So Many Roads

It's overwhelming to think about all the different career paths I can take with my degree. It's a good thing and a bad thing. Right now I have a couple of ideas; advertising, copy writing or screen writing. I'm also still hoping to become a NY Times Bestseller. That desire will never die. As for my day job, one of the above I think I will be happy doing.
As a recent graduate...not sure when that tittle will no longer apply to me, I am taking it day by day trying not to get discouraged. I have my whole life ahead of me and its ok not to have all the answers. I think one of my biggest problems is that my close friends have full time jobs. Granted, most don't like it but they have one. Meanwhile, I hopping around with two jobs and a volunteer position. But I am blessed and I pray I never forget that. All of those positions I have can potentially lead me to a full time or at least something that will allow me to use my passion of writing. One actually lets me use two of my passions so I am grateful. I hate that I never seem to be happy long.
On a happy note, I love this quote from Bill Cosby, "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."
He is spot on! I don't think I'm afraid of failure but I am afraid of life since I don't know for sure what I want to do. It will come in time, I just need to stop fretting.

Deafness

My goals are somewhat different than most people. When I tell people what I want to do down the road, I hear, "Make way for Mother Teressa!" It's a good feeling, don't get me wrong. Having a hearing loss made me appreciate even more what my teachers have done for me growing up. If it weren't for them, I don't think I would be the person who I am today. If my family hadn't encouraged me to do the things that I love, I wouldn't have made it this far. So I want to give back which is why I want, someday, to become a Writing teacher for the Deaf. At this point, I'm thinking high school but, many people have told me it can be quite difficult. I have tried teaching elementary and it was terrible. So maybe I will shoot for the middle. The couple of times I was able to be an assistant to 5-6th graders, I really liked it. Sometimes they were hard to control, but they listened a lot better than the elementary.
In the meantime, I want to write about deafness and Deaf culture. I recently wrote a novella which I hope to publish someday. I still have some things I want to work out in the last few chapters, but other than that I think it is ready to be viewed by a publisher. I do hope it becomes a book or maybe put into a magazine in parts. Who knows, but I do know that I will keep on writing and submitting until my dreams come true.

What does my future look like?

This is the big question. Everyone asks this at some point in their life. I ask this because so many people have told me, "You will do great things someday." I honestly believed that and am still holding onto that. Even if I never become a NY Times Bestseller, I still want to make my mark in this world. If I do become a teacher for the Deaf, I know that that will impact others in ways I can't imagine. I know that the teachers I had growing up helped mold me into the person and writer that I am today. If I didn't have the encouragement and people pushing me to be better, I probably would have skated through school and not gotten into a top school like Ithaca. I want others to never hear the words, "You can't."
"My future looks so bright, I need shades," is a quote from a shirt I saw back in middle school. I can only pray that that is true.

Georgia Time

Honestly the first word that comes to mind is....HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate humid weather. Savannah, GA has way too much of it. This is my first time being this far south, unless you count Disney World. So far Savannah has a lot of food and slow walking tourists.
The conference, the real reason why we are sweating it out, has yet to make a mark on us students. We are here to not only promote and represent Ithaca College, our Alma Mater, but to inform others from different colleges across the nation about our research on e-portfolios. We are diligently working on our presentations and slideshows for tomorrow about our experiences and what our recommendations are.
I'm slightly excited to see how this goes but also extremely nervous. It will be a great experience, that I know for sure.

Quotes

Here is an inspirational quote I found recently on lifehack.org. I am really starting to enjoy this site. There are so many neat and eye-opening articles like "6 Worthless Exercises You Probably Do" and "Let Your Man Be A Man." Anyways this quote I want to share is by Albert Einstein, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." This is so true and inspirational for me because I feel like I am not moving. So many things have gone wrong, mistakes I made in cover letters or link addresses. I know I am not perfect, but lately I seem to feel I must sell myself like I am in order for someone to hire me. Part of my frustration seems to be the fact that I am still living at home. I honestly can't wait to move out on my own. I realize that it comes with it's huge set of responsibilities and hardships, but I'd rather push myself than sit around applying for jobs and doing errands. As Einstein said, I must keep going and never give up. This quote made me smile and I am going to keep on smiling inside even if I get yet another rejection. Plus, I know God has a plan for me.

