http://slow.writerscafe.org/Mipete07 The original writings of author MeratheRestless en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776011734 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 Labor Day has come about far chillier than forecasted. The overcast skies intermittently spit fat wet drops of late summer rain. Inside of Carina's small Kia we have the heat on though we're idling in an apartment complex's parking lot and the car isn't going anywhere. Today we're a little less pack.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1967958/ What if every day was a struggle? What if you wished you were never born? Welcome to my world. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1964124/ "Stop!" Grandmother snapped when Joon entered the stuffy apartment. "What have I told you about this singing all the time? Are you a circus monkey?"Beats by Dre still covering his ears, he paused only to step out of his Retro 10 Air Jordans. He was use to her nagging. Underneath it all, he knew .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1963992/ "I know he looks mean." Joon forced himself to slow his pace as he caught sight of Albina trotting out of the side of his eye. "I even call him Uncle No Good behind his back. But still, my Uncle Hyuk is a very kind man.""He's the neighborhood gangster." His girlfriend reminded him tersely. "My mothe.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1961854/ Warning: Contains potentially disturbing self harm http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1959574/ A disturbed young woman struggles to conceal her troubled past from those who seek her friendship http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1956840/ October 1992"It's okay." Carlinda assured Hyuk for the umpteenth time. "My little man is already like his daddy, long and skinny but strong."Since he did not know enough English to tell his sister-in-law that he had never held a baby before in all of his 17 years, Hyuk finally accepted the squirming.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1954039/ Summer 1992"If you don't pick up your feet and start walking instead of gawking....."17 year old Hyuk could not help himself as he followed along behind his eldest brother on the crowded sidewalk toting his single ratty suitcase. He had been met at Gimpo International Airport on the outskirts of Seo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1948980/ It had been a snowy winter afternoon when Misir has suddenly burst into Halmi's apartment breathless. Through jerks of his head and beckoning gestures, he had gotten 11 year old Joon and his 9 year old sister to come with him. Dressed only in shirts, pants, and house slippers they had thundered down.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1947166/ May 2017Nakhum Uriel Santos had been born healthy after a short labor and now rested comfortably in his mother’s arms after his procedure. Karisma was on Facebook with her free hand, not to announce his birth, since she hoped her ex-husband’s folks never found out this was Jarrod’s.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1944502/ What can I say, Sis? It’s been years and all of you still wanted to see me dead right up to the end. I’m sure you think I’m heartless, but it didn’t feel good laying my twin down to rest and finding out my Mama was dead….Since it had been taken from her family’s .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943620/ November 2016A lot of people believed that couples should have no secrets from each other and all money belonged to the household. This made some sense since ideally two people were working to build a future together. Karisma however had not been raised to be so freehearted and when her mother&rsquo.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943618/ A child's internal struggle to hold her life together. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943452/ Misir took a seat with his step-cousin facing his stepfather without invitation. He had learned a fair amount of Korean from the man he called Papa over the past 18 years. Though it was wise to stay out of Papa's way when he initially returned home in the wee hours of morning, he was usually kinder .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943341/ As the Soviet Union stagnated in the 1980s, men had begun to disappear from homes throughout the Central Asian republics. These countries had always been poor lands and the promise of work was alluring. The most popular destination of course was Russia, but that was not the only option depending on .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943339/ Hot water, kimchi, and the mustiness of the floor mats they slept on. Joon could not pinpoint a time when the smell had not permeated his paternal grandparent's Soviet Era two room apartment. The home was spotless down to the square inch, but you couldn't scrub away the scent of age."Good morning, J.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943338/ August 201522 year old Joon no longer felt the unrelenting burn of the needles piercing his skin as he lay shirtless on the tattoo artist’s bench. His mind had checked out of his body, not because of the pain, but rather against his will. He could literally feel himself being dragged back acro.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943336/ Caught between the only life he has ever known and the whims of the parents he barely remembers, a young millennial is forced to make peace with his past before he can have a future. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1943334/ “Don’t you know little girls aren’t supposed to get all dirty and yucky like a boy?” Karisma glanced up at Sydney as she scrubbed the drained tub and prepared to fill with it fresh hot water to finish bathing her. Once again Sydney had managed to get filthy from head to toe i.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1937595/ Incest. Rape. Sexual Assault. Karisma avoided any thought of those words.“When were you going to tell me?” Her mother had said in August 2004, shortly after Isaac moved out.Mama wouldn't divulge all of the details about why Isaac all of a sudden couldn't stay another minute in her home. .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1937593/ July 2016Summer was in full swing in Louisville, sweltering and sultry. Karisma kept things light and fun initially as she drove through downtown pointing out local points of interest to Jarrod and Sydney. She had taken a whole two weeks off beginning on July 1st, because she knew that she’d n.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1937534/ March 2016On a blustery and overcast day around St. Patrick’s Day, Karisma and Jarrod married at Indianapolis’s county courthouse without fanfare. Karisma had long since let go of childish dreams of a splendid wedding and dazzling gown. Instead she had donned a sundress and been satisfie.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1937532/ February 2016Eternal Nightmare: A True Story Of Betrayal, Murder, & The Quest For The TruthIbrahim had not expected his sordid story family drama to sell so well. Within days of him posting it to Kindle, 200 copies had been sold and he anxiously awaited the customer reviews. Hayvn, who he’.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1937531/ “Look at how big my baby’s gotten.” Karisma exclaimedsentimentally.            Shehad swiped a new picture from Ibrahim’s Facebook account to show to Jarrod.Hayvn, coming up strong on her 11th birthday, stood .