I would explain the situation and if they don’t take my word for it, I sit back and watch them out play themselves…

“Four Good Friends”

We were having our usual lunch date and I looked at each of my friends and felt happy that our friendship was still intact, after five years. We never had a disagreement or complaint about one another, so I honestly thought that we were all happy with each other. How wrong I was. The moment one of our friends left, our other two friends started talking about how they did not like her. I looked at them shocked. “Don’t look at us like that… You are the one who told us that, ‘you would not like every one you meet, and every one who met you, would not like you’… For many years, we have been longing to tell you that we don’t like her.

“Preferential Treatment”

He loved his children, and he wanted to love them all equally, but his wife would not have it. She wanted him to shower his love on her favorite children, and he did. It broke his heart when he saw the sadness in their eyes, but he loved his wife…

“Is It Love”

Looking in from the outside, he looked as though he did not love his wife. He never spoke about her, but she spoke kindly about him. She was a petite woman and every one who knew her felt that she was kindhearted and submissive. At home she was a lioness… a self-assured woman. She made all the decisions and her husband always agreed to them. There were times when he disagreed with her, but he kept it to himself, allowing her to manipulate him. Their children had different opinions about them…

“Breakfast At Church”

We stood in line to be served. There were many dishes to choose from. My daughter wanted pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. I wanted fried bake with fried shark. When it was my daughter’s turn, a server took her plate. She put one piece of bacon, a little bit of scrambled eggs, and one burnt pancakes on the plate. I looked at my daughter and she had a frown on her face, so I turned to the server. She had a look on her face that said, “I dare you to complain”. I did not want to get into a fight, so I handed her my plate. She put two strips of bacon, scrambled eggs and two pancakes, that had a nice golden brown color…

"Pen Pals"

I had a pen pal when I was in elementary school. It was a nice feeling, writing a letter and receiving one. We talked about the things we did, and what was going on in the neighborhood. The excitement was mailing my letter and waiting for a response. We remained pen pals until the teenage years then she migrated to another country and all communication stopped... Today we have FACEBOOK, TWITTER... etcetera, etcetera. Communication is closer but yet far away... conversation is limited... Letters were more informative... Can our children write a great descriptive letter of the events around them?

“A Smart Woman”

She wasn’t his wife… she was just the foolish woman he was having an affair with. His wife, the smart woman, knew of his affair, but never treated him differently. She worked herself to the bone making him a successful businessman. He felt like a king, so he continued seeing the foolish woman. His unfaithfulness went, on for more than a year and it blinded him to what was important. He did not realize that his wife was slowly paving the way to leave him. The day she left was the day he decided to end the relationship with the foolish woman. He had enough of her, so he arrived home ready to say that he was sorry, and beg for forgiveness. The keys for the house and a note, was waiting for him. He opened the note with shaking hands, “When a man associates himself with a foolish woman he becomes foolish. A man who associates himself with a smart woman becomes smart.” I guess this statement should say… when a man wants to remain foolish he associates himself with a foolish woman….

“Should A Man Take Care Of Another Man’s Home”

Children were never around to hear adults when they were gossiping, so I didn’t know that they were the talk of the neighborhood. All that I saw was one neighbor frequenting another neighbor’s home, on a daily basis. I thought that he was just being a friendly neighbor. He was so friendly that he supported the home as though it was his. The woman always complained that her husband was a drunk, but she thanked God that the neighbor helped her. Her children wore the best brand named clothes and shoes. They had every toy that was on the market. I thought that it was a good thing that she was getting help, until the man’s daughter said, “Look at the old clothes and shoes that I wear. My mother buys them at a thrift shop. I didn’t get anything for Christmas, but all that I can say is… Thank God for the store on the corner. They always have a sale on food…

“Eat Something Before You Leave Home”

The moment we walked into the hall, where the tea party was being held, a very pleasant young lady took our tickets, signed behind them then she escorted us to a table. I was impressed by her well-mannered disposition. She told us that she would serve us. I looked around the room, smiled and gave a gentle wave to some friends. The ambiance was just breathtaking. It stirred up my daughter, the little artist. She said, “Mom, this room is picture perfect. The décor is just beautiful. We all agreed but her brother had to tease her. He said, “Yeah, I know the only thing that you are really seeing is the sugar… All the nice yummy sweet treats on the tables.” I agreed that the cakes, sandwiches and cookies looked tasty. We sat talking and my husband the great entertainer had us laughing. Time slipped by quickly, and we did not notice. It was not until my daughter said, “Mom everyone around us has been served.” I saw that she was right in her observation. My husband said, “You guys know that we have been sitting here for one hour and ten minutes?” “Really, so let’s sit for thirty more minutes to see what happens,” I said. Everyone agreed and we continued talking. Servers came, looked at us, but ignored us. I looked for the young lady who seated us. She was busy serving others. The half hour went by and my husband said, “Anyone hungry?” We all told him no. Then, he said, “Do you see how important it is to eat something before you leave home?”

“Two Measures Of Favoritism.”