Another quote I have to share but came from a less prominent person is, "Love is like a butterfly. If you hold it to close, you will crush it. If you hold it with an open hand, it will fly away." You need to hold it in a way that it will stay with you. I've been in love only once before and I feel like I might fall again. I don't want to squelch his desire or drive him away. My goal is to hold the relationship we have close but not in such a way that I overwhelm him. We shall see how this works. BTW I got this quote off of "The Bachelorette," TV show.

Looking Back

Can't believe its been a month already since I graduated. Though, I am still waiting for my REAL diploma to get here!!! I have the cover and a piece of paper that say's congrats from the Dean, but it won't feel real until I receive that. Really can't wait to start doing something. My butt is killing me! I remember all of the good times and the sad times I have had throughout the four years at Ithaca. I miss my friends, my home away from home and professors. I have been offered a job as a sign language interpreter...we shall see how that goes :) Soon, hopefully, I will also be starting a part time job at Macy's. It will just be until I figure out what type of job I want and/or who hires me first for full time. Doing something is better than nothing.

The Famous Waiting Game

I never was fond of waiting. These next couple months until I land a big girl job will be hard. I'm not the type that likes to sit around doing nothing. Being active is my game. Probably why I play soccer, basketball and bike around. I like trying out new sports too like softball and field hockey or anything that involves running. Personally, soccer will always have my heart.
Been sending cover letter after cover letter. My eyes are tired of perusing job listings everywhere from the newspaper to LinkedIn to nycreativeinterns.com. So many job sites I try to remember to check. I have found a great number of jobs I think I am qualified to do. Who knows which company will finally see my qualifications as something that they need? Who knows who will be willing to give me a try? CBS? Story? Limited Brands? Fox? Time Out New York? I can't wait to find out :D

Relocating

This is both scary and exhilarating! I think it would be awesome to live in LA or SF or even Houston, TX. I am willing to move to wherever my new job takes me. Granted, those who know me, will laugh when I say I prefer to move south or southwest of my hometown Windsor, CT. I picked Ithaca College because of its phenomenal writing program and its Deaf Studies minor. Now, I love Ithaca -- in the spring -- which is usually two weeks before finals if not later. Moving to Alabama...I'm on edge about only because my neighbor is from there and so many times I have no idea what she is saying. The accent...I'm not sure I can deal with, but if the job leads me there, that is where I shall go. I refuse to turn now an awesome opportunity to work for a good magazine or advertising company simply because of its location. Which is why I am not being picky about where the jobs are located. I have even applied to jobs in London, Seattle, Chicago and Wisconsin. I do have friends in Seattle so it shouldn't be too much of an issue seeking them out to show me around. All of this, no matter where I go, I know will be nerve-wreaking, but I have God on my side and I know He will never leave me. Plus I have my Yoda poster :D

Fashion - Another side of me

I used to say that I hated fashion, but over the course of the last two years or so I began to realize I am somewhat of a fashionista. I don't always follow fads, but instead I like to design jewelry and clothes. Just a few days ago, I painted a shirt. I bought spray paint, but it didn't spray very well so I decided to take out my paintbrushes and not let the paint go to waste. I mentioned I do jewelry, this includes beading necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Recently, curtsey of my cousin Darious, I love make jewelry out of shrink film. For those of you who don't know what that is I highly recommend you Google it. It's so easy, all you do is draw your design on the shrink film, cut it out, put it in the oven, let it cool then put the pieces together to make a necklace or whatever you choose.
Fashion is so much fun to play around with and to see a work of art when I am done brings a smile to my light pink lips. I get so excited when I am in the craft section of Walmart or browsing through Michael's because there are so many different things I want to try. Every year I find something else to try. I've done stain-glass, candle making, pillow making, latch-hook, stitching patches on backpacks, making bags out of old jeans, painting jeans and t-shirts, scrap-booking and so many craft things on the computer via shutterfly or various computer programs like DVD design. I know I will never run out of ideas or crafts to try at stores because my creativity is sky-high. No one can touch it.

