The Right Place at the Right Time

“Mario,” the young man glared at himself in the bedroom mirror he just woke up to. “You are gonna get some you sexy beast.” After years of watching endless amounts of movies about the life of the average college student, you know where an ambiance of beer and girls is abundant and around every corner, he was sure he was ready to begin his journey of freedom and discovery.
“Mario, you need to pick up stuff for da kine?” “Nah that’s alright, I can do it myself Mom,” Mario replied, “I just need some cash so I can go pick up the essentials.” “Ok dear.” She placed the hundred dollars on the kitchen cabinet with all her love in each paper bill. She was dreading the day that her son would leave the sanctuary of her home made cooking and tender care. Eyes teary she knew it was for the best, and that her son would grow to become a smart and intelligent man fending of the dogs of the business world. “Thanks Mom.” Mario said as he took the money and headed for the door. “Make sure to buy some toilet paper, you know how roommates are!” Mario sighed, “Yes mom I love you too.” With those last words he kissed his mother goodbye and finally headed out the door.
“Essentials, essentials,” Mario thought to himself staring at the variety of items in the convenient store. What will he need for college? Twenty-four-year-old, hormone raged Mario. Excited for college after spending four years doing absolutely nothing in his parent’s garage. Well, he did have a mindset of becoming a hero in the Marines after watching Rambo, 300, and other action packed movies while sitting on his ass. “Dad I need time to get fit and super strong so I can become a Marine!” Mario thought back to an encounter with his Dad on a hot summer day sitting in the house. “Well that’s no excuse to be a lazy bum all summer long, at least get a job dammit!” Well he was running everyday around the block and doing a couple pushups here and there in the garage, but after a while his mindset went from Huuuuwah! to screw it.
None of that mattered now. He was in college. During all of that thinking and recollecting of the past, Mario noticed that he had already filled his basket up with items which he must have subconsciously picked up while walking around the store. Mario shrugged to himself, “eh, whatever,” and poured the items on top of the counter in front of the clerk. The clerk was a heavy set woman about six feet tall and had a tattoo of a black cobra on her left forearm. She started scanning the items which Mario had presented to her over the laser reader. She slowly moved the items; fifty boxes of lubricated condoms, a large bag of Lays potato chips, a bottle of Tums, Zantac 75, a roll of toilet paper, a white Colgate toothbrush, a couple of cigars and a twenty four pack of Bud Light. Yes that seemed like the necessary essentials for a college student. “What the…” The clerk looked at Mario who was blankly looking off into space with a grin. “Identification please sir,” the clerk said to Mario with a raised eye. Mario presented his picture I.D. then grabbed the items and headed back out side to his car.
There was intense traffic on the way to the university. Mario noticed that a car had pulled over to the side of the loud noisy road. He recognized one of the passengers in the car as a fellow student he used to hang out with in high school, Chad. “Hey, what’s up buddy!” Mario yelled as he pulled his car in front of the stalled truck. “Mario! What’s up man!” Mario left the car idling as he started walking towards the truck. He and his friend talked for a while on the side of the road, talking about life and college and chicks. Chad was a sophomore in college already. “Hey Mario, you think you can give me and my girlfriend a ride to the university? Her car’s engine overheated and she blew out two tires.” Mario nodded at Chad. “Sure thing dude, but my car is a little crowded because I’m just moving in today.” Chad looked back at his girlfriend “That’s cool.” Chad’s girlfriend got out of the truck and slammed the door. “God this thing is a piece of crap!” she yelled as she started to walk towards the boys. “Mario this is my girlfriend Dori, Dori this is my good man Mario.” The two nodded with a smile at each other and shook hands. Dori had long brown hair, skin that glowed under the hot sun and very impressive legs. Mario could only hope that the campus was littered with more of these angels.
