My brother brought his new girlfriend to Mom’s birthday dinner. They whispered conspiratorially, heads close, all night. When Mom passed the family cheesecakedown the table, the girlfriend pushed her plate away. She announced she had news. Her eyes locked onto mine as she said, “I am moving upstate for a jobopportunity!” Everyone at the table … Read more
My neighbor asked if I’d watch her toddler while she ran errands; I happily agreed. Minutes later, I heard CRASHING sounds from the playroom. Racing in, my heart POUNDED as I saw glass shattered everywhere—the decorative family vase was broken. As I gingerly picked up the sharp pieces, I unearthed a note that said it … Read more
I made my dad a Facebook yesterday and explained how everything worked. Today I saw his Facebook status ‘my wife’. I didn’t get it so I called him and asked what he meant, and he said. “It’s for your mother,” he told me in that matter-of-fact voice he used whenever he was saying something deeply … Read more
My friend was going through divorce hearings with her husband. Lately, he’s turned into a mean person, always demeaning her, shouting at her in front of us. As the divorce enters its final stages, he suddenly dies. His autopsy shows something none of us could’ve predicted—he had late-stage liver failure. Advanced enough that he had … Read more
My mother stored a set of sheets she received as a present for her wedding. She wanted to give it to the first of her children that got married. It turns out she never opened it and over the years, I told her she was being sentimental over nothing—that the sheets would probably be stiff … Read more
My husband’s friend came over with his new roommate. We all hang out and have a good time. After they leave, I open my laptop and find that my husband is still logged into Facebook. That girl has sent him a friend request and put a message on his wall, but it wasn’t just a … Read more
Once, I was reviewing my students’ essays and everything was normal until I saw Sam’s work. There was something strange in the last paragraph of his essay and I got very scared. He wrote, “Sometimes, I think it would be easier if I just disappeared, and maybe no one would even notice for days.” That sentence … Read more
I recently moved into my grandpa’s house, he’s gone abroad. I found a letter on the table with hints for finding a hiding place. After spending lots of time on it, I found a vault. I adore my grandpa! It turned out that there was more than just dusty heirlooms and old documents in there. … Read more
My boyfriend always texts when he leaves work—every day without fail. One night, nothing. I called a few times, no answer. Two hours later, the door was knocked. I rushed to the door and froze at what I saw. He was with a woman I didn’t recognize—soaking wet, barefoot, and holding a crying toddler on … Read more
Once, when I got back home from school my mom called and asked me to bring her some food to work, because she was not given lunch. We didn’t have any food at home, so my sister and I made a vegetable salad. We were hungry too, but we put the container into a bag … Read more