A nightmare I had

Running                                                                                                                                                               Ruth Jackson

Gasping for breath, her chest heaving with every stride, a young girl looks for an escape route. Her brown hair streaked with maroon swishing back and forth as she dashes through the halls of Penn Station in New York City.

A man twice her age tried to charm her on the train ride from Boston. She first ignored him, but he kept talking to her, so she finally gave in and attempted to make small talk with him. The conversation abruptly ended when he asked for her phone number. She gently told him that he was too old for her. That’s when the man’s demeanor changed altogether. Instead of just what seemed like a bored old man looking for some conversation, he turned into a man on a mission for a mistress. He had confided in her that he had left his wife of fifteen years a couple months ago. He had finally got a job in New York and was moving there hence the reason he was on the train. When she told him she wasn’t interested he grabbed her arm with such force she could feel his fingers touching her radius. She wanted to scream but was too scared. She never liked to make a scene but this time she may just have to. The man’s eyes had become fierce and dark almost like a wolf. She honestly didn’t know what to do.

I wish I had mace 

But she doesn’t. All she can do is pray. Now, she is running for her life. The halls of Penn Station are dim and empty.

It was almost midnight when the train finally rumbled into the station. There was no one to help her; no one to save her from this mad man. She could hear him charging through the halls behind her. She looked back as she turned yet another corner in the maze and saw nothing. She knew she wasn’t safe until she got home. It had been so long since she was in Penn Station she couldn’t remember how to get to the street.

Of course I had to tell my parents that I can get myself home

So there was no one to pick her up. No one would be waiting for her in Penn Station. She was on her own.

Good thing I’m wearing my sneakers

Not even a minute later, after that thought crossed her mind, she tripped down the stairs and landed with a thud right on her behind. She stifled whimper and forced her threatening tears to stay in her tear ducts instead of dripping down her sweaty face. Quickly she re-tied her sneakers and wiped her dirty face.

Her arm is a still a bit red from when the man grabbed her. She can still feel the burn on her forehead from when he hit her. Her roots are also screaming at her from when he yanked.

Gathering her duffel bag and purse she sets off running again. She wishes with all her might that a train conductor or office employees are still around. Again, she looked back. Now, she couldn’t even hear him. She slows down to a fast trot, still on edge, looking for the streets of New York, so she can disappear from this awful nightmare. She sniffled again and wiped her nose on her sleeve.

All of a sudden she hears a loud yell. It’s that man, he found her again. This time his eyes are round, as big as half dollars. Sweat is dripping down causing sweat patches on his polo shirt. He reminds her of an angry bull; a very angry one. She hastily turns on her heel and sprints toward the nearest door.

I have to get out of here!

 She rams her body into it, but it is locked. Panicked, she tries the next door and the next. None would open. Finally, the last door opens, but instead of the street, it leads to stairs leading upward. She takes them two, three at a time. As soon as she gets to the next floor, she hears the doors downstairs slam open, hitting the wall with a crash. She continues to run through more hallways and comes to a lobby area with seats.

“Casey!”

She turns startled. There in the half light stands her best friend, Tyrell. He smiled at her, but eyebrows furrow when he realized her state.

“What’s going on?”

They heard a crash from down the hallway and Casey ran toward Tyrell pulling him down to the floor behind the plastic seats. She covers his mouth with her hand.

“Shhhh!”

They listen in silence. Within a few moments of intense listening on their part, the man comes galloping into the room. He doesn’t even stop, but instead continues to run through another set of doors out of sight. The silence returns. After counting to fifty, the twosome stand up slowly staring at the doors the man ran through moments before. After what seems like an eternity, Casey breathes a sigh of relief. She then turns and gives Tyrell a huge bear hug and hangs on tight as if she might never let go.

“Thank you!”

Tyrell smiles and waits for her to pull away before asking, “So, who was that guy?”

“Can I tell you in the car? I just need to get home.”

Casey’s breathing slowly goes back to normal. Her face turning back to its original color as relaxes.

“No problem.”

He picks up her duffel bag, puts a comforting arm around her and they head out.

I didnt actually dream after the part where I fell. I used my imagination while awake to finish it.
I might come up with a better ending later if I want to publish this at some point....