The trio walked to Mario’s car. Mario took his mini fridge out of the passenger’s seat so that Dori could sit in the front. The back was another problem though. It was impossible to fit anyone else in the car. The 24 pack of bud light stood in the way of the left back passenger seat. “God dammit,” Mario said as he struggled to make room in the back. “I know I shouldn’t have brought my surfboard today.” “You know,”Chad said with a big smile, “I can fit into this car is if we drink the beer.” Mario looked at Chad for a minute thoughtfully. “Well I haven’t drank anything all day and I’m pretty parched.” “We’re thirsty too!” “We’ve been stuck on this freeway for 2 hours already!” Dori said as she leaned up from the front seat. “That settles it then,” Mario said with a big smile, “let’s finish these drinks.”
The trio brought the 24 beers out and sat down on the concrete median. Each of them grabbed a beer and cracked it open. The drinks were fresh and ice cold. It was like eating a bunch of melted snow that just had just fallen from the heavens. “So Chad, you think you can introduce me to all your friends when we get to the dorms?” Chad cracked open another beer, “Sure man, you’re a cool guy and I know they’ll like you and you’ll like them.” Mario finished his drink, “sweet man, thanks.”
As time went by, the three noticed that people were slowing down to stare at them while they drank. They decided to quickly finish the beers by shot gunning them with car keys. They would hold the beer horizontally, stab a big hole in the side with a key, and then open the top of the beer while the cold air pushes the liquid into their mouths from the hole they created. “You guys are awesome, I’m not even in college yet and I’m meeting some pretty cool people already.” Mario said as he stood up trying to keep balance. “Dude you already knew me in high school!” Chad replied while leaning on the back of Mario’s car. The two looked at each other and started to laugh. “Hey, hey, guys look what I found!” Dori was walking back from her truck with a bottle of tequila in her right hand and an unlit cigarette in her left. The sound of cars zooming by started to sound like a beat to a good club song.
Shots of tequila were streaming down the throats of the marooned pirates of the median. Dori rose the shot glass above her head when she finished her seventh glass. “We should so come here more often.” At that moment a car zoomed by and clipped Mario’s car, taking off one of his side mirrors. “Holy shit!” exclaimed Chad, “Dude someone just hit...” Another loud crash was heard. A motorcyclist had hit the car that had clipped Mario’s car. The car sped off swerving left and right down the highway. Mario, Dori, and Chad ran to check out the motorcyclist. They stumbled and fell a couple of times before they got to the biker but they eventually they got to him. The biker turned out to be a cop who was chasing a driver suspected of being under the influence. “Holy shit! It’s a cop!” Mario felt his stomach drop to the floor. He couldn’t be in trouble now, not when college is about to start, hell he didn’t even drive to his dorm yet! “Water..,” gasped the cop. “I need water…please.” Chad looked at Mario with wide open glassy eyes, “Dude get him some water and something to stop the bleeding!”
Mario rushed to the car scrambling to find some sort of container with water inside. He tore the vehicle apart looking but could not come across anything. Just then Mario glanced up across the street. “A water fountain!” he doesn’t know why he said it out loud, maybe it was a sign from God, or maybe it could be that fact that he’s still shit faced. He ran to the fountain. Wait, how was he going to get the water to the cop? He couldn’t pour water into the beer cans because then they would now that they had been drinking. Just then a thought struck him. “Of course!” Mario rushed back to the car and broke open the box of condoms that he had bought from the store earlier that day. He filled them up like water balloons and tied the ends so that the water would not spill. He quickly ran back to group. Some of the balloons had slipped out of his hands since they were lubricated. “Dude, what the fuck?” Chad looked at Mario. This is all there was!” Dori grabbed Mario by the shirt. “Just give him the water Mario!” Mario popped the water filled condoms over the police man’s head. It took about seven or eight to cool down and quench the thirst of the overheated officer. Chad tied condoms around the Officers thigh and forearm to slow the bleeding till the ambulance arrived.
The flashing lights of the ambulance and other city vehicles blinded the drunken teens who sat on the hard curb. They watched the paramedics take the away the cop while they towed Dori’s truck. One of the paramedics in a blue suit came up to the teens. “Thank you for your help,” he said, “your fast thinking saved this Man’s life. Thank God you were in the right place at the right time.” The trio looked at each other with big smiles. Dori turned to Mario with a shimmer in her eye and then puked on the paramedics shiny shoes.