The evaluator she hired to value her property, gave her an accurate evaluation. She felt he was wrong, so she hired another, and then another. They all came up with nine hundred and eighty one thousand dollars. She finally agreed that it was correct after her lawyer had his accountant look of the papers. The lawyer then asked her if she was going to divide the property equally between her three children. She told her to divide it in three, but her eldest daughter’s share is to be divided into two. Half of her share is to be given to charity. “I’m not suppose to question you on what you want to do, but why?” Asked the lawyer. I want my two favorite children to get more than her. I don’t care that it is two measures of favoritism.
Do not keep two different weights in your bag or two measures in your house.

“Give It Your Best Shot”

She knew that he had many women, many women had him, but he left them all behind and got married. Many hearts were broken because they all wanted to be the one. She could not believe that this marriage was serious because he was too much of a free spirit.
“I am going to prove to all of you that he would be unfaithful to her,” she told us.
One of our friends told her to give it her best shot. I told her not too, but she insisted that she was going after him. “My father used to say, ‘there are some things that you could do some thing about and some that you can’t do any thing about, but you waste your lifetime trying to fix it’.

“Words Uplifting Or Tearing Down

Every time I hear these words… ‘You will amount to nothing’, I feel hurt. My friend’s mother shouted these words at her and it echoed in my ears. Everyday, we walked to and from school so I was waiting on her. Her mother looked through the window and told me to walk on. I didn’t want to leave, but respect for adults was playing on my mind, so I started walking. As I walked away, I heard the tongue lashing my friend was receiving from her mother. Every one who passed me that morning were commenting and laughing about it. I walked slowly hoping that she would come soon. When I turned around and saw her coming I stopped walking. The first thing she said to me was, “I hate her.”
I said, “No you don’t hate her.”
“Yes I do.”
“It is wrong to hate you mother. I think you just hate the things that she does.”
“Are you listening to what I am saying? I hate that woman I call mother. Mothers are supposed to uplift their children not tear them down, and my mother tear me down all the time.”
There was no getting through to her, so we walked to school in silence. During class she did not participate when the teacher called on her. I knew she was still hurting, so I stood up and told the teacher that she wasn’t feeling well. The teacher told me to shut up and sit down then she went on, “Speak when you are spoken to… answer when you are called.” I felt embarrassed… the class started laughing. The teacher went on to berate my friend. My friend sat quietly taking it all in until the teacher said, “You will amount to nothing.”
“Did you have a conversation with my mother? She always says that to me… The both of you may be right.”

“The Elegant White House”

At a tender age, I used to walk through the countryside with my cousins. All of the homes in that part of the country were wooden, but there was one concrete house. It was huge, painted white and it stood there looking very elegant against the green. I saw the owner of the house twice, but from a distance. The area was beautiful with many trees. In the yard of the house there was a cocoa house. It was about three feet from the ground. On my first day of walking through the countryside, I felt peaceful. As we got near to the elegant white concrete house, I saw a woman coming out from under the cocoa house. This woman was petite, brown complexion, dressed in a stained white sleeveless top and a khaki long skirt. She had long flowing white hair, her toenails and fingernails were very long and she was bare footed. Her feet looked as hard as stone. I thought she was a witch and I was getting set to run, but my cousins said hello to her. She answered then smiled. Her teeth were yellow and her eyes looked sad. She told us to wait then she went under the cocoa house, came back with a hand of ripe figs and gave it to us. We said thanks, continued walking then started to eat the figs. My cousins told me that she was sister to the owner of the elegant white house, but she lives under the cocoa house. I asked why, but they didn’t know. I knew I could not ask any of the adults at home, or in the neighborhood… After all these years I am still wondering why. As you walk through life, there are some things that you see, and you wonder why it was done, but you dare not ask, “WHY?”

“Negative Versus Positive”

She came to my home dressed to kill, from shoulder to feet, but a crazy wig was on her head. I wondered what was going on. The moment she sat down, she started talking about her children. I sat through an hour of negatives. There were many things that I wanted to say to her… You are the cause of their lives falling apart… When they were younger you were supposed to correct them when they did wrong… You made excuses for them… When I told you to buy a computer, you bought a PS2. Your reason for buying it was because their friends would see that they had one. Now you are telling me that you cannot wait until they turn 18 to kick them out. The question I eventually asked. “Is there one positive thing in them that you all can build on?”

“Farse Intrusive Nosey”

A fence separated the neighbor from us. On mornings, my mother or the neighbor would call out to each other, then they would stand there talking. One morning, I ran up to the fence to hear what they were saying. My mother was doing most of the talking, so my eyes were on her. She looked down and saw me. "Excuse me, does the words from my mouth have color? What are you looking at me like that for! I am going to punish you!”, She said. I got scared, ran into the house and waited for her to come in. I waited and waited, but she didn’t come into the bedroom where I was or called my name. She was in the kitchen cooking, so I went into the kitchen.
“Hear you are. I forgot all about you. You are too farse and out of place. What you did was not a good thing. Children should not be near adults while they are speaking. It is rude and disrespectful. I don’t want you to ever do that again. The next time you will be punished, this time you get off with a warning. I tried my best not to do it, but I found a place to hide, so I could hear them…

“The Uncomfortable Street.”