Post Graduation

I've been meaning to write something about my recent promotion in life. Graduation was an awesome day, I have to say. I was super nervous the night before and the morning of, but when the procession started, I felt like dancing. Our school song, Ithaca Forever, was playing and I had one my good friends, DJ, walking beside me. The sky was dismal at first and I did feel a raindrop but by the time everyone was seated and the 118th Ithaca College Commencement began, the sun was beginning to show it actually exists. My family was there of course including my two cousins from NYC, my two aunts and my parents and younger sister. Sadly, I didn't get the chance to get pictures with every single one of my friends, if I did that would certainly be a huge accomplishment.
Now that I am home, I am still searching for jobs. Yay! I'm excited to start my first real job. Granted, I will miss only working part-time, but I know that this next step in my life will be rewarding. I know that I have been trained and well educated by both the institution that I chose and my family. I know that God is looking down on me and smiling despite the crazy paths I took along the way. I made it and I can't wait to see what is next.
I hope to continue to write in my spare time though from what I've heard, I may not have a whole lot of free time while working at a publishing house or magazine, but nonetheless I do not want to give up on my passion of becoming a bestselling writer. It would be amazing if I could live off of writing novels, but alas that will certainly not be the case at least not until I am famous like Anthony Horowitz, my favorite author.
Until then, I will continue to write poetry and stories from my well of imagination and huge heart.

Hard times

Only a little more than a month to go before graduation. Am I ready? I don't think so. I pray that I will get a job offer soon. I'm not a patient person and I can't afford to think about my future too much since I have so much going on in the present. I wrote a piece about how I feel. So much drama in my life and things haven't been going right these last few weeks. I am not the type to give up on things but it's been really hard keeping everything on track. Enjoy!

My shoes are soaked, my pants are soaked, my shirt is soaked and my hair is soaked. Everything I am wearing is wetter than an ocean. My thick black hair is clinging to my face. I am sure I look hideous but I’m not in the mood to care. I can hear the squishing sounds that my shoes are making against the pavement. I bet I could put fish in my shoes and they would be fine.

I look up at the night sky and no stars are in sight. I’ve been walking for hours and I can’t tell the difference anymore between my tears and the rain. I wipe my face for the eighth time. I swallow and sigh. I can’t go back, I just can’t. I keep walking down the long street. I can’t see the streetlights in the mist of the sheets of rain pelting down. I kick the huge deep puddles. The spray of water goes everywhere making my already wet clothes, wetter.

No cars drive past me. There aren’t any people trying desperately to get out of the rain. Not even birds. I can’t even see the moon. I’m all alone on this long stretch of road. I see a worm on the sidewalk lying still. It looks like it’s dead so I crouch down to take a closer look. There are no other worms around as far as I can see. I touch it. The worm doesn’t move. I am like this worm. Alone; no one cares about it. Maybe depressed, maybe dead. It can’t do anything about its circumstances. I’m tempted to put it into my pocket but decide against it when I think of the mess it would leave. Instead I decide to bring it to a safer place. I carefully pick it up and put into the grass where no one can step on it and no bird can feast on it. I step away and smile. I wish someone cared enough about me to put me in a safe place. Sadly, no one is even looking for me.

I continue walking down the street. My heart is heavy and my eyes well up with tears again. I force the tears back in and sniffle. I will not cry. I tell myself this over and over again. Their faces mock me. I push them out of my head only for them to creep into my brain yet again. I want to scream but I control myself. I’m not insane. I’m not crazy. I don’t have schizophrenia.

I could use a real friend right now but I don’t have any. Not one. They all left me. Not even a goodbye was said. No apologies either. All I want are people who love and care about me. Is that too much to ask? I have no one not even my dog seemed to be sad when I left. I guess I was meant to be alone. Not sure if I like it though. Despite my feelings, I’m not going back, not ever.

Mini Restaurant Review

I really liked the assignment for today in my Food Writing class. I think I did a pretty good job describing one of my all time favorite foods at a restaurant near my college.