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1920186/ September 2015            Karismalogged into Facebook and was surprised at what she found on Amaris’s memorialpage. Some quack had done a tarot reading on her dead siblings….and her mother.Why the Hell hadn’t anyon.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1920183/             Janoahtold me that she had a brother 1 ½ years older than her and he lived there too,but he never came to the Kingdom Hall and I only saw him a few times when Iwent to the house. She said he knew The Truth too and would .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1920181/ Cool, crisp, night air filled Hayvn’s lungsas she greedily gulped through the small crack made by raising her bedroomwindow painstakingly slow. She was not supposed to have the window open, butfresh air was balm for her soul. It rejuvenated her and took her out of herclaustrophobical.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1920180/ “A mere young boy will lead them all,” Hayvnsang coming up the stairs. “And they will heed his childish call. When tearsbelong to yesterday. When fears and pain have passed away.” She was in searchof her Uncle Ibra to make sure he was still there and had not left her .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1920179/ 2013             “Easy there!” Ibrahim called out from the edge of the yard.“Okay, Daddy!” Hayvn chirped as she sailed past on her new rollerblades. “Daddy?” He echoed amused. “I thought.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1916810/ not see no matter how hard she stared. Her little brother. Fearless and 100% alpha boy, Wissy was 7 years old when he climbed higher than he ever had before, against his mother and older sister’s admonishments, and without hesitation leaped as if he was some kind of bird. Hearts in throats, th.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1913708/ The steady patter of rain outside the window was balm for taut nerves. Its' loamy scent permeated the house. Occasional flashes of lightning and claps of thunder reminded them that a Severe Thunderstorm Alert remained in effect for the next few hours as afternoon turned to evening. Their sleep that .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1910769/ "The police there impounded an abandoned car, found blood in it, and traced it back to Isaac." Dorinda explained. "They went to his house and the trick rabbit squirrel he had there said it was Wisdom's blood. They asked who Wisdom was and she told them it was some guy who used to stay there."After 4.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1910102/ My first encounter with the man who still gives me nightmares http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1909670/ Long sleeved Alabama Crimson Tide t-shirt, gray red striped sweat pants, and black socks. Red was Wissy's favorite color and he looked content as could be in one of the home snapshots, Karisma had selected to go in his casket. Circa 2003, he was on the floor with his newest toy, a remote controlled .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1909110/ Karisma updated Amaris's memorial page on Facebook, adding to it Machlon's flyer. The pictures for the flyer had come from this page itself, shared by strangers whose names Karisma was keeping a log of and investigating in her spare time, since God knew Dorinda had no remotely current pictures of he.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1907691/ "Where was Wissy born?" Karisma asked tapping her pen annoyed that she herself could not remember, although she had been nearly 4 years old when he was born. "Same place as No-No. Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, Texas." Dorinda rattled off without taking her eyes off of Divorce .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1906771/ No-No and Wissy Asleep on the RoofKarisma had set up a Facebook page encouraging people to share memories and pictures of Amaris. Between May 2006-October 2009, from a few months before her 12th birthday until a few months after her 15th birthday, the time she had lived in Florida, only two pictures.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1905867/ "These kids are bad as Hell!" Machlon remarked as he hurried out the double doors of the local middle school to meet his sister. So far he had no friends here in Florida and didn't want any. Truth be told, the kids his age scared him. "They need to have paddling here too." Corporal punishment was st.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1904871/ "My precious one, my darling one. Don't let your lashes weep. My cherished one, my weary one. It's time to go to sleep...." Celine Dion crooned one of the chosen songs, from somewhere in  the distance, a backroom of the funeral home.It had been approximately 8 days since Amaris passed into the .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1904517/ The baby had gotten big. Hayvn, 20 months, no longer remembered her Uncle Isa, Uncle Wi, and Auntie No but friendly as ever she jumped up and down in her playpen when she saw the three of them approaching the house through the big bay window, reddish brown corkscrew curls bouncing like springs. She .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1904378/ December 2006"No, don't change it!" To avoid the coming tantrum, Machlon dropped the remote and sulked. Let his sister watch her dumb Harry Potter movies, although she wasn't going to see anything she didn't already know about seeing as she had put him to shame by reading the entire 900 page "H.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1904073/ April 2006"Stop!" Amaris whined turning her body away so she could hold the coveted object further out of Machlon's reach."You stop and give it back too!" Machlon grabbed a handful of her shirt exposing the straps of her sports bra as she reached for the doorknob, because he knew if she made it out .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1903730/             “When lame ones leap just like the hart.When loved ones never have to part. Such blessed times you'll realize if you keep your eyes on the prize...” Machlon song softly as he brushed a straydark lock from his sister’s clammy face. .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1903036/ Accident,homicide, or suicide? A teenage girl's sudden death makes little sense until the insanity of her short life is exposed. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1903009/ "If you don't call an ambulance or get your little mulatto b*****d into one of your beloved rich man's cars and take her to the nearest children's hospital very soon, then we are BOTH going to prison for murder!" The woman who was both the nanny to my younger sister and I as well as our father's lat.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1891966/ What troubles has this broken spirit seen? http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1851469/ A boy's unusual and tragic life in plain prose. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1851441/ Being an au pair or nanny is the ideal job for many young women, but what if the child you cared for was already claimed by another? http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1848025/ In a brave new world, a resister remains bound by the past. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1848019/ "For the love of G-d, open your eyes, my child!"The air was thick with panic, screams, and tension. Everyone had lost their minds. It was pure chaos. Urijah was watching a scene from an overly dramatic Soap Opera play itself out before his very eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing, despit.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/Mipete07/1847348/