I lived in my neighborhood for ten years and I walked on most of the streets. There was one street that I never walked on. Something about that street made me uncomfortable. I don’t know what I was thinking one sunny Friday morning, when I proceeded to walk up the uncomfortable street. As I walked along, I noticed that it was dismal, shady and not one single person was on it. There were cars parked on either side and all the houses were shut tight. Ahead of me in the distance, I saw a man suddenly appeared in the road. He was about three blocks away from me and I wondered where he came from. His presence added to my fears yet I continued, keeping my eyes on him. He walked up to a car and tried opening the doors. When he couldn’t open them, he proceeded to try another, then another… For a moment, I did not realize what he was doing then it hit me. This guy was a robber, so I had to get off of the street. My first instinct was to turn back, so I did then freeze because I was afraid to turn my back on him. The only other exit was near to him. I was hoping that he would walk passed it soon. I felt trapped. My mouth tasted bitter and my heart was pumping in my throat as I prayed he didn’t turn around and see me…

“The Obeah Man”

A friend told me that her neighbor’s son is a thief. She had been missing some things, and she was sure that he stole them. I asked her how she was so sure that this young man took her stuff. She said that his mother was wearing a pair of bracelets like the one she was missing. I felt that it was wrong to accuse him, but I didn’t say anything. She went on to say that when she was finished with him, he would steal, for the rest of his life. I told her don’t hurt him that way, let the police handle it for her. She insisted that she wasn’t going to the police; she was going to her obeah man. I told her to remember that she has a son… Years later, all over the news is her very own son being arrested for theft.

"My Fall"

One day I fell and I got a cut on my forehead. The cut looked as though a 1” nail had punctured my head. Blood started to spurt out. A stranger came to my assistance. She called 911. I stood there, wanting to cry, but couldn’t because my 12 yrs old daughter was looking on petrified. I didn’t know how bad the situation looked as I tried to stop the bleeding, but couldn’t. In less than no time at all, my coat, jeans and sneakers were drenched. There was a puddle of blood at my feet. The lady who assisted me, asked, if I wanted to sit because she said for the amount of blood loss I should be feeling faint. I felt fine but was scared, as I thought about all the people, that I knew who fell, hit their heads, then died.

“She Exhausted me”

After she was finished telling me her life stories, she walked away looking relaxed, but I felt exhausted. While she was speaking, I just wanted her to stop talking, but she went on and on. I probably looked like a psychiatrist... social worker or advisor.

“Fear Of A Civil Servant”

We were both nervous while we were waiting to be interviewed, so we sat quietly holding hands. An officer came out of his office and called the names of a couple. A woman started talking about him. She said that she didn’t like him. If he requested a document and you didn’t have it, he would turn you down. He turned her down twice. The moment she started talking, many others joined in. They all had negative opinions about him. Every one who came out of his office, looked upset and the spirit of fear was now over me. My heart was beating so fast I felt it in my throat.
“You are ill-mannered, and you should not be a civil servant!” Shouted a woman as she exited his office. The officer stood with an angry looking smirk on his face as she berated him. Two female security officers came and escorted her out of the building. My heart was now on over ride. I squeezed my husband’s hand as I prayed that this officer doesn’t call us. After, he saw that she was gone he looked in his book then he called our names. I felt like running out of the building, but we went into his office, and he closed the door.

“My Gentle Friend”

My friend is honest, forgives easily, and never says a harsh word to anyone. One day, I went over to her house to pick her up to go shopping. When I arrived, she was in a deep conversation with a woman. I did not stay in the room they were in because I didn’t want to intrude. Suddenly, the woman started to shout at her. In her soft tone, she tried to defend herself, but the woman shut her up with her aggressive tone. I was shocked, but was hoping that my friend would tell her to get out of her house. They were both in sales and my friend didn’t make the quota that was expected of her. The woman continued shouting and my friend looked as though she was about to cry. I decided to put a stop to it, so I walked out of the kitchen. “How dear you speak to her like that? You need to tone down,” I said.
“It is none of your business. I am not speaking to you,” she said.
“I know that, but I am speaking to you. Either you speak to her in a better tone or leave immediately.”

“School Is For Learning And Not For Foreplay”

The buzz was going around the school… Two parents and I stood outside our child’s school having a nice conversation about this and that. Some students walked by. Their conversation piece was about two other students. One of them said that these two students were in the bathroom, doing the deed. Another one of them said, “What did you say?” the other said in a loud tone, “I said that they were doing each other!” The parents and I looked at each other, and one of them asked, “Did you’ll hear that?”
We all said yes, then I said, “I wonder when some of these children would get it in their heads that school is for learning, and not for foreplay.”

“No Woman Walks Away From Anything That Is Good.”