The most amazing pieces of meat on the planet reside in Wings over Ithaca. I don't eat much meat to begin with so when I decide that today is going to be my meat day, I order from Wings Over Ithaca. It's funny, growing up I was never into eating chicken wings. Then my whole world changed in a blink of an eye. I can't get enough of them.
When you pick one up it looks golden brown like an awesome wing should and the smell....oh.....my....lands. You can just imagine your tounge gracing itself over the smooth/ rough surface of the wing. The glaze of the honey bbq is just divine. You take a bite and bursts of sweetness and hotness enters your mouth and into your nostrils. When you pull away to chew and swallow already your tongue is begging for more. It tastes so good. You honestly can't leave Ithaca without trying a wing from Wings over Ithaca.

I'm really glad this restaurant isn't just native to Ithaca but all over :D

Half way through the semester of senior year!

Should I be scared or worried or excited? How about all three! I'm still writing furiously trying to get my novel to be somewhat finished by the end of the semester. I will probably end up writing more during the summer just to please my inner writer. I have decided to turn my book into two parts. One will be the growing up part called Learning Process. The second will be about the meet. Meaning at some point my characters will meet I just haven't figured out when or how.
Here is another section of my book. Still in part one.

Spokane, Washington

“Now what?!” Sharon’s tears haven’t subsided during the couple’s hour long conversation. It took Luke awhile to get Sharon to even look at him at the beginning of the conversation but now she was huddled in his lap. Luke’s throat closes at a loss for words. Again and again his mouth opens but no words escape his tight esophagus.

“How did this happen? Did I do something that caused this!”

“No, honey, don’t think like that. Dr. Burns told us that sometimes things like this happen with no explanation”. He rubbed his hands up and down her back. She curled up against his chest sobbing. Luke tenderly held both his wife and little Jamie. He let a tear fall down his face but then wiped it away before it hits the sleeping child. “We love you” he whispers to her. After a few minutes, Sharon pulls away, fixes her hair and wipes her tear stains.

“Ok”, she says taking in a long breath. “We can do this, right?” she turns to Luke for comforting words. “Oh course, baby. We can do anything as long as we are together”.

Sharon takes a deep long look into her husband’s sparkling green eyes that she loves so much. She can’t believe she ever doubted him, the love of her life. Jason had proven himself to her a million times even through the many miscarriages.

“Did I tell you how much I love you?” she asks not bothering to hide her smile.

“Ummm, not really”.

She punches him slightly hard in the shoulder. “You know I’m kidding”. With a huff, she shakes her head. “So… who should we talk to about this?”

“Well, Dr. Burns gave me these” he shows her the pamphlets about cochlear implants. “They talk about putting a metal disk inside the child’s skull in order to provide hearing and…”  “Surgery!? No one is going to stick a metal disk into my child’s head!” Sharon yells out causing Jamie to stir in her arms. Sharon stops moving and waits until Jamie is still.

“We are not giving her a cochlear implant. We can’t” she whispers urgently.

“I’m not a fan either. What if…what if we learn American Sign Language?” Luke suggests.

“It’s probably hard”.

“We won’t know if it’s hard until we try it but I think we should do whatever it takes to make Jamie happy” says Luke watching her reaction. Sharon sighs quite loudly. Sharon’s mind races with doubts. She looks at her daughter and gives a smaller sigh.

 “I hate it when you’re right…but yea, we should be thinking about her needs before ours”.

“Why are you agitated with me?” Luke asks confused by his wife’s apparent attitude.

“Our child is Deaf! Do you really understand that?” she asks throwing her hands up in the air.

“Yes, I understand that but it’s not the end of the world. We just need to work together and not get too emotional about it”. Luke says trying his best to stay calm. “It says here in this that they suggest seeing an audiologist. Maybe he will give us better insight”.

Sharon looks at him twitching her lips in thought. She begins to realize he does have a point. Sharon was never good at admitting someone else was right.

After a minute of silence she nods and says, “Yea, alright we can ask Dr. Burns when he comes back to see if he has a recommendation”. She gives a tight smile. “I’m sorry I’m so…” She struggles to come up with the right words, “So annoying. It’s just that…I’m scared. What if I’m not a good mother? What if we can’t learn ASL? What if…” Her tears start to fall faster than before. “Sweetie” Luke says tenderly as he gathers her into his lap. “We need to focus on the silver lining of this situation. After years of trying, we have finally been blessed with a child. That alone should make you the happiest woman on Earth”. Sharon looks up and smiles and gives her husband a passionate kiss. All three of the Leighton’s are curled up inside one another. “I love you” Luke says. “I love you too and you” Sharon says turning toward Jamie. Luke inhales Sharon’s scent and asks, “You feeling better now?”