Without End

The cold mid-day spring rain in Chicago left streaks of vibrant light on the windows as the sun crept through the clouds. James sat in his favorite chair, lifelessly, gazing blankly out the window; the only movement he made was the slow raising of his glass of scotch to his pale lips, which he often did to repress emotions. Anne hated when he did this, and within the last couple days, he had gotten worse than ever. He would not talk. He would not turn his head in fear of breaking his endless gaze. He would not respond to her when she spoke or asked him questions. Anne worried.

“James, darling”, she whispered in a caressing voice, in the same manner and intonation that one would use when speaking to a crying infant in order to calm him down. But James did not need to be calmed down; he was already lifeless, a blank canvas for a face that needed a miracle artist to add color and life to something so empty. His once perfect facial structure, now haggard and sunken, must have been the result of his new diet of liquor and cigarettes.

“It’s a lovely day outside. I love when it rains.” She forced a much-needed smile as she removed her kitchen apron and headed over to stand next to her emotionally draining husband. Anne began to move her delicate fingers to his back, but quickly pulled away when she saw a single tear fall from his sunken baby-blue eyes and roll down his pale, rough cheek. Feeling entirely helpless, Anne decided to go upstairs to the bedroom and find something that could keep her from thinking about James.

As she slowly made her way up the stairs, Anne could hear the echo of the creaking steps every time she moved, the only sound she heard in the lifeless and vacant house, a place she would soon have trouble calling a real home again. The stairs seemed to cry out in pain with every continuing step, mimicking her inner emotions of sorrow for her once caring, energetic husband that she feels she might soon lose forever.

The new James only revealed himself two long days ago, unexpectedly, from a reason unknown to poor Anne. She tried to go through possible reasons in her mind: Could it be a realization from the war? But the Great War ended just over five years ago. He never tried to show emotions from his time over in France, fighting the Germans, in order to comfort his ever-worried, emotional-wreck of a wife. Anne did not really know enough about the war and did not really intend to look too much into all the world violence. She figured that the less she knew, the better she could sleep at night. But why would he suddenly break down after showing no sign of emotional distress until so recently? She thought this to herself as she slowly wiped the silent, streaming tears from her once striking dark eyes, now swollen and glazed-over.

Anne loved her husband and supported him, even if she did not approve. Even though the prohibition of alcohol was still in full effect, she supported him and the illegal scotch he so much enjoyed. He never became violent and did not drink too often, so she refused to disapprove of something he enjoyed. And he greatly loved her for that in return. They were the “perfect” couple. Even when James lost his job at the factory many years ago after hurting his wrist, they helped each other through the hardships until he healed. With all they have been through, she could not stand seeing James like this, and the realization of his new self snapped her back into reality.

Sitting completely still at the end of the bed, Anne gazed back at her reflection in the mirror of her dresser, her face pale, eyes still puffy. But she did not understand. She looked so much better and felt so much better, physically, compared to the last couple weeks. She flawlessly moved her skinny fingers of her left hand to touch her well-defined cheekbones. “Why is he so upset? I’m feeling and looking so much better. I just don’t understand…” she whispered softly, hoping that saying it aloud would help her recall more of the dreadful situation. She wrapped her fingers in her long, dark brown hair, her wedding band shimmering in the dim light of the room, and let her hand fall slowly to her lap.

After Anne collected her thoughts and settled down, she began to make her way downstairs again; this time, the stairs only seemed to make a low muffled sound as her mind entered a more positive, oblivious state.

