Janice Newman honored with a National Finalist Award in Cross Genre Competition by the National League of American Pen Women

Vicious Cycle

This birthday girl’s gazing out the window watching friends leave, while wanting them back to redo the day.

She became so anxious while awaiting the party, that when it finally arrived, she became a bystander watching everyone else have fun.

She didn’t play any of the games, and even struggled to blow out the candles on her cake.

Now deflated, like the leftover balloons strewn across the floor, she’s wishing for another chance, a way to rid herself of regrets before she begins to worry about what comes next.

What Mothers Do

He asked to invite a few friends to his birthday, the only problem being he didn’t really have friends, just two neighborhood kids who rarely asked him to play. Hoping to entice them, and that the situation might change if they had fun, he chose to celebrate at an amusement park.

Though his mother knew he was frightened of rides, she also knew how he longed to fit in and reluctantly agreed to the wishful plan.

He was ecstatic when the invitations were accepted.

On the trip to the park all three sat together in the backseat laughing and elbowing each other while telling silly jokes. When she looked in the rear view mirror what she saw made her smile.

But upon entering the park, the other two stood together excitedly discussing which ride to do first, while hers stood apart and close by her side. They were right in front of the fearsome Zipper ride when she noticed him holding back tears. While the other boys couldn’t wait to go on, hers was hopelessly trying to look overjoyed.

She’d always done her best to avoid amusement parks. As a child, unlike her siblings and friends, she’d never understood the thrill of roller-coasters and spinning teacups, and would forever be a merry-go-round girl. Now as an adult who suffered from vertigo she was finally free of expectations and explanations and could enjoy her cotton candy in peace, but the moment those kids furtively glanced at her boy she forced a smile, grabbed his arm and led them all to the ride so quickly, that before he could resist, they were buckled in, spinning and screaming as if it would never end. When it finally did, to his mother’s delight, he jumped right out and playfully ran around with the other boys.

Now a pale greyish green, she stumbled and swayed back and forth while slowly making her way to a nearby bench. Though she was off-balance, queasy and dizzy for days her son was now playing outside with his friends, and she’d do it all over again.