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Margaret Zabor

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2025

Stories (6)

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6 Stories

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The Gremlins of Fate

Submitted to Contest #301

“Wait, you’re charging me $2,150? Seriously?” The service associate behind the counter kept his cool and tapped the customer bill with a manicured nail. “Yes. Parts, labor, shop fees. Your car was leaking oil, so we had to replace the head gasket.” Like everyone should know what a head gasket is. Isabella gulped. Staring at