“Honey, I’m going to make us some New England clam chowder, your absolute favorite!” the tone in her voice was cheerful, hoping that this would raise James’ spirits. No response, no movement. She tried to ignore this reaction by beginning to take out a cooking pot and the ingredients to make the dish. Unexpectedly, she heard a loud whimper as James bent his head over into his lap in agony. Stopping everything she started doing in the kitchen, Anne ran over to her husband, in shock, wondering how she should handle his reaction.

“James… James…” she calmly whispered into his ear, careful not to touch him in his hysterics. “Please, don’t do this to me. What happened to you?” This time, Anne’s tone grew more worried with a hint of frustration.

“You…” He whispered in a way that sounded like a bully punched him in the gut.

Anne was taken aback in horror. The bully stopped punching him and stabbed her right in the chest, nearly destroying her already fragile heart. This was the first word that he had said in the past two days, and with such morose and hidden hatred. Anne could not help thinking what was this horrible, ungodly incident she created that made him feel this way?

“Anne, what are you doing to me? Wasn’t you leaving me enough? I know it’s you, and I don’t know if I can handle this anymore… I smell your sensual perfume. I hear things like you are still here. Just let me know you are okay and then please stop this, my love. I love you too much; it’s killing me inside…” He trailed off in uncontrollable tears and sobs.

“What! What are you talking about? I’m right here!” her frustration grew worse through the mask of tears that reappeared. But it all came back to her to a flash of vibrant light. The hospital bed. The frantic nurses and doctors. They could not stop the coughing, the blood, the fatigue, the weight loss. The illness that she thought was cured had consumed her, her body but not her soul. The last moment she remembered before being “brought home” was James’ touch, which seemed warmer than usual, his soft hands holding hers in a firm yet gentle grip as if she would slip and fall forever if he let go. Anne’s new sense of reality eliminated her constant denial, which she often used to repress unpleasant incidents in her life. This had completely taken over the past two days, the day when she started feeling better, the day that James went into his unresponsive stupor.

Her new awareness shook her, but it did not stop her from bending down and kissing her hysterical husband gently, but ever-so-passionately on his forehead. He began to relax as color started to return to his face. His beautiful smile tried to emerge through the endless tears.

“I love you more than life itself.” She spoke these words softly, genuinely, followed by a subtle chuckle at the irony of her statement. He could feel her. He could hear her now, faintly but clearly. “…And I will be fine; I will be just fine.” She smiled and kissed him softly one more time, this time on his lips. “Promise me you’ll be fine, too. Promise me”, she almost choked on her words, “Promise me that you’ll live…"

The smile that she greatly longed for appeared on his face, and their wilted hearts began healing themselves again. His bright eyes longed to see hers as he tried to focus in her direction but instead was looking through to the other side of the living room. He did not say anything, but his face said it all. He loved her and will love her until they can be together once again. He would keep his promise for as long as his body would let him. And with that, the room was empty. Anne’s spirit was no longer with James. But a new and unexpected hope and happiness allowed him to rise slowly from his chair that had recently become a part of him. Steadily walking to the door, he opened it, breathing in the refreshing air, and stepped out into the bright and lasting sun.

SCHEDULES

September 15 9:12 p.m. Twenty hours and eighteen minutes, or one thousand two hundred eighteen minutes, or seventy three thousand eighty minutes, until my first big test, for my most important class, which will set the tone for the rest of the semester, and possibly determine the final grade I could receive, which could possibly help or hinder my chances of getting accepted to the school of nursing. Where did all the time go…

“I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“but you like her.”
“I wouldn’t be able to stand myself if I did this.”
“I’m pretty sure she likes you too.”

September 15 9:25 p.m. No progress on the studying at all. I did get to clean up my email and check myspace and face book though. Those are very important things to do. Can’t risk not reading an urgent message or email! Maybe some music will set the mood for studying…

“she has a boyfriend.”
“he’s a jackass.”
“I don’t even know him that well, you don’t either.”
“you’ve heard how he treats her.”
“ya, I know…”
“and is it so wrong just to talk?”
“I don’t know. But if I found out my girlfriend was…”
“shut up! You like talking to her. You know you like talking to her.”

