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LJ Idol: Week 2
The snow fell heavily. She worried about her wedding dress. Her father carried her from the house to the car and from the car to the church. Once inside, she was surrounded by her friends and family. It was a bittersweet day, for the bride was barely seventeen and pregnant. This was more a marriage of necessity than of love, although, if you asked ( Read more... ) -
LJ Idol, Week 1
It's a typical morning in Arlington, Texas. I'm reading, and Susan is watching something or other on TV. I can't tell what it is, since I'm not known for paying attention to such things. The air conditioner hums in the background, doing its best to keep the oppressive heat from entering our apartment. It's peaceful. I feel myself starting to drift ( Read more... ) -
Here I am again
It's hard to believe I'm doing this again, but it's even harder to believe this is the last season of LJIdol. I've participated for the past five seasons, met a lot of stellar writers, made some friends, and, basically, enjoyed myself. Many of you already know me, but, for those who don't, I'll do my best to give you a bit of an idea of who I am.
I' ( Read more... ) -
Am I insane?
Maybe I'm insane, but I can't resist this last opportunity to participate in LJ Idol. So, here is my declaration to participate in Season 9 of
therealljidol
Good luck to all who participate. Let's make this final season count. -
Caroline
What do you do with a grief that steals your breath and weighs down your every movement? How do you bear a loss so great that it seeps into the very marrow of your bones? What can be done about the dreams that wake you in the night, leaving you confused and alone? To these questions, I am seeking answers. To these questions, I fear answers cannot ( Read more... ) -
Flying away
This evening, I'll fly away, my body weightless in space, my spirit heavy, longing to be back on the ground. Usually, I hate this place, and I long for nothing more than to flee as fast and as far as I can. Today though, I'm torn, for a piece of me will be left behind, and I'll be even more tightly bound to this place, the place of my childhood, of ( Read more... ) -
Seven years, and then goodbye
For seven years, she's been by my side, slightly ahead, leading the way as she was taught to do. For seven years, we've read each other's body language through harness and leash, navigating airports, university campuses, stages, and city streets. For seven years, she's been my constant companion, never more contented than when she could press her ( Read more... ) -
a voice in the darkness
Eighteen months ago, I made a journey, and a complicated journey it turned out to be. A cat, a dog, and twenty-eight boxes made this journey with me. I was leaving one life behind, and traveling nearly two-thousand miles in order to start a new one. There was nothing easy about this. Cats don't like change, and, to be perfectly honest, I'm not a ( Read more... ) -
The Second Look that never came
She cowers in the recesses of the walk-in closet. Outside, the sounds of his rage penetrate this most precarious of havens. She buries her face in the satin of her wedding gown, and begins to pray to a god she's no longer sure she believes in. She has prayed before, countless times, but her words seem to have fallen on deaf ears. God, who is ( Read more... ) -
Finding the balance
Ringing phones, whispered confessions, angry outbursts, and hysterical questions. All of these things were part of my graduate school experience ( Read more... )