They were a beautiful couple. He was always very attentive, polite and giving to her. Many of us… her friends talked about him and how desirable he was... the ideal man… just perfect, but one day she left him. He came crying to us and we felt sorry for him. When she eventually contacted us, we didn’t wait to hear her side, we accused her. She didn’t try to defend her self. After she hung up, we stayed on the phone trashing her. One night at our dinner table, my mother started talking about her friend leaving her husband after 25 years of marriage. My dad in a matter of fact voice said, “No woman walks away from anything that is good.”
I told him that my girl friend walked out on her husband and he was a good man.
“He might be a good man from the things you see him do when you are in his presence, but you don’t know what happens behind closed doors.” My father had me thinking, so I phone my friend. She answered on the first ring…

“fOoLiSh ThInGs Us PaReNtS dO” 3

I went to visit a friend and her son who was 8 came home from school around 6:30PM. The first thing that flashed through my mind, was, the fact that his school was three blocks away from their home and school was out at 2:40PM. Where was he? He said good evening then took a game boy from his bag and started playing with it. She asked him where he got it. He told her that it belonged to his friend and he took it. She told him to keep it because she couldn’t buy him one.

"Another Day Another Story"

Another day another story... I know one is coming... I know it's going to be another great story and I am going to write about it...

“Our Dialect”

I was walking in the hot, hot, hot sun yesterday, and I am sure that I must have been looking the way I was feeling… drained. A man was sitting on a stoop. As I walked by, he started smiling and talking. I didn’t say anything, but I kept on walking and he kept on talking. When I got to the next block from his, I realized that I only understood 3 words from what he said, gyal/girl, fifty cents and water. I wondered if he wanted fifty cents to buy himself a bottle of water or if he wanted to buy me one. Not every one understands the Jamaican dialect. I know if I get down in my Trinbago dialect, many won't understand.

“The Loud Mouth”

I arrived late for the concert because I didn't want to sit with my friends. One of them loves to talk during shows/movies. She looks for blunders, and would comment about them ignoring the rest of the performance. I was not in the mood for her loquaciousness. There were some available seats in the front, but I know they like sitting in that area, so I decided against sitting there. Putting on a bright smile for one of the ushers, I asked him to find me a seat away from the front. He smiled and told me to wait for a moment, then he got on his blackberry and text the other ushers. A few minutes later, he told me to follow him. We went up the stairs into the balcony. I felt happy because they don't like sitting that far from the stage/screen. The moment I sat down, my friend the loud mouth said, "Girl, we were worried that you wouldn't find us."

“A Remarkable Week”

This week was a remarkable week for me and when I get old, my history would be one worthy for me to talk about. I helped someone who was in a terribly embarrassing situation. I felt honored to do it, and I hope that person knows that we don't know who would come to our rescue, so we must treat one another by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin.

“fOoLiSh ThInGs Us PaReNtS dO” 2

When my daughter turned two, I kept a birthday party for her, with her cousins and friends. Books are my family’s idea of a real gift. For her first birthday, one of her aunts bought her some plastic books that she could read when she was taking her bath. Another one of her aunts bought her a book that was special to the both of them. After the party, I realized that these books were missing. I knew her cousins didn’t take them, so it had to be one of our friends. This upset me a bit but I felt that since her name was written in the books, the parent of the child who took it would return it. Days turned into weeks and weeks into a month and I didn’t receive a phone call about them.
I was feeling embarrassed to ask any of them about it. For many months, my relatives and I talked about it, because we wanted to know who took the books. Some time later, I was talking to a friend and she told me about a situation with her son and a friend of hers. Her son went visiting her friend and he took a toy. The friend called her and told her that her son wants his toy. I asked her if she returned it. She said she did, but she didn’t know why her friend was making such a fuss about the stupid toy. She said that the toy looked cheap and she was sure her friend bought it in the 99 cents store. I listened to her ranting and then it hit me… Her son must have taken my daughter’s books.

"My Money"

I ordered some items from an associate who makes and sells artwork. When I came into contact with him, he was making preparations to move to Georgia. The week before he left, he dropped off some pieces for me to look at. I loved some of them, so I made a purchase. My bill total was two hundred and twenty dollars. The day the gentleman arrived for the payment was the day he was leaving for Georgia. I put the items I didn’t want in a box, counted out two hundred and twenty dollars and put it in an envelope. I ran down the stairs, passing my neighbor whom I said a quick hello to. When I got to the front door, the man checked the box to see what was left. Then, he took out his book and tallied my bill. We both agreed that the total was two hundred and twenty dollars. I took the money out of the envelope and counted it. One hundred and twenty dollars was missing. I became anxious, told him to wait a moment then I ran up the stairs quickly. A twenty-dollar bill was on one of the steps, but I didn’t find the hundred-dollar bill. My neighbor whom I passed a moment ago was standing on the steps above. I asked her if she saw the money, but she said she did not. I had some money in my apartment but it was less than one hundred dollars. I felt ashamed, but I went back to the man, told him what happened, and asked him if he would take a check for the full amount. He told me that he preferred cash. I eventually went to the bank and got him the money. Time went by and the events of that day, stayed on my mind. One day, about a year later, I walked into the elevator and my neighbor was in it. She told me that she had not seen me for a while and it seems as though I was avoiding her. I told her I wasn’t. She said that she feels that I am because I probably believed that she took my money…

“Important People Told Me”

Don’t repeat what you were told in confidence.
Don’t envy anyone.
Don’t take something that belongs to another.
Don’t take anything intoxicating.
Don’t take anything that is going to mess with my dexterity.
Don’t, Don’t, Don’t….

