Tag: creative writing

The Last Christmas

We come to a scene in Long Island, NY. A big red house on a small side road of the only highway in or out of the hamptons. A single mother and a teenager from a class you don’t hear much about in this area. The holidays are all about traditions, this small family was surely different. The daughter, Aminah, had no wants other than to live comfortably. Something she knew was overly ambitious. The mother, Denise, was a dreamer who brought her daughter into the world in hopes to change it. With their family of two the tradition of Christmas was simple. Start shopping two weeks before and buy the tree two days before. Nothing else would be done until the twenty-third, starting with finally putting the lights and bulbs on the tree. Then all day Christmas eve the two of them will work until two or three am wrapping all the presents, putting the finishing touches on the tree, and baking at least five dozen cookies for aunts and uncles.

That was their tradition for the past decade, a smooth dance the two of them completed each year. This one would be diffrent though, and the last one the two of them would spend together. Aminah knew this despite her mother trying her best to console her. The whole year Denise had been in and out of the hospital. This was the first month they had been in their own apartment, and together, since March. Aminah had heard whisperings of Denise denying a gift of a kidney from a classmates family memeber. It seemed each day her mother grew sicker, and her biggest fears were coming true. The clock struck ten, and Denise called Aminah into her room.

“I’ll get up in an hour and we can start setting everything up.” Aminah looked at her mother, pale, slightly out of breath because she had missed dialysis for a few days. “It’s fine, mom. I can do it. Just rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”

She tested the different sets of lights, putting up her favorite bulbs and mixing them with the ones they had bought the other day. Tinsel all around the tree, while she chuckled thining about he cute elves from Santa Clause breaking everyone out with it. Lastly, she wrapped her mom’s presents, there would be no cookies this year. She finished everything around five in the morning, checked on her mom before finally going to bed.

Waking up four hours later, Aminah went to her mom’s room for them to open their presents. Denise began to cry as soon as she entered the living room. “You did such a great job, Aminah! The most beautiful tree we’ve had, for sure.” As always, to her surprise, there were about ten extra presents under the tree with her name on it. Aminah still doesn’t know how her mom was able to hide her presents; they would just appear under the tree. When did her mom do it? It had looked like she hadn’t moved since the morning. Most people then watch the parades or Christmas movies, but Aminah was never a fan of these things. So the two of them tuned into the radio and switched from the Oldies station, Delilah, and BLI. Music should never stay in one decade when being listened to.

Aminah started brunch, her signature dish, scrambled eggs with cheese and pancakes. The two sat singing songs, eating, and not talking about the elephant in the room. A beautiful memory, indeed.

Words and Phases

I have begun to realize that words are useless

There isn’t one great reason just many decent ones

People don’t listen so words fall

People don’t speak well so words are misunderstood

People are scared so words aren’t formed

The ability to scare yourself silent

That is the tragedy of being human

 

In the same breath they can bring peace

Hope, salvation, all of the positivity

All coming down to a point of view

All coming down to reading between the lines

Communication isn’t just words

It’s movement and extra sounds

A tragedy that we can’t always trust the five senses

 

Life and feelings are phases of change

One phase not looking like the other

A person’s phases and words never matching

A different stage a different meaning

Everyone’s interpretation silent

Senses and fears

We are human just words and phases

Sunrise, Soon rise

At exactly 7:48 am the sun peaked behind the apartment buildings. She blew on her mug squinting as it peaked. “This is what I pay for” she thought. She had been up all night, worried. Worried that all her fears had come true since she was a child but one. Well, the one was a fear and a wish. Even as a child she knew that she was useless, she had potential, she knew that. However, she wasn’t a person that knew how to use it. So many people struggling out there could have done so much with this life. It is wasted on her, but just look at this sunrise.

Today was the day she would start therapy and probably be prescribed medication. Hoping to give herself the fight she needed. Cause suicide wasn’t an option, she could never handle pain. No matter how many times she pictured and planned, she’d Google it and click the first link. It talked about what jumping off of a bridge does to a body. It shook her to her core that it is possible to attempt to die and be stuck here with no ability to move. Looking it up was a way to make her stay vigilant, if it can hurt others it cannot be a plan. 

