After Therapy (Sabine)

May 4, 2023May 6, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ 1 Comment

After therapy, I follow Dr. Sims’ advice and take myself out on a date.

“Ask yourself why you choose to live in fantasy,” her words echo.

When the waiter comes to take my order, he asks if anyone will be joining.

I consider saying yes, but more pathetic than eating at a restaurant alone is being stood up by a date who doesn’t exist. And it doesn’t cure my ADHD—attention-deficit/hyperactive daydreaming.

Okay, that’s not a real diagnosis, but it was enough to get me an appointment with Dr. Sims.

And, as the waiter sits across from me, possibly…a date?

Previous: Back in Therapy (Hannah)

It’s StoryADay May! I’m not promising that I will write a story every day this month, but I’m going to try. Today’s prompt is simply to write a 100-word story. I had another story in mind for my Therapy Sessions series, but that one is much longer than 100 words. Maybe I’ll post it tomorrow or at a later date. For now, say hello to our newest character, Sabine!

Caught in the Wind (Conclusion)

February 14, 2023February 13, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ 2 Comments

Continued from Sunset Motel…

I still want a baby.

As we lie in bed, day three of our weekend romp, I think to ask for his sperm, for both our sakes, but my voice is caught in the wind blowing through the open window.

He rolls to his side. “I think I love you.”

We both know it’s a lie, but it feels right for the moment.

I lean in, kiss him, and he inserts himself into me one last time.

word count: 77

And that’s the end! I hope you guys enjoyed my Valentine’s Day serial. It probably wasn’t the love story you were expecting, but when have I ever been known to give you basic “boy likes girl” love stories? To read from the beginning, click here: Group Therapy (Part 1).

Sunset Motel (Part 6)

February 13, 2023February 12, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

Continued from Marriage Counseling…

It was never my house. I suppose I don’t miss it. But to be locked out with only the clothes on my back and change in my purse seems cruel.

Group therapy at one; I tell them my husband and I have separated. They promise me reconciliation, but across the refreshments table, I meet his gaze.

Sunset Motel, where lovers rendezvous in secret, is a block away from the church basement.

I’m already naked when he arrives.

word count: 77
Up Next: Part 7 (Conclusion) – Caught in the Wind

In addition to being Black History Month, February is also the month of love. ❤ So to count down to Valentine’s Day, the one holiday I love to hate, I’ve decided to repost my Group Therapy series. It’s a story about two grieving parents who find love in the unlikeliest of places. I hope you enjoy.

Note: The link for part 7 will work when the post is published tomorrow.

Marriage Counseling (Part 5)

February 12, 2023February 12, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

Continued from Testing the Waters…

“Before this affair, would you call your marriage a happy one?”

“Yes—”

“No—”

We speak in unison.

Overcrowded bookshelves line the walls on either side of me. Dr. Liam’s mahogany desk and matching floor make the office appear dim. Mood lighting to fix our broken vows.

Behind me, my husband paces back and forth. He wants to file for divorce. He doesn’t have the right.

“We live like brother and sister, but I have needs.”

word count: 77
Up Next: Part 6 – Sunset Motel

Note: The link for part 6 will work when the post is published tomorrow.

Testing the Waters (Part 4)

February 11, 2023February 12, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

Continued from Empty Mansion…

I’m over-eager. I want too much. My body is not yet emptied of him before I’m crouched over the toilet, balancing the rod underneath my stream.

I wait one agonizing minute for the absence of parallel lines to tell me not so.

I don’t notice my husband watching at the door, home from his business trip.

Too late I drop the test between my legs, and with a splash, my fruitless efforts splatter my naked bottom.

word count: 77
Up Next: Part 5 — Marriage Counseling

Note: The link for part 5 will work when the post is published tomorrow.

Empty Mansion (Part 3)

February 10, 2023February 10, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

Continued from Sweet Shop…

He’s intimidated by the size of my house. Seventeen rooms and not a single child to tuck in at night, to chase down the hollow halls echoing with laughter.

He pauses at the entrance to the gardens, caresses vines wrapped around the wrought-iron gate. “I guess I’m your overworked, sexy Latin landscaper.”

“But not underpaid.”

We don’t make it inside. On the wooden bench, surrounded by azalea blossoms, he pricks me within, and my frozen interior bursts.

word count: 77
Up Next: Part 4 – Testing the Waters

Note: The link for part 4 will work when the post is published tomorrow.

Sweet Shop (Part 2)

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ 3 Comments

Continued from Group Therapy…

We meet in the café on the riverfront. He devours his slice of apple pie, and I am tempted to lick the crumbs from the corners of his mouth.

“I was driving,” he recounts. “Left without a scratch.”

“Do you ever want another?” I think about my husband, away on business. We’ve been married ten years and I still know not what he does.

He stares, then nods.

“Come home with me.”

My bed is so cold.

word count: 77
Up Next: Part 3 – Empty Mansion

Note: The link for part 3 will work when the post is published tomorrow.

Group Therapy (Part 1)

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

“I’m 37 years old, and I want to have a baby.”

And my husband hasn’t touched me in seven months, but I fear appearing selfish in front of these underprivileged who’ve lost children to leukemia, car seats not strapped in.

“My wife and daughter died in a crash with a semi,” says the widower whose fingers I brushed at the refreshments table, we both going for the same blueberry scone.

I’m not uncaring, but his eyes are tantalizing.

word count: 77
Up Next: Part 2 – Sweet Shop

In addition to being Black History Month, February is also the month of love. ❤ So to count down to Valentine’s Day, the one holiday I love to hate, I’ve decided to repost my Group Therapy micro fiction series. It’s a story about two grieving parents who find love in the unlikeliest of places. I hope you enjoy.

Note: The link for part 2 will work when the post is published tomorrow.

Bloganuary Day 24

January 24, 2023January 24, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

A Loving Meal: A 100-Word Story

“I cooked you something.”

He stares at me as though I’ve just said I ran over the neighbor’s cat.

“Why do you look so nervous? Have a seat. Relax.”

Doesn’t he know I cook to show my love?

I sit him down in a chair in front of a plate of sweet and spicy chicken.

Although, I also cook to show my anger—a trait I inherited from my mother, whose final meal for my father sent him to the morgue with shards of glass lodged in his throat.

But I’m not that angry, my love. Not today.

“Bon appétit.”

Bloganuary Day 20

January 20, 2023 ~ Nortina S. ~ Leave a comment

Beer-Battered: A Nano Story

“The neighbors are fighting again,” I say as a slam against the wall causes me to drop the saltshaker into the sizzling frying pan.

“They could be killing a roach,” says my husband, who sits at the kitchen table. He clicks something on his laptop and gasps.

“What!” I shriek. “Do you see a roach?”

“They want $1600 for a one-bedroom. These are two-bedroom prices!”

I put a hand to my chest to calm my racing heart and carefully pluck the plastic saltshaker from the popping oil. Half of it is melted. The fish is probably ruined.

Another bang, followed by a muffled “Fuck you!” Whoosh goes the oil.

“Goddammit!”

“Should I order a pizza?” my husband asks.

“How soon can we move into that $1600 apartment?”

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A Loving Meal: A 100-Word Story

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Beer-Battered: A Nano Story

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