Tag: relationships

  • Blame

    “I blame Zander for what has come of my life,” Suzanne whispered into the phone. As I listened to everything Suzanne had to say about Zander, I wonder if she had taken drugs before she called. She had been clean and sober for several months, but now her words were jumbled and slurred. Usually if…

  • Tension

    The tension had been building since I entered the room. I knew it all had to do with Michael, but I wondered what he had done this time. He was starting more problems than anyone I knew, but somehow managed to always talk himself out of any consequences. I needed to pay better attention to…

  • The Snowstorm

    PHOTO PROMPT © Lisa Fox  The last snow of the season was always my worst day. It always reminded me of my father and it always reminded me I could no longer use the weather as an excuse to stay inside. The interior of my house was nice and warm and everything outside of my…

  • Screaming

    I heard the screaming even before I made it out of the car. Really before I had made it to the top of the driveway. I knew it was my aunt and I had a fairly good idea of what was happening. She had probably found her artwork missing and under no circumstance was I…

  • Manly

    “I never understood why it was important for everyone in our family to man up.  To be manly.  My brothers were never allowed to cry.  Never allowed to wear clothes that could be described as anything but blue and a ‘working man’s’ clothes.”    As I continued to write in the journal I had snuck out…

  • Among the Flowers

    The only time I enjoyed my forced time with my grandmother was the sunny afternoon she met her friends in the park. I knew she wouldn’t let me play on the playground with the other children – she had some fear I was going to get kidnapped (I didn’t believe her because I knew she…

  • Rules of the House

    Growing up in a house with strict parents, I often found rules to be messy.  Too controlling.  My worst nightmare.  At home, I was expected to abide by the schedule set by my parents.  By the time I was ten, my home life was a constant drudgery of dullness.  If I didn’t follow the schedule…

  • The Street Performer

    There was something about the street performer that reminded me of my childhood. There was something about his voice. His clothes. His demeanor. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was so familiar and why I seemed to know him, but I was more suspicious when he wouldn’t make eye contact with me. I…

  • The Front of the Room

    As soon as I was called to the front of the room, I knew I had won the contest.  Mrs. Miller didn’t call on anyone unless she was praising them.  I had never been a great student, but she was able to remind me I did have good qualities and I was not the problem…

  • Surrounded by Fabric

    PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields  As soon as we walked into the store, I knew I was home. I knew I could do whatever I wanted, make whatever I wanted, with the fabric surrounding me. The only thing in my way was how to pay for everything. Because of his broken relationship with my grandmother, my…