September 15 11:52 p.m. Apparently, I’ve been on aim for five hours already…

“it’s so fucking obvious she likes you”
“I hate people who break up couples. They‘re so selfish.”
“You know you would treat her way better than him, right?”
“I don’t know. If only it were a different time.”
“Don’t you wanna be the knight in shining armor saving her from her shitty boyfriend?”

September 16 5:15 p.m. Almost test time, and I got my nine hours of sleep, crammed since I was awake, got enough food to eat, used the bathroom, got my pencil, id, etc. I’m all set for this test.

“How could I trust her after she leaves her boyfriend for me. What’s to stop her from leaving me for the next good thing?”
“if you're wrong, you're wrong.”

Benefits of Smoking? DUMB IDEA!

Ads pertaining to promoting the abstinence of smoking are increasing in correlation to the number of deaths due to smoking. Despite the increasing numbers of death, rising numbers of teens have picked up on the habit. In fact, in Australia about 20-25% of high school students smoke and are dependant on nicotine. Although smoking has been repeatedly introduced as the epitome of bad habits and as the culprit of society, I motioned for a flip-side. In other words, I have pursued an interest in discovering the benefits of smoking rather than siding with popular knowledge and belief to the contrary.
Smoking is highly addictive. Smoke itself is not addictive however it is the chemical compounds within the smoke that makes it highly addictive. The media has clearly exposed the contents of cigarettes as harmful chemicals that will affect the human body. Such chemicals contained in cigarettes are nitrogen oxide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and the deadly formaldehyde. These chemicals in return form tar that builds up in the arteries and can cause a condition called arteriosclerosis. The harmful effect this disease has on the body is the reduction of blood flow because of the constriction and blockage of the arteries. However there is one main chemical in cigarettes called nicotine, which has been overlooked and hasn’t been exposed for its beneficial and medicinal properties.

…………yada yada yada…something about benefits of smoking is losing weight HAHAHA….
Okay people, I wrote this awhile back…and I’ve came to the conclusion…Smoking has absolutely NO BENEFITS, and in fact I did get a C on this paper because I couldn’t prove it. I failed miserably. I got the idea that smoking could have some benefits from a past English professor. I really looked up to this guy because I was always just stunned with the way he used words to make me feel inferior to him. I wanted to mimic his intelligence and the way he portrayed himself. One day I saw him smoking outside of class and I just came up with the idea that maybe, just maybe, smoking made this guy intelligent. So I asked him one day about his studying techniques and his ability to retain information. He said smoking helps him retain information as well as to calm him when he’s worried. He also told me that when he doesn’t smoke he doesn’t feel sharp in the mind and often becomes very sluggish. So I figured, as smart as it sounds, I would take up the habit of smoking. Before this I have never smoked, not even once, so trying to smoke for a week was a pretty difficult thing for me to do. I tried it for about a week and I’ve got to say it was the worst experiment I have ever attempted. After trying it out I figured I might as well write the paper because I already ruined my lungs, so I’ve got to have something out of this experiment. But in the end, I ended up with a C on my paper and a shorter life. I guess you live and you learn. Dumb idea.

Troubles I have in writing.

Its night and the only thing keeping you awake is the blinding glare coming from your computer screen. The time is already 11:30pm, and you have yet to start typing your essay that is due first thing tomorrow morning. You open Microsoft Office, and lay your fingers on your keyboard. But before you type, the inevitable obstacle comes to your mind---how are you going to lure your audience into reading your paper?
This ultimately happens to everyone writing a paper. A paper is read by choice, you can’t force anyone to read your paper. Sure it can be an assignment reading, but a person won’t fully enjoy the paper and retain it if there isn’t anything interesting about it. When writing a paper, your audience should be kept in mind. You don’t want to bore your audience with dull facts and redundant information; you want them to be genuinely interested in your topic. Therefore the opening paragraph should instantly grab their attention and should be taken into careful consideration how important the opening paragraph is. This is one of two obstacles that I think is the hardest when I approach a paper.
The way I start off my opening paragraph is with a paragraph that is easily relatable to my audience. First I think about what my audience would want to hear and what would be interesting to them, and then I try to sum it up in one paragraph.

