• The Fire Escape

    PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox  When I first moved into the apartment building, I had a love/hate relationship with the fire escape. The love came from the fact yellow was my favorite color (dumb, I know) and that I was also terrified of fires so I was happy there was a way for me to escape.…

  • The Bus Stop

    I knew something was wrong the moment I arrived at the bus stop. Steve wasn’t there and Steve was always there. And was always there before I showed up. I am the bus rider who shows up just before the bus was scheduled to leave with coffee in one hand and make up in the…

  • Estranged

    When my mom called out of the blue, I knew something was probably wrong. Or she needed money. We had not talked in almost ten years because she had gotten angry when I wouldn’t loan her the money for rent. I was barely making ends meet myself when she had called and when I tried…

  • The Movies

    I realized when I went to college, real life was not like the movies. Or television. I was expecting my first semester of college to go smoothly with lots of late-night parties where I could stay wake up, exercise and get to class on time the next morning. I quickly learned this was definitely not…

  • The Fruit Stand

    PHOTO PROMPT © Brenda Cox  “That is exactly the fruit stand I have been looking for. Exactly the kind of stand I want to buy. To run.” I stared at the fruit stand, trying not to be completely obvious, but I hoped the vendor would keep himself busy on the other side of his truck.  “It’s a…

  • Noise Complaint

    I knew as soon as Harper moved in, the level of noise in the building would get out of control. I could hear her talking on the phone in the hallway when I was tucked in bed. How could someone possibly be able to talk that loudly? I usually was a sound sleeper so I…

  • Rose Street

    I heard about my old apartment getting demolished and had to get in on the action. Rose Street had been one of my favorite places to live and I was sad to see it go. I wanted to call Amy and see if she wanted to go with me to watch our old building get…

  • Late Night Visitors

    Had I known I was going to have guests at 4 AM, I would’ve tidied up. Had I known James would be one of the guests, I never would have opened the door in the first place. I would have let the incessant knocks go unanswered, but I thought someone must be hurt or they…

  • My Sanctuary

    I had always been told never to enter the forest. My parents told me the woods were dangerous but never explained why. Which obviously made me want to go every waking moment they were not watching. I spent more time in the forest than I did in my own bedroom. I kept waiting for my parents…

  • Greek Life

    I was constantly trying to figure out why Allison never wanted to be in the group pictures.  Or really have any pictures taken of her at all. I wondered if she had had a secret life I didn’t know about. The more she started to refuse to being in pictures, the more stories I made…