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The Day Freedom Came
“I can’t believe I still have a curfew!” I ranted as my younger sisters watched in silence. “I can’t wait to go to college so I can be free! And you know what I’ll do? I’ll watch TV till midnight, I’ll eat pizza and coke for breakfast, and I’ll even skip classes if I want to!” Leaving home for college is nearly every teenager’s dream. Attending university looks like the door that leads to freedom. But for me, leaving home was not what I expected it to be. My mom and I found my freshman dorm and I ran up the stairs to look for my new room- my ticket…
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Angel on the Sidewalk
The bright sun and blue skies screamed Spring that Saturday afternoon. “I’m so sorry I can’t help you,” my husband said as he hugged me tight,” but you know that medical residents are expected to work long shifts and get no free weekends during first year of training.” We were in a new country, a new city and had no friends, which forced me to navigate my way through our new reality on my own. I grabbed the Yellow Pages, the only resource before cell phones and GPS’ existed, searching for a park in the area. Venturing out was an attempt to calm my lonely heart as much as…
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The Red Door
I walked through the glass doors into the cosmetics department, where the elegant sales ladies holding perfume bottles lined the way. Closing time was twenty minutes away. I had no time to waste, so I walked hurriedly, avoiding any eye contact. “Would you like a sample?” A hand came out of nowhere and placed a piece of white paper in my hand. “Let me know what you think. It’s on sale this weekend.” I smiled at the sales lady, thanked her graciously, and looked around for a trash can. My nose caught a whiff of the fragrance as I was about to throw it away. Suddenly I was transported…