The second hardest obstacle I have trouble finishing on a paper is the conclusion. The conclusion is supposed to remind your audience what you were talking about and what is most important to remember. It is suppose to have a lasting impression that hopefully will dwell in your audience minds. I find this difficult because you have to sum up everything that is in your paper, to one tiny paragraph
The conclusion and opening paragraph is essential. It is like meeting a new person; you want to make a good first impression, and a lasting one.

Benefits of using adjectives and pronouns

You walk across the lonely desolated beach. With each step your toes brush against the freezing cold water, simultaneously slightly paralyzing your lower body. Its night and the only light that guides your way is the reflection of the moon on the water, which seems to run endlessly across the surface of a calm ocean. The icy cold wind pricks your skin without remorse. Given this story, one can really visualize the scenery. The uses of such words that mentally paint an image in a persons’ mind are called modifiers. Another element of creating a better relationship between the author and the reader in terms of coherency is pronouns. They are both used by authors to promote a better understanding of a piece and to provide a mental image of the authors is trying to portray.
One of the many modifiers I want to talk about is adjectives. In the previous paragraph I used the example of “lonely desolated beach,” to convey a sense of deviation from all matters of thought. If I just wrote “beach” then surely my audience wouldn’t assume the idea I originally intended for them to grasp. Adjectives are like the paintbrushes of words, they give the document life and better coherency.
Coherency comes with the readers’ ability to understand what the author is saying; therefore there should be a concise understanding relationship between the two. A technique that enforces this notion is by placing the reader as the main focus in the story. This lures the readers to engage and interact with the writing themselves at the same time increasing coherency. Thus, when we use pronouns such as you, it will provide the reader to visualize what we, as authors, want them, the audience, to perceive.
Adjectives and Pronouns provide a common ground between a reader and an author, through which they can communicate effectively. Not only does it help the reader to understand the author but it allows the reader to perceive not through their eyes, but through the eyes of the author.

Salvation

In the distance a man staggered towards the banks of the lake. Once there he stopped and lowers his head to stare at his hands as the water caressed his feet. Eventually he lets out a sigh and started to talk to what seemed to be another person.
"I'm surprised to find myself standing on the banks of where this had all started. We used to come here every day as boys. I mean we even used to drive each other with the boat as we took turns boarding behind it. Didn't We? But that all ended when we had that little 'disagreement' a few days back. Now that I think about it; it was kinda stupid. We had thrown our many years of friendship to the wind. And for what? A million dollars, some corvette, or even a trip around the world. No. It was for some dumb girl. Huh. Well I guess that we won't be having any more of those boat rides. . ."
Mike closed his eyes and began to think to himself.
The sound of these waves lapping against the shore soothes my nerves and eases the burden from my chest. My mind that was so close to its limits only moments ago is set free by the wind that's blowing through my hair so carelessly. I feel as though my sins can be forgiven, and time rewound to when we just boys. However, this feeling of warmth dripping down my arm, isn't mine.
To him, the droplets falling from his fingertips seemed to be turning into streams as they entered the lake. A few moments passed and when Mike finally opened his eyes, the once gorgeously azure shine of the lake had turned into a deep sanguine.
Nodding his head as though coming to an understanding, Mike let out a final sigh and began to smile. He thought to himself, I guess that this is it. It's kind of funny that I will be seeing you and Iris a bit sooner that I had expected. I hope that the both of you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for my selfishness and stupidity. . .
The sounds of sirens began to pollute the tranquil atmosphere around the lake, as the man slowly walked into the water. Before disappearing beneath beneath surface, one word came to his mind. Salvation.