"We Hope For...… What?"

I was hoping that you would come and see me and you came.
I was hoping that he would talk to me and he did.
I was hoping that she would be quiet and she was.
I was hoping that I pass my exams and I did
I was hoping that I got the job and I did
I was hoping and hoping and I….

"FooLisH ThiNgS"

We all do things to please our heart. After the moment of joy is gone we see the fOoLiShNeSs we did.

“She Plucked It”

I didn’t want to go to the show, but my sister pleaded with me to accompany her. One of the organizers of the show and I had a disagreement that turned into a heated argument. I haven’t seen her since, and I was hoping that she was not one of the people collecting tickets. When we got to the ticket booth, two men were collecting the tickets. I handed my ticket to one of them. He stamped it then he handed me a program. I stretched out my hand to take it, up came the woman I argued with... she plucked it out of my hand…

"fOoLiSh ThInGs Us PaReNtS Do"

A friend came to visit me one day. Her son, who was six, was playing with a toy that belonged to my son, who was four and a half. When she was ready to leave, her son wanted to take the toy with him. She told him no and he started to cry as he hid the toy behind his back. My son stood there waiting for one of them to hand him his toy. She told her son no a second time and tried to take it from him. He started to cry more and refused to give her the toy. She did not say anything else to him, but looked at me. I had a frown on my face and I kept quiet, wondering why she didn’t take the toy away from him. This went on for a while then I told her that he could keep the toy. My son looked at me with his mouth and eyes opened wide. When they left, he said, “that toy was mine and you gave it away.” I told him it was old and I would buy him a new one.
He said, “it was old, but it was my toy!”

“No-nonsense Demeanor”

My supervisor told me that Mr. Ross wanted to see me immediately. I have been working for him for two years and we never had a conversation. My communication with him was always through his assistant. His no-nonsense demeanor was intimidating. The other members of his staff also talked about him and how unfriendly he was. I stood in his office, looking at him seriously. He was writing in a folder that had my name on it… didn’t look up at me, but told me to have a seat. Seeing my name made me more nervous and I sat down slowly. I took a deep breath and geared up my self for bad news. He threw his pen on the table and leaned back in his chair…

“She Winked At Me”

I phoned her because her mother called to say that her boyfriend dumped her, and she was devastated. I could not believe that he did this to her after he told me that he would never leave her. He talked about how much he loved her and he intended to marry her. The phone kept ringing, but she didn’t answer it, so I went to see her. Her mother walked into her bedroom behind me. She hugged her and I watch my friend’s eyes well up with tears. I was becoming emotional then she smiled at me and winked her eye. The shock of this moment left me with my eyes wide opened.

“Afraid Of Heights”

I really don’t like heights, so I was glad when we started to hike, the trail was flat. I loved the area. The grass was low, but the trees were tall. After walking for about two hours, we arrived at the foot of a hill. I thought this was the end of the hike, but then our guide said that we would rest for twenty minutes then continue on. I asked if we were going up the hill and she said that we were. Feeling very anxious about that, I said that I was not going up that hill. She looked at me and smiled; then she explained that I didn’t have a choice, because the bus that dropped us off was waiting on the other side of the hill.

“My Goldmine”

When I woke this morning, I was wondering if I never spent one cent in my life, and I saved all the money I ever received, I would be sitting on a gold mine. I took a pen and paper, started to tally the money I spent on the things that I bought, that were not necessary. When I got to the end of the page I was going to turn it over to continue, but I stopped. After I saw the amount of money I spent, I really didn’t want to check out the money I spent for the necessary things.

“The Slap”

One day, while I was in a store shopping, a little boy slapped me on my butt. I told him not to do that. He started to laugh as he kept trying to do it again. I insisted that he shouldn't and was trying my best to keep him away from me. His mother came up to us and she was laughing, then she said that he does that to her all the time…

Sandy

Sandy was not in love with Barry Cooper Jr. but accepted his marriage proposal as a way out of an abusive situation. Unknown to her was his own confusion, which eventually manifested itself through further verbal and physical abuse. Peter, an old schoolmate, returns to her life and their love affair blooms beautifully. He decides to include Sandy in his plans to return to Germany and she agrees, blanking out that fact that in her life nothing comes easy.
Years later she sat looking across the sea, questioning herself about the man she was now married to. He claimed he was a Mathematics Professor when she first met him and he’s now the Chief Executive Officer of a financial institution. "Who is he?"

