Sarah, Jess’s cousin, set out to sew her wedding dress as a gift when she and Michael got engaged. Jess finds out that the wedding dress is two sizes too small during the last fitting. Is Sarah going to fix her mistake, or does Jess need to do something herself? My friendship with my cousin Sarah has always been rough. She’s loud and bubbly, and she also loves being the center of attention. And because of that, everyone in our family paid attention to her. It made more sense to have Sarah get the attention than ourselves. My family was…
Author: World Wide
Aaron paid attention, worked hard, and was kind while he was dating me. When he asked me to marry him, I felt like the happiest woman in the world! But Aaron changed almost right away after we got back from our vacation. It began with little things. The way he’d rather play video games than go on a date. He’d “forget” to do the dishes and leave them in the sink for days. Then the morning coffee habit stopped. He would wake me up every morning with a cup of coffee, a hug, and a silly joke for a year…
Stewart, who was 13, put up walls around his heart and wouldn’t let his foster mother love him. His anger toward her followed her to the grave. One day, he found an envelope marked to him on her tomb. Inside was news that broke his heart and made him cry. Stewart, who is five years old, squeaked when he walked on the linoleum floor of the children’s refuge. His little hands held a worn-out teddy bear. The fur was matted and faded, but it felt like a shield against the world’s apathy. While Stewart played alone, the other kids played…
Mia and Bob’s anniversary trip was meant to be a happy time, but her mother-in-law showed up and ruined it. They had a sweet moment, but Linda booked a room next to theirs and said mean things to Mia. Lina didn’t know that Mia was about to teach her a very important lesson. Bob and I needed this trip. Taking care of kids, working, and living with his mother Linda after our house burned down caused us a lot of stress for months. Finally, we got our first real break in years. It was even better because it was our…
Lauren was great when I hired her through an agent. She was always on time, responsible, and loving, and my six-year-old daughter Amy loved her from the first day. There’s something about Lauren’s way with kids that you can’t fake or learn from a book. She felt like she knew Amy for a long time. “May I have Lauren over every day, Mom?” Amy would eagerly ask when Lauren was going to watch, her eyes wide with wonder. The room would light up with Lauren’s smile, and she would bring a canvas bag full of books, art tools, and games.…
It had always been our dream to have more children. She couldn’t have kids, so there were just the two of us—her, me, and my wonderful five-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, whom we both loved. We thought about it for months before deciding to take the big step and adopt. We wished to offer another child a safe and loving home. When we got to the shelter on the day of our visit, we talked with Mrs. Garcia, the director, for about an hour. She is a nice woman with gray hair and warm eyes. She took us to…
A dream that Margaret had always had was to spend Christmas with her kids and grandkids. For her, the Christmas season was made special by the love of family, the laughter at dinner, and the joy of giving. But this year was different. She would be by herself this year. As she sipped her tea in her small flat, soft snow fell outside. There were lights on the Christmas tree in the corner, but the room felt empty. There were no presents under the tree or happy voices in the air. Nothing but silence. This wasn’t always the case.…
It was my last ride of the night. I sped up. Nothing moving. I wanted to leave, but something about the house made me think twice. I rang the doorbell. “Just a minute,” a weak voice said. After that, scraping. Someone was pulling something heavy. My fingers got tense. The door was opened. A tiny woman in her 90s who was dressed from a different time stood there. Behind her, the flat was empty, with sheets over the furniture and a single box of memories in the corner. It was a soft question: “Would you carry my bag?” I said…
When Margaret called to tell me about her new choice, I got ready. My mother-in-law, who was 77 years old, often made snap decisions. For example, she got a treadmill that she never used, and she quit painting after only three classes. But this time, her news really shocked me. “I got a kitten!” she exclaimed, her voice brimming with joy. I almost dropped my phone. “What are you?” “A kitten!” Daisy is her name. “Look at that cute little thing! She’s gray, fluffy, and full of energy!” I pinched the bridge of my nose, and I could feel a…