The mom  figure of a therapist let her in her office. It seemed kinda shady as it was in a basement of an old apartment building. There were plenty of doctor’s offices down there, all seemingly lost in time. The lady asked her to tell her about herself, a question she always hated. Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, the therapist says she will write a prescription for lexapro. She’s heard of it but the whole session felt rushed and unhelpful. She would end up being right, trying to reconnect with the therapist made her feel like she imagined her visit. Would she only ever be ghosted by people?

Once again 7:48 AM she watched the sun slowly rise behind the apartment buildings in the distance. She wondered when that will be her. A blazing force slowly rising to bring good and bad things to the people of earth. Just think how often it is for people to rise so bright that they assume it’s only light and warmth shared. Do you think that is what parents always hope for their child’s future? She knows that one day that will be her. A sun, a phoenix, an important figure with a caring touch. Soon she’ll be just like the sun she admires.

Choice

TheLovelyPenelope's avatar

She sat down in the leather seat, petting. Soft brown leather prepared, to tell the truth, this time. The older man in front of her pale and gray, legs crossed, judging. She has, to tell the truth, but where to start.

“How are you feeling today? Anything you want to talk about?” He says while opening up his notepad.

“I don’t know. I don’t have much to talk about. I haven’t really been doing much. Work, sleep, eat, repeat. The days I have off seem endless yet too short.”

“What do you do on your days off? Do you do anything that  you want to enjoy?”

“Well, nothing really. Everything sucks and I’m broke. What is there to do? So, I stay home and watch movies or stupid television shows. Anything that doesn’t have to do with reality because I avoid the things that I don’t like. I watch the things that I want to do and feel but dare not go after.”

“Why do you feel that  you shouldn’t go after them? What stops you from enjoying these things?”

“For one, I don’t deserve them. I also have learned at an early age wanting things and actually getting them normally ends badly. The path there sucked, you get there and it sucks still. Relationships, goals, life in general at least that what it feels like. Who knows maybe I’m wrong but then that just proves further that I don’t belong here. I’m pretty sure there has been some mistake.”

“Relationships. Let’s talk more about that, which one of your relationships have made you fee this way? Who was it and when was it?”

“I remember it well, it was when I knew that living with my father was never an option. It’s also when I knew his truth without anyone telling me. Something he would not admit to me until I was sixteen or seventeen years old.

I was about six years old, excited because it was Daddy’s night. I get to sleep over the big blue house, I would get real television, no bunny ears, be away from my mom, see my grandpa. It was going to be great it would be everything that I wanted. Daddy wanted to get something from the corner store. I’ve always liked car rides so I’m excited to go with him. When we get there is this man there. Wearing all white with a long Santa beard, saying hello to my father. My father says hi back and tells him to come over to the car to meet me. He tells my dad that he can’t, his feet are stuck but hello little one. I tell my dad we should just go, that the man isn’t right. Even though being a sheltered child I knew danger when I saw it. I knew that if my dad went over to that man, his feet would get stuck too. My dad didn’t listen to me, he went to the fake Santa they talked for a while, it felt like over an hour. I rolled down the window and yelled to my dad to come on. I’m a child I should go to bed early, even though I never did go to bed early. I was always one to toss and turn and watch the clock. Go to sleep for a few hours and wake up in the morning like I slept for a whole day. Anyway, he comes to the car and he says to me that my uncle will be coming to pick me up because he knows that I am tired. He was going to hang out with his friend for a while. My favorite uncle came to pick me up, he came to pick me up and we sang the songs on the radio on the way to his house. In the back of my mind, I knew my dad wasn’t going to be coming for me that night. I talked to my uncle as if he was, I told him that my dad was silly, but he was definitely coming to pick me up. My uncle’s girlfriend fixed me some food, I can’t remember her face, I can only remember that I thought she was very pretty.  While I was eating my food and I was telling my uncle about the things my dad and I were going to do. When I finished I looked at my uncle and said ‘Daddy’s not coming back tonight is he?’ He looked back at me sad and nodded his head. I knew my dad had left me, I knew my uncle wouldn’t tell me directly what it was that took him away, but I knew. I’ve always known. My mom never had to tell me, my dad never had to confess it. I knew. I’ve never told anyone about this. Cause there was no reason to I felt,  but I liked telling it.”

