Excerpts for Mysterious Minds

Beyond Beautiful

The time that Chloe first saw Amanda at the mini stadium was the time when Anderson was called up to the stage to receive his gold medal and give the victory speech. Chloe saw her when she stood up with the crowd to give Anderson, the captain of the school hockey team, a standing ovation. She had caramel colored skin, and her nude, glossed, full lips curled up as she sang along with the crowd, “stand up, stand up; stand up for the champion, stand up.” Her big breasts pushed out effortlessly under her white tank top; she had an endearing smile, and her beautiful set of white dentition flashed like a diamond under the sun, everything reminded Chloe of the things she couldn’t have flawless beauty.

How did he Die?

The day that Sloane’s father told him he had cancer was the worst day of his life. He had been walking through the halls on his lunch break when he saw his mother standing in the hall. Her eyes were vacant as she stared at the painting of a landscape hanging on the hospital wall. “Mother, what is it?” he asked.

She blinked as if forgetting he worked at the hospital. “You should… talk to your father.” Her voice broke halfway through the words, and she began to cry, forcing the rest of the sentence out of her mouth. Sloane immediately pulled her into his arms. Together, they walked into the room. Sloane’s father tried to be upbeat; he wasn’t an old man, and he had more life ahead of him. He had the best son in the world. The treatment was too expensive.

Perfections Illusion

From the silver tie pin to his glossy shoes, he’s every inch the spokesman. Expensive watch and briefcase, too, all come together to fill in the illusion. In contrast, there I stood with my round spectacles and business casual attire. The beaten leather bag that I’d carried since graduate school hung at my side, filled with plans and measuring tools. I held up my iPad, pretending to snap a photo of the room, but I was taking a picture of Sebastian. I couldn’t help it! The artist in me demanded it! It’s a valid excuse. Then I did get back to work.

Polygamy

“Alright, Melissa. Thanks for establishing your relationship with Kelvin for the whole court.” The complainant’s lawyer moved away from the witness box. He turned to face the judge’s dais, and he looked ready to launch into another speech before Melissa continued.

“Oh, I love establishing things. Kelvin here does too. We’ve ‘established’ our relationship so many times; it’s a wonder I can still stand here today. He’s no baby at this.”

A ripple of different sounds went through the small audience in the courtroom; snickers of amusement collided with grunts of annoyance. Kelvin sat stolidly beside his lawyer. He whispered into the man’s ears. Melissa winked in his direction and pulled her short gown even lower. The judge pounded the small gavel impatiently.

“I really do not want to call for an early adjournment.” The judge threatened. Her voice boomed through the courtroom.

“Counsel for the complainant.” She continued. “Do you have further questions for Miss Richmond?”

“Your Honor. My client has decided to continue with the divorce proceedings on the grounds of adultery, abandonment or desertion and irreconcilable differences.”

Everyone in the courtroom laughed at the word, ‘adultery.’

The False Negative

You are sitting on the work desk next to your bed while watching your lover, Tessie, struggle for her life. She has been shivering and feeling cold all day and her clothes are drenched with sweat. You have spent the whole day in bed with her, cuddling her, and now she has fallen asleep, and you’re back to the research that you and your thesis supervisor, Professor Morgan have been working on. Research into the means of reversing the effects of the drug which has turned your lover and thousands of other people into momentary zombies.
You have never felt this way before. Your heart is beating so fast; your chest is pushing heavily against the fabrics of your shirt. Your fingers are quivering; they can barely hold your pen as you try to scribble down the words written on the Google Scholar webpage showing on the screen of your computer.
‘What if she dies?

The Observant and the Blind

I should have realized that something was going on the first time my brothers and I returned to business after Dad’s funeral. I remember that we walked into his office, trying to decide who would take his large mahogany desk still covered with papers. The coffee cup sticks in my mind, even now. I see it past the shoulder of my elder brother Jean. It was so unassuming: the white company logo stark against the black. It was filled to the brim. It must have been Dad’s third cup of the day. He never finished that one.

“I think I should take Dad’s office,” said Matthew, “I’m the eldest.”

“Why should it automatically go to you? You were just his accountant, I’m a salesman, I make the money for this company,” whined Jean. Then he turned and looked at me, giving me the sideways glance that made me feel like a worm ever since I was a child. “Maybe we should give it to Zack; he was Dad’s favorite after all.” Matthew’s eyes narrowed.

“Zack did get the largest share of the company. Dad probably wanted him to sit here.” My brothers leave the room before I even get the opportunity to defend myself. Not that I ever really wanted to do that. My brothers had faults, just like any other person. Unfortunately, I never knew the extent.

Thrown to the Edge

If Rania had known that a day like this would come, she would have taken her own life. Most days still seemed like a horrible dream which she couldn’t wait to wake up from, but with every single smell of rotten human flesh that hit her nose, she became even more aware that she was alive, living in a time when the world tumbled upside down.
Rania was not one who believed in the existence of a god. In those good old days, her friends gave up their attempts to prove to her that there was a god. And right now, seeing the way people were dying like their lives meant a little less than that of a fowl, she wished she could see her friends Seth, Rashida and Kamilah, so she could look them in the face and ask them where their god was. It was either that their god was asleep or  had abandoned everyone who believed in him.