“The Pit Bull”

I was walking one day with my son who was 7. He liked to talk, so we were talking and laughing. As we walked by a house, a pit bull was on the porch. It raised its head, looked at us then gave a loud bark. My son started to run. The pit bull ran out of the porch, down the steps and towards the front gate. I knew this dog was coming for my son, so I shouted at him to stop and standstill. He stopped and the dog ran up to him, stood near to him, growling. I was 6 months pregnant and petrified. I didn’t have a cell phone because it wasn’t, ‘the must have thing yet’. The dog kept growling at him and he was whispering, “mommy help me!” I whispered to him to be still and don’t say anything. He kept quiet and the pit bull eventually left him and walked slowly towards me, growling…

Leigh's Story
Successful interior designer Leigh Grant enjoys waking up every day. A driven professional, her job brings her a high degree of contentment. Things are running smoothly in her life, particularly after a wonderful romantic relationship in the Bahamas.
However, one day, she encounters a new client who is a cold, yet sophisticated, beautiful and elegantly dressed young woman. Initially uneasy about taking her on, Leigh accepts the job, and her life takes off on an unexpected detour. She must deal with her new client, along with someone from her past, hell-bent on destroying her and those close to her...

“She Frightened Me”

I met all of his relatives before we got married. His parents, brothers and sisters all loved him. The only negative thing I heard about him was from his elderly aunt. This woman called me Miss, although I told her my name. Something about her did not sit right with my spirit, so I avoided her. One day, I ended up in a room with her. I was praying for him to come and rescue me, because I didn’t want to converse with her. She held my hand then started to talk.
“Miss, you are too pretty to be with that young man.”
“He treats me the way I want to be treated and I am very happy with him.”
“One of these days you would see the true him.”
“The true him?”
“Yes. He has a split personality.”
She had a look on her face that frightened me.

Jan's Mysterious Adventure
I was sure that these two children who were all alone in the woods must be Douens and I know that Douens are spirits. I did not realize I was standing close to the edge of the stream, until Kelley shouted at me.
"Jan, step back, you might fall!"
I could not move because my legs were shaking.
"Jan, give me your hand!"
I stretched out my hand and tried to step back, but my feet slipped from under me and I fell into the stream. The current was very strong, and I headed down the stream at a terrific speed. I could hear Kelley screaming my name but the sound of her voice faded.
About two miles down the stream a net that was placed across the stream stopped me. I held on to it and tried to scream for help, but there was no sound coming from my mouth.
I knew that Kelley must have told my parents by now that I fell into the stream. My mother will be frantic, and my father will be terrified because his brother fell into this stream over twenty years ago and he was never found.

“The Key To The Front Door.”

One day, a young boy got on the bus with a child who was younger than him. Apparently, he was taking him to daycare, and then he was going to school. I believed that he was a latchkey kid. Many of us on the bus looked at them sadly. I remembered when I was 16, my parents had a party for my sister, and they gave her the key to the front door. I was anxiously waiting to be 21 so I could get my key. Today, parents have no other choice, but to give the key to younger children. Some are as young as 5 years

“Stalker or Coincidence”

The first time he recalled seeing her was while he was reversing his car, out of his driveway. She was an attractive woman, with a nice figure. A week after, she walked by him, while he was going to his college class. He said good morning, but she didn’t answer. Her non-response didn’t upset him, but he felt she was strange. After class he headed to his three to eleven job. On the way there, he stopped at a traffic light. The woman pulled up along side him, but didn’t look his way, so he shrugged his shoulder and continued on his way. He arrived at his job, and stood outside talking to his boss. She drove-by slowly, looked at him then sped away.
“Who is that?” His boss asked.
“I have been seeing her everywhere. It’s kind of freaky.”
“You better watch yourself. There are some crazies out in this world.”
Thoughts of the woman played on his mind, while he worked. At 11:15PM, he left the office. When he got to his car, the sudden, noise of a car starting caught his attention. He looked just in time to see her driving out of the parking lot. This time his blood ran cold.
He wondered if she was stalking him or if it was just a coincidence.

Leigh's Story On Amazon Kindle

Leigh's body was warm from the tenderness they just shared and she was on the brink of being captivated by the moment, when she suddenly decided to walk away. James stood and watched her as she left. He knew it could not end like this, not at that moment. Not ever. He grabbed on to her hand stopping her....

http://www.amazon.com/Leighs-Story-ebook/dp/B003MAKAU0/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1278121667&sr=1-19

“Silence”

I stood listening to her outlandish remarks, and I was dumbfounded. For the first time in my life, I could not think of a good come back. My face was becoming flushed as I was being lambasted. When she realized that I wasn’t saying anything, she started to perform a little more. I was at the breaking point. Enough was enough. I put up my hand and said, “Silence!”
She became quiet then there were hands clapping. I didn’t even notice that many people had gathered around us. An elderly woman said, “Finally, you shut her up. I wanted to slap her. Is she related to you?”
“We used to be friends.”

"It Is Always Darkest Just Before Dawn.

