Kate Cornwell

“My Brother” by Kate Cornwell

I always knew there was something off about my brother and his new job. He had way too much free time. He had never been a work-a-holic, but always had a steady job just so our father wouldn’t bother him about anything. If he could avoid any unwanted conversations with our father, having a stable income was the best way to accomplish that goal. Our father had started working at an early age and having a steady income had helped bring his family out of poverty, but not until he was in his early twenties. Having not had a great chance at ...

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“The Spring Festival” by Kate Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #86

The Spring Festival was always my favorite event of the year. I honestly loved the Spring Festival more than I loved Christmas. Christmas was always stressful around our house because all it meant was Grandma was coming into town and she would inevitably say something horrible to mom or I and we would spend the rest of her trip trying to avoid her.  One problem with Grandma – other than she the fact that she only likes my father – is that she is not very mobile on her...

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“Comfort and Style” by Kate Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #77

I had agreed to come with Ethan because I needed a new life. I needed to get out of the rut working 8-5 had me in. I had been getting antsy for something different and when Ethan brought up the idea of living in a cabin in the woods, I jumped at the chance. My mother and I hadn’t spoken in years, ever since I originally moved to Texas to escape our constant bickering. She saw it as a betrayal of trust, of our relationship and everything she had done for me. Which, at the end of the day,&...

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“Love and Donovan” by Kate Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #75

The only New Year’s resolution I had this year was not to fall in love. In the past, I have wished for nothing else on New Year’s Eve except for love. Last year, I thought I had it made when I met Donovan shortly after the new year started. He was everything I thought I wanted in a relationship – taller than me, educated, was easy on the eyes, well-spoken, chocolate brown eyes and my mother loved him. I overheard her on the phone one night telling her friend she wished she was thirty years younger so she could d...

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“Tally Marks” by Kate Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #74

When my mother left this time, I was pretty sure she wasn’t coming back.  She often took ‘sabbaticals’ as she liked to call them and they had become increasingly more frequent. Quinn and I never knew why she left and when she would come back. My father usually would never discuss her sabbaticals with my sister and I or why this time, she left with no warning. I suspect he had something to do with her disappearance, but just didn’t want to admit it.&nbsp...

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“The Wrong Man” by Kate Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #72

James was the most irritating man I had ever met. He knew all the answers and expected me to listen to everything he had to say. In my opinion, nothing he had to say was interesting. My father was a talker and I had long ago perfected the craft of not listening. I think part of it was the fact my father had a deep melodic voice that would almost put me to sleep.  It was like a trance. I tried to tell him a few times he should go into audiobook recording or teach meditation classes, but I thin...

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“Cookie Exchange Cover-up” by Kate Cornwell

Submitted to Contest #71

My family's annual cookie exchange was my favorite event of the entire year. I planned and practiced throughout the summer months to perfect a new and different recipe to debut at the party. I had more baking cookbooks than I did regular books and more baking sheets than actual plates. My family made fun of me every year for the fact I spent so much time on baking, but never failed to eat my cookies when they were offered. In the back of my mind, I wanted to be a baker, but my family is a finance family and nothing e...

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