“Hi, Meg!” I waved my hand slightly in her face to catch her attention. It felt silly to wave to a coworker while balancing a salad bowl and fork in my other hand. Still, I was so surprised that Meg was about to walk right past me as if I didn’t exist when we recently had a full-blown strategic conversation…
Storytelling
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Jacob paced back and forth outside the tent. He stopped in his tracks and his shoulders went up to his ears when I let out a loud groan from the labor pains. This was my fourth child. Seeing him tense and worried during my labor actually gave me comfort. Perhaps he really did love me more than I realized. Maybe,…
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Cecilia stood at the entrance of the tent with her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun. She was on the lookout for her husband. One of the neighbor’s young sons said the soldiers were on their way back home. She repeatedly looked out on the horizon every few minutes, anxious for his arrival.…
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She peeled her arm from underneath his head, hoping not to wake him. It’s rare that someone stayed overnight. They normally left immediately afterward to keep their secret safe. Coins were left on the nightstand. There were a few who would throw her money on the ground and watch her crawl like a dog to pick it up. Looking down…
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Part 3 Cheynie debated about the surgery for days. She wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with the risks associated with going under the knife but she knew she couldn’t continue in her current cycle of severe discomfort. Her sister sat with her and helped her research the procedure and create a list of pros and cons so she felt…
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Part 2 After scouring the internet for information, Cheynie learned it is estimated that 70-80% of women will develop fibroids in their lifetime—however, not everyone will develop symptoms or require treatment. She concluded not everyone was experiencing the pain that now held her hostage on a monthly basis. She spent more and more nights like this one where she shifted…
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Part 1 Cheynie rolled over and let out a guttural groan. The new position was no better. She tried to curl her knees up to her chest. Then she tried to lay on her stomach with the pillow stuffed under her torso. The pain persisted. She checked her phone and the screen read 3:02 a.m. She had to be up…
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(Read Part 2 here) Part 3 The alarm clock read 3:15 a.m. Sharon had been lying in bed since midnight and no matter how much she tried, she could not fall asleep. Jerell had called her back repeatedly but she didn’t answer. She turned off her phone to keep herself from being tempted to answer his call. She needed to…
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(Read part 1 here) “You what?” Sharon stood up. “You heard me. It was, like, a lifetime ago.” “Hold on, you’re still married? You never told me you were ever married?” Sharon started to pace back and forth. “How is it you never brought this up? We’ve talked about dang near everything and you never mentioned being married.” Liz shrugged.…
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“I hear Miley Cyrus has a new CD.” There was no response. Sharon suspected Liz was ignoring her and scrolling through her social media feed instead. She turned around to look, confirming her suspicions. “Did you hear me?” “Wait, we’re really about to have this conversation?” Liz put her phone down. “Yes, I’m engaging in dialogue, Liz. This is what…