One night while hanging out at home with some friends, one of them suggested that we go to the beach. Everyone thought it was a great idea, so eight happy-go-lucky people headed there in two cars. We all sat on the sand drinking beers, talking about life situations and giving jokes, and just enjoying each other’s company.
Sometime later we all became very quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the rolling tide. Then the area suddenly became very dark.
“Guys its pretty dark out here,” said one of my friends.
“It’s always darkest just before dawn,” I whispered.
”Okay, so you’re a philosopher now?” she said.
“Yeah, are you?” ask another one of my friends.
“No, I’m not trying to be, but my mom always says that to us and it’s a fact.”
“Don’t bring your mom into this,” she said and everyone started agreeing with her.
They were all questioning me, laughing and making fun when suddenly a star pitched and glided across the sky. It looked as though it touched the sea. Everyone was quiet. One by one we stood up slowly. My eyes were glued to the sky. The star might not have touched the sea but the reflection of it gliding across the sky made the seawater sparkle.
“Wasn’t that amazing?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“It was,” they all replied in unison.
About five minutes later the area was bright and seemed as if the sun was about to rise. One of my friends turned to me and she whispered, “It’s always darkest just before dawn.”
I smiled.

Taken from my website. http://www.avjnostalgia.com/

"Bias"

Belinda and Ken started dating when they were in high school. They met with their four friends twice per month for dinner. Ken was a habitual cheater, and she kept forgiving him until she eventually dumped him. All their female friends stopped speaking to him. After a while, they agreed to talk to him, but he wasn’t allowed to bring any of his women, to dinner. Belinda started dating and she was allowed to bring her date.

"My Mother"

It was raining heavily one morning and I sat looking through the window. The water cascaded down the leaves of the trees and the road looked as though it would turn into a small stream. A smile crossed my lips, because I remembered a morning just like this.
Thoughts of my mother flooded my mind. She was a hard worker. The only woman I knew at the time that was, a chef, doctor, accountant, defense attorney, a prosecutor, teacher, guidance councilor and a weather forecaster…
I was about nine, and my brother ten.
One morning he came into my bedroom and said to me… “Do you hear how heavy the rain is falling?”
“Yeah,” I said, all the more excited because I knew my mother would not send us to school in this type of weather.
“Keisha and Marc go and brush your teeth then come and eat your breakfast. Then you have to take your showers to get ready for school.”
“Mom it’s raining heavily so we can’t go to school in this weather,” said Keisha.
“That is just a passing cloud that’s pouring rain over the area.”
“But mom the sky is dark. To me it looks as though it’s not going to stop anytime soon,” said Marc.
“The sky is dark because the cloud is blocking the sun, but the wind will blow away the cloud.”
As soon as she said that the rain started to slow down, the area started to look brighter, and ten minutes later a burst of sunshine appeared.
My children awoke and they were smiling happily.
“Mom, it’s raining, so we cannot go to school,” said Riana.
“Yeah!” exclaimed Leticia.
And I said, “That is just a passing cloud that is pouring rain over the area and the sky is dark because the cloud is blocking the sun, but the wind will blow away the cloud. A few minutes later the sun appeared.

Taken from my website. www.avjnostalgia.com

“A Chat”

He held her hand to help her on the bus. The driver had lowered the step, but the man standing beside her had to hold her hand to help her on the bus. Her face showed that she has been on this earth for many years. When she got in the bus, she sat next to me, and she was breathing hard. She calmed down then smiled at me.
“Child, I never thought I would live to see the day that my son would have to help me up on the bus.”
He said, “Ma that’s not a problem.”
“I know it’s not. You have been a good son.”
He smiled then said, “Your 70 year old son.”
She said, “Wow, your 95 year old mother.”
Everyone on the bus smiled, and wished her the best. I leaned back, because I was going to have a chat about the past with this woman.

“Your Plate Is Full”

I wanted to tell her that she is ‘ungrateful’, but all I said was, “girl, do what ever makes you happy.”
When I walked away from her, I called her every disgusting name I thought of. This woman had a beautiful home, with all the necessities; a good husband, who loved her, unconditionally. All she had to do was ask him for what ever she wanted, and he gets it for her. She would criticize him, and she allowed their two daughters to speak to him in a discourteous way. If he reprimanded them, she would jump down his throat. The further I walked away from her, the angrier I became and I felt that I needed to say something to her. I phoned her, and before I said anything, she started talking. “Girl I just had to put that man in his place for shouting at the kids.”
I started talking before she got into an explanation of the events. “Your plate is full, but the other person's plate is empty; be careful how you eat, because the tables are turning around slowly.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” She asked.

“Hooray”

Just before I entered the bank I saw a man parking his car. There wasn’t anything significant about him, but I did notice him. I stood on line feeling hot and I was sweating. It was cool in the bank, but after being out in the sweltering heat, I was feeling the after effects of it. I didn’t mind that I was the eight, person on line, because I was enjoying the cool air. The man who was parking his car came and stood in front of me, then he said, “I was standing here before.”
I said, “okay.”
He turned around to face me, “I am speaking the truth. I was standing here.”
I looked at him seriously and said, “and I said, okay.”
“You don’t sound too pleased.”
“What do you want me to do? Jump up and say hooray?”

