The Summer of ‘98-A Short Story

I remember the summer of ‘98 like it was yesterday. The sun was a relentless tyrant, and the air was thick with the smell of cut grass and dusty sneakers. The neighborhood kids, a motley crew of preteens with scraped knees and boundless energy, spent every waking hour playing street soccer in front of old Mr. Atley’s house. He hated us, and we loved the thrill of annoying him. He was the grumpy Goliath, and we were the plucky Davids, a soccer ball our only sling. The best player on the street was Kevin. He was a year older than the rest of us, with a mop of sandy hair and a cocky grin. He was faster, more agile, and had a way of dribbling the ball that made it seem like an extension of his own foot. He knew it, too, and his constant showboating drove me crazy. I was a decent player, but Kevin always found a way to make me look like a clumsy oaf, stealing the ball from me with a quick flick of his ankle or nutmegging me with a cheeky grin. One day, our game intensified. It was just Kevi...
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Mothers Day Musings




Nine months of undesired weight gain, unsteady wobbling gait and swollen feet 

Eating foods driven by cravings not clearly understood

Rarely uncontrolled physiological metamorphosis occurs curtailing this ordeal by the knife


Oftentimes mood swings not akin to her basic nature

Yet she labors on, until the final contractions that does nothing to free her but shift gears into another phase of controlled chaos


Labor is hard, the pains unbearable, yet she stoically soldiers on, pushes till beads of sweat rolls down from her temples to the chest and if truth be told every pore she ever possessed


Then comes the joyful sound of the offspring who has in essence began another journey into the unknown, exiting the comfort of another who kept safe for the earlier voyage into this world 


Mother then, endures once more, another appropriation of her time and sanity with sleepless nights

Unconsolable babies who suck not just milk from her biological fountain but the very emotional reserves, energies and strain on the psyche


When they begin to toddle then comes another hurdle, that will make a world class athlete jealous as she sprints in a bid to pluck her young one from danger unbeknown to the dear one


Along comes  school, she becomes a teacher, another endeavor where she holds her own tutoring sessions beyond the classroom

Hours spent hammering concepts in an attempt to secure the young one an edge in this school of hard knock life


The adventures, sacrifices, unconditional selfless love and contribution of a mother cannot be limited by a page in a book, an op ed in a newspaper or any sort of media


With gratitude we say thank you mother in a childlike voice hoping to bestow a rewarding beaming smile to the face of every mother on mother's day

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