Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

“Only Women Bleed” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

This story is taken from a manuscript in progress:FAMILY SECRETS/Breaking the Code of Silence“A Family Secret is a secret kept within a family. Most families have them, the nature and importance vary."Ginny felt the layers of domesticity slip away from her shoulders like leaves on a tree in the face of winter's first blistering blast of arctic fury .“Only women bleed”.Not true she thought, as the ruby red water ran down her hands and splashed into the sink.She’d been dreaming shades of deep rich red, craving a sweetness in her mouth that she...

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“Fat Chance at the Passport Office” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Ginny’s inner compass was usually impeccable. Her sense of direction and her body’s natural attunement to the magnetic call of the North, rendered her quite steadfast. For the most part, she was relentlessly dogged in her pursuit of moral high ground.Occasionally she floundered and found herself mired in a swamp of moral dilemmas.Though her wants and needs were relatively simple, she often became confused about where the line was drawn.What she ‘wanted’, often boiled down to an acceptance of understanding her true needs. She admired one of t...

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“Fat Chance at the YMCA” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #101

Ginny stood in front of the ceiling to floor mirror. She had just finished her shower and was about to proceed to her locker in the YMCA, where she would dress, collect her belongings and begin her day in the outside world.She had recently made a decision to work on her self image, no small feat.The other task, which seemed herculean in the moment, was to tackle yet another attempt to render her rather large body down to a reduced state of being.Ginny, into her 7th decade of life, had finally reached a place that had eluded her from a v...

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“The Saga of Esther and Ginny” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #101

When Ginny was still relatively young, she went to live amongst the old people.This adventure began as one of necessity. The senior’s residence she chose was a public housing unit with rents that were within her limited budget.She was a little apprehensive about her decision, but decided to make the best of the situation and in her usual, extraverted gregariousness, set about making new friends.What she failed to factor into the equation was the snarkiness of some of her fellow inmates.Many of them had been parked in this building by adult c...

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“Fat Chance at Mickey D's” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #100

The day began like many others.As she headed off for her morning bath, the menu of choices before Ginny seemed endless; she yawned as she contemplated the day before her.Ginny's friend had phoned her earlier and suggested going out for breakfast.She accepted the invitation even though it included her friend's 6 year old grandson, a delightful child, keenly intelligent and always a source of entertainment.The boy's largest character defect in the moment was a certain limitation of scope. His tunnel vision excluded dining venues that would've ...

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“ FAT CHANCE at the OK CORRAL (AKA The Classic Buffet)” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #100

Ginny wondered for a moment if she was having a stroke. Her ears began ringing, and she felt slightly dizzy. Worse still was that the array of desserts in front of her began to shimmer and waver. She almost expected them to disappear and so, tightly clutched the bowl of soft ice cream.She was willing to sacrifice the mint Nanaimo squares, peanut butter confetti bars and strawberry shortcake, but the ice cream was simply too important to let go.She clung tightly to the bowl and briefly thought about leaving the restaurant and driving to ...

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“Fat Chance With Alicia” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #100

Recipe for an Interesting Relationship*Take two women (preferably one drunk, the other an ardent empath).*Add large doses of neediness and lack of self confidence.*Throw in several pinches of homophobia.*Stir with caution and at the end, toss in liberal amounts of a Secret Ingredient possessed by all great chefs.***************************************************************The night Ginny met Alicia marked the end of an age of innocence.At forty-nine Ginny still wore a glimmer of naïveté bordering that kingdom.In many ways she truly was inn...

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“Summer of '69” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #99

It was the summer of Nineteen Hundred and Sixty Nine. I had just turned twenty and decided it was time to attempt my first ‘blow job’.Calling me naive would’ve been something of an understatement.Don’t get me wrong, I was not entirely innocent about the magical world of sexuality, it was just that there were a few stumbling blocks in my way.My maternal grandfather was high on the list of obstacles that interfered with my education. He possessed formidable powers and did his best to ensure that I remained innocent.We lived on a farm and ...

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“Daddy Dearest” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #98

 FAT CHANCE WITH MY DADRivers and roads.Lines drawn by water, lines drawn by the hand of man.The stories of our lives unfold along these winding paths.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“Imagine a line of men. The best of the best. Men who stood out amongst men. Men who were sought after and longed for. Imagine them standing in a line that stretched to the horizon.  Imagine a sign that said: “CHOICE A” - Pick a father. I'd trudge for days until I stood before the one who shone the brightest in that line a...

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“I Hear You Knocking” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #97

“Opportunity knocked. She was too busy changing diapers, sweeping crap off the floor, chasing children, dogs, useless men.She heard the banging but was just too exhausted to answer.”Anonymous. “Opportunity knocked.She opened the door and said, “Go away, I’m too busy.”Essie Coleman.“Opportunity knocked.She held her nose, opened the door and said “You stink!”B.J. Smith IN THE BEGINNINGFear caressed Ginny's slowly beating heart. It’s icy fingers twined and curled, slowly spreading a numbing poison that left her in a near state of...

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“Marsha's Choice.” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #96

“For Christ’s sake Shiva, will you get your ass in here and help me?”The tone in Kali’s voice alerted Shiva and prompted him into action.He reluctantly turned off the soccer game, rolled over the edge of the divan, and sauntered into the kitchen to see what it was his wife wanted.“What is it Kali, what do you want?”Kali’s eyes became a little wild and there appeared to be smoke drifting out her ears and nostrils.“Are you dumb, blind AND daft?” she bellowed.“Look around, do you not see all the pots on the fire? Can you not see the crap on the...

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“The Lady or the Lion?” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #95

Doors open, doors close. Some are engulfed in flames.Choices abound and in the dilemma of making the right one, we often miss out on opportunities that come but once in a lifetime. Harry was pissed off.He almost slammed his hammer against the wall, but knew how futile that would be. For after all, it was he who would be repairing the damage. “When you live in a world of fools, it is a chore just to stay alive,” he mumbled to himself. For some reason, old Bee Gee tunes kept blasting out of the jukebox in his head.His will to st...

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“Fat Chance As a Stripper” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #94

Ginny fell in love with a dragon. His name was Harry. He was a gorgeous dragon born under the star sign of Aries. This crackling combination of eastern and western astrology rendered the raw energy of Aries and the Dragons cocky pluck into a beautiful concoction that Ginny was unable to resist. Harry’s burning desire to get ahead in life seemed to colour every stone his dragon nature overturned. When he set about to achieve something, he did so ruthlessly.Like many Aries /Dragons, he was both crafty, and devious. He was so self-con...

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“Get The Party Started.” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #93

There once was a family. It was rather large, very diverse and filled with unusual creatures. There were rats and cats and elephants.And perhaps a few unicorns.The family got rid of the rats.They looked after the cats.And they did their very best to ignore the elephants.And the unicorns?Those damned unicorns were a wild bunch, and not unlike their dazzling, distant cousins, the zebras, they liked to show off.They were rather famous for using humans as instruments to get their way and grabbed pretty much any excuse to get a party started...

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“A Big Bang” by Jeannie Labelle -Potvin

Submitted to Contest #92

 ***CRASH ***BOOM***EXPLOSION*** *******BLINDING LIGHT*******Carol woke with a jolt. She had been in a deep sleep, having tossed and turned for many hours. She had finally dropped off into a land that appeared to offer some respite from the many woes that plagued the poor woman.She lay breathless, wondering if the city had been attacked by some foreign enemy who was systematically bombing neigbourhoods. As she gathered her wits and looked out the bedroom window, she realized what was going on. During the night while she slept, a hu...

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