"The Second Sleep"

I got up at 4:30AM. It was top early to get dressed for work, so I decided to go back to bed for an hour. The moment I got under the covers I fell into a deep sleep. I don't know what woke me up, but my eyes suddenly opened. My second sleep lasted for an hour and twenty minutes. I got off the bed quickly, ran into the bathroom, showered then dressed. I left home just in time to catch the 7:00AM bus that I normally took. A second sleep is the best sleep, but it can make you late.

“A Listening Ear”

In everything there is a lesson…
This takes me to a still tongue and a listening ear…
Hence the reason for two ears and one mouth…
Be quiet and listen…
There is knowledge there.



Taken from my website... www.avjnostalgia.com

“Complain and Confusion”

I stepped out to do my usual morning walk. The atmosphere was just right, and the area looked beautiful. I was having an honest to goodness feeling about the morning. A few people walked by, and we greeted each other. I stood for a few moments talking to Miss Mitchell. She was one of the matriarchs of our village. I continued walking then I saw Jennifer coming towards me in the distance. She loves to complain about her personal situations. It didn’t matter to her, if you told her, you didn’t want to hear, she would continue talking. I wasn’t in the mood to hear her complaints, so I crossed the street quickly. When I got to the other side, I realized that I should have stayed where I was, and deal with Jennifer.
“Hi Martha,” I said, but I was thinking I should have said “Hey Confusion, what’s going on…”

The Escapade With Candy

She was not a beautiful woman, but she had a nice body. Every time he saw her, his heart always goes to over drive. This was the second time Jason had planned a rendezvous with her. The first meeting did not happen because he was called out to work. This time he hoped that nothing was going to stop them. She sat in his car looking and smelling good. His thoughts on this escapade, was explosive then his phone rang. It was his wife.
“I have to take this call.” He put up his hand to stop Candy from talking. His wife called to remind him to pick up the kids. He explained to Candy that he had to cut their meeting short. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay. Drop me off at my home.”
His daughter – Amanda was 2, and his son – Jason Jr. was 3, so he felt it would not be a problem to have them in the car with her.
“I’m near to my kids day care so I’ll drop you off after I get them.”
The moment he secured them in their car seats, Jason Jr. had a serious look on his face, but Amanda started to ask questions.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Candy?”
“You going to my house?”
“No.”
“Where you going?”
“You’re to nosy.”
“I’m not nosy. My teacher said I am smart and gifted.”
“You’re a little chatterbox.”
“What?”
Jason wanted to laugh because he now realized that he had made an error in allowing Candy to be in close proximity with his kids. They were very smart.
“You know my mommy?” Amanda asked.
“Yes,” said Candy.
“Where’s my mommy?”
“Amanda, play with your toy. Your mommy is at work,” said Jason.
“No. I want mommy.”
“Mommy would be home from work soon.”
“I want my mommy now.” She started to cry.
“Don’t cry honey. We will be home soon.” He stopped in front of Candy’s home. “Are you coming over later?” she asked.
He knew he had to end this. “I have to take care of my kids.”
“Don’t call me again.” She slammed the car door and walked away.
“Dad, you made your girlfriend mad,” said Jason Jr.
“She is not my girlfriend. I was just giving her a ride.’
“Okay.”
When they arrived home, he started to talk to them about their day and they got into a great rapport. They were all laughing and having fun. He felt relieved that no discussion had taken place about the little escapade with Candy. His moment of relief didn’t last long. JJ and Amanda decided to share the story of Candy with their mother, at the dinner table.

“Felt Like An Idiot”

You asked me about it. I told you everything I knew, and I gave you all the information I had on it. You told me you understood, and you know exactly what you needed to do. I felt confident that you knew what you were doing, so I left you. Now I stand here feeling like an idiot!

"Little Miss Vain"

She never spoke to me because I was of a lower stature than her. My friends spoke to her, but I ignored her. Marisa, one of our friends, was getting married, and she asked me to be her maid of honor. Little Miss Vain, and the rest of our friends were bridesmaids.
We were all expected at the dressmaker’s shop to get fitted for our dresses. I asked for my appointment to be on a different day to hers. As my luck would have it, she missed her appointment, and arrived on the same day I did. I decided to leave, the moment I was finished. Two women assisted us as we tried on our dresses. We were both standing in front of mirrors, and I was focused on how my dressed looked on me. She twists and turns as she looked at herself, then she started talking.
“Don’t you all think I am beautiful? There are no marks on my face, or any where on my body. I never had a pimple. I am flawless.” Again my luck was at it’s best. I had three pimples on my face, a scar on my arm from an accident, and a small red birthmark on my left cheek. I looked at the woman attending to me and we both smiled. Little Miss Vain went on and on about her self. She was saying that she should be the maid of honor, but she understood why Marisa didn’t choose her.
“So why didn’t she choose you?” I asked.
“She knows that I would look better than her, and she didn’t want me to out do her. After all, it’s her wedding day.”
I started to giggle, and it turned into loud laughter. The two women stood looking at us with beet red faces and smiles on their lips, but Little Miss Vain, looked dumbfounded.