Sister’s Visit Reveals Doorway to New Life
My sister, Jean, appeared at my door, making no effort to come inside. She wanted my advice about whether she should relocate. A move would…
Author: Vanessa Gallman
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Teacher’s Joke Led to Shame, Multiplied
My seventh-grade math teacher was bad at his job, filling most of class time with jokes and wisecracks aimed at students. As one of his…
A Lesson in Failure: It’s How You Measure It
When I was in my late 20s, I signed up for a one-day bus trip to the North Carolina mountains to get basic skiing lessons.…
Triangle of Bonds: Dad, Mom and Dad’s Wife
“Who’s your daddy?” The church lady loomed vulture-like, with bright red lipstick on smirking lips and teeth; chin hairs poked from cracks in two-shades-too-light makeup.…
The Day Someone Died in My Place
On a fall afternoon in 1976, residents of a downtown Charlotte, N.C., neighborhood and students at a nearby school watched a 10-story hot-air balloon float…
Keisha Finds Her Voice
Winding down the crowded hall to class, Keisha got stuck behind two girls her teacher had chosen to decorate the classroom for Spring. “I put…