“Yea, I’m so glad I married you”

“Me too” They both huddle around little Jamie until a knock came at the door.

“Come in!” says Luke getting up from the bed and settling into a chair. Dr. Burns walks in and greets them all.

“How is little Jamie doing?”

“Good, thank you so much. We did have a question for you Dr. Burns”.

“Sure, what can I help you with?”

“Who should we see about helping Jamie? This suggests seeing an audiologist. You know what you could recommend to us?” Dr. Burns nods then takes out a pad of paper and a shiny pen from his coat breast pocket. “Go see Dr. Loiseau at the Spokane Audiology Clinic. I’m writing down his phone number too. We actually went to high school together. Amazing we are still in touch”. He hands the paper to Luke. “Thank you so much” Luke says giving Dr. Burns a firm handshake. “Good bye Sharon, Luke and Jamie” he smiles as he starts for the door but before he leaves he turns and says, “A nurse will be by shortly to escort you to your car. You’re officially released. Have a safe drive home”. He closes the door firmly behind him. 

This is a really emotional time for Sharon and Luke. I'm hoping the tension comes out in this well enough.

Scared out of my mind!!

As graduation approaches I am more and more intimated by the amount of computer and writing skills I don't know. I love learning new things I am just worried I there will be something an employer is looking for and it's the one skill I don't have or am not proficient as they would like.
Writing is something I enjoy immensely and I dont want to stop writing just because I'm afraid I might not be good enough. I need to stand strong and be confident that I was prepared well at Ithaca College and throughout my schooling as a growing writer. My dream is to have a book I write on the New York Times Bestseller list. Maybe even have a book turn into a movie. I have been told that my stories are cinematic. Passion is what I have that is what I can bring to the company I eventually end up working for where ever that may be.

Senior Project

I am writing my senior project on deaf culture. I have been involved with American Sign Language since high school and recently decided to pursue an interest in becoming a tutor or teacher of English to Deaf high school students.
This is the first chapter of my story,