“Well, I’m honored. Thank you for telling me. I guess I can understand how you felt that way after that. Especially after not opening up about it. People around you thinking that you don’t know but you know pretty well actually.”

“Ya, adults never think kids are very smart. They are, they know and understand a lot more than what we give them credit for. This is why I think philosophy is interesting, to think that we have all the knowledge from previous but we forget it and have to learn it all again.”

“That is an interesting concept. Plato is one of the most interesting philosophers out there.”

“Let me ask you this though doctor. If you had the knowledge of your previous reality and the choice to live. Would you choose to be born doctor?”

The timer went off telling the doctor and the patient that time was up. She got up with not a word and left. Normally the doctor would keep going a little after the session, make sure everything was wrapped up. She left him no chance of that, leaving without the answers.

 

The Drowning Child

There once was a child born underwater. Her mother felt it safer and a better way to grow her. She lived her days watching her mother and all else walk over her. From where she stood neither way of living looked better. Her mother was sick and kept the extent of it from her, by the time she found out her worst nightmare was upon her. She knew there’d be people wanting to save her, but she wasn’t so sure if they really wanted to help her. The death of her mother made her pull herself further.  Under the deep blue filter the people looked smaller, were they just ghosts of what was offered?  She questioned if these realms were even for her. So many people arms outstretched above her, still, she just continued to swim down under. As she saw the helping ropes and good blessings she started to realize that she should have never even bothered. Every day is a horror that she cursed these poor people hoping to see the drowning child to touch and comfort. She never learned and didn’t want to, still, she felt bad for the people above her. She should try to live like they, she thought often. She was never able to get past horror. She’s still down under the water filling it with tears and salt hoping to choke her.

Stolen Firsts Pt. 2

Fighting with the door, I stumbled into my dad’s apartment. Wiping my lips before walking in; the bottom half of my face still feeling wet. I didn’t go to that random guy’s apartment, John he said his name was. I did get his number, saying that I would call him and maybe take him up on his offer. I hugged my dad, told him about my crazy night at work, and my crazy drunken after work party with my bestie. Forgetting all about what had happened a block away from his apartment.

Summer turned into fall and the what if questions began to creep in.  What if I had gone with him, What if I had called him the next day? Would I have turned into a manhunt case? With the curiosity building and my libido bubbling over I gave him a call.

“Hello?” He answered with his thick Italian accent. It made me wonder how long he has been here.

“Hey! Um, is this John? I don’t know if you remember me but I met you in Harlem.  My name is Upenda?”

“Oh yes! I remember you, the beautiful girl I saw when I was getting off of work a few months ago. It has been so long! Why did you not call me, you didn’t like me?”

“No. Just busy, you know. You work around where I was that night? Where do you work?”

“I’m a personal trainer at Planet Fitness. If you ever need help getting in shape I can help you. However, I wouldn’t want you to lose your body. I love my women bigger.”

I sighed internally. Will this be a fetish thing? Not that I wasn’t alright with it. I just didn’t know what kind it would turn into.

I knew when he said “Baby, let me take you out to eat and shopping. I bet my baby would like that, right? Daddy loves to see his baby happy.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How’d you like it? I know my grammar and sentence structure is terrible. Please leave comments and feedback!!

Adulthood

It kind of feels like you’re still five years old and you get thrown into a fire pit

No warning that there is such a thing that could hurt so much

No rules on how to get out of it

Just burning

While in this fire you will meet other people who are on fire

Their fire seems less hot and easier to deal with

You try to learn their ways only to have it backfire

You wonder why no one taught you any of this

What was all that education for?

What were parents, teachers, and professors for?

They stand there soaking wet as you burn

All the while saying how proud they are

“Proud that I’m dying?”

“We went through it. You’ll be ok”

Forget this system of misinformation