Chapter 1 – It’s time
Spokane, Washington
“Honey, it’s time!” Sharon’s gasping voice cries out into the dark bedroom. The man next to her, the husband, doesn’t move. Sharon breathes in and out several times before trying to raise him again. Oh, why does pregnancy have to hurt so much?! “HONEY!” Louder this time and she tries to shake him but can barely muster the strength to move his muscled arm. Her eyes start to mist because of the pain. He shifts his body away from her. She starts to feel the pain more intensely now and growing desperate. Breathing slowly and evenly, she tries to get out of bed on her own. She can do this. She just has to breathe.
She rocks herself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. One leg is hanging over the side and the other is still on the bed. She lays back down again, exhausted. Sweat is starting to form on her already pale forehead. Sharon turns her head toward her still sleeping husband and tries yet again to wake him up. She wasn’t going to let him miss the birth of his first child.
She takes in a huge breath and pushes him hard as she could. He not only moves but rolls completely off the bed. He springs up and looks at his wife franticly trying to figure out what was going on. Sharon’s face is ashen. A whimper like a lost puppy dog in the rain makes. He knew exactly what was happening. His eyes widen just before he leaps over the bed to his wife’s side to help her up. They start to walk slowly to the door. Luke leans his wife onto the wall and disappears into the bathroom. He comes back in a couple seconds with a wet warm wash cloth and put it over her forehead. “Feeling better, Sharon?” She turns her head up to meet his eyes and grits her teeth to prevent herself from screaming at him. She can’t believe he just asked her that question.
 He swallowed hard in guilt. Not looking at her face, they continue out of the house to go to the hospital. “Thanks” she offers him a weak smile as he puts the car in drive. They hold hands as he maneuvers the Honda out onto the road.
New York City
A brightly lit apartment building looks quiet as everyone is soundly sleeping all except the fairly young doorman and a young couple who are really pregnant. The doorman sees the couple rushing from the elevators through the lobby and holds the door open for them. I hurriedly sign, “James, get us a cab quick!” James, the doorman, pulls out his taxi whistle and gives it a long blow. Almost immediately a cab stops at the curb. The couple rush in all the while the wife, Christina, is breathing in and out rapidly. “Slowly!” Mr. Akron sign trying to be gentle. He loves her so much and knows deep down she can do this. He silently cheers her on. With a wave from James, the taxi pulls away toward the New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Spokane, Washington
Sharon and her husband make it to the Valley Hospital emergency room in a state of mass confusion. There were signs everywhere, nurses running around while reading folders and patients on gurneys being pushed every which way. Every muscle in her body, those she knows she has those she doesn’t know about, hurt so very painfully. When her mother told her about giving birth, she must have downplayed it because this was way worse than anything Sharon had experienced.
The couple was unsure which direction to turn until the husband saw a desk down a short hallway with a nurse stationed there. They galloped to the desk out of breath, beads of sweat coming down both their foreheads. “My wife’s pain is about five minutes apart”, he spews out to the red headed nurse. He looks to her for confirmation and she nods holding the wash cloth in place. Sharon wanted to scream, “Hurry up for crying out loud!” but held her tongue. She was sure her vocal cords weren’t working anyways.
“Alright, then I will put your information into the computer and a doctor will be with you momentarily. What is your name?” The nurse motions for another nurse to get a wheelchair for the wife. “Luke and Sharon Leighton” While Luke talks with the nurse a doctor comes over and briefly examines Sharon asking questions about her pain.
Within a few minutes the doctor comes and ushers them into a birthing room. Sharon’s face is slowly becoming pink and her hands clammy. Luke kisses her forehead and cheek gently trying desperately not to look as scared as he felt. She knows that her loving husband will become just as good a father as he is a husband to her. Sharon only hopes she has the strength to give him the child he has longed for.
To take their minds off the moment and the pain, Luke says, “So we never agreed on a name for the baby you know” he smiled at her.
“True” she gave a little breathy laugh. “I really want Jamie for a girl but I could settle for Kelly…”
“No, I don’t want you to settle. She or he will be our kid. I like the name Jamie”. He rubbed her hand. “And for a boy?” she asks trying not to show her pain. “Well, you hated all my ideas from the moment we started trying” Luke says trying not to let his anxiety get the best of him. They both go silent for a while. He really had to bring that up? Luke sighs and says, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say it like that. I’m really happy that we finally are going to have a child”. Does he blame me? “I just want to give you the child you’ve always wanted!” tears escaped her eyes down her cheeks. She sniffles a little. Luke grabs the box of tissues and hands them to her. She blows her nose while Luke wipes her face with the back of his hand.
The tender moment brakes when Sharon lets out a half scream. Luke scrambled to get to his feet causing the chair to fall to the floor with a bang. Luke presses the red button to summon a nurse. A second later a nurse runs into the room. Before she could open her mouth, Luke says frantically, “The baby is coming! Where’s the doctor?”
“I’ll get him. Your doctor just arrived”.
She scampers out the door and within a few seconds their doctor, Dr. Burns came in. He checks her over then told the nurse to get some things then turns to Sharon, “Ok, all you need to do is push”.
“I’ll be right here for you, Sharon”. Luke’s breathing starts to get heavier and faster as Sharon’s breathing escalates. Sharon watches Luke’s face to get a glimpse of what was running through him mind. The nurse sees the exchange and says to Mr. Leighton, “You can wait outside if you would like to, sir”. Part of him wanted to run but the other part told him to stay put. “No, no. My wife needs me” he says finally. Sharon’s face relaxes as she focuses her energy on getting the baby out.
Fifteen gruelling hours later, a spotted pink baby popped out from under the crimson sheets. Both Luck and Sharon eyes were misty as their eyes took in their first born child. The nurse picks up the baby and takes her away to be tested. Sharon wants to grab her child from the nurse but steadies herself knowing full well that her baby was in careful hands.
“We will be back in a jiffy” she says with a smile.
 “Our first child is so beautiful and so precious”, Luke says squeezing her hand. Sharon nodded her eyes filled with tears. “Our Jamie”.

There will be more soon. Always a work in progress. Most likely this will end up being a novel. Haven't really figured out how I want to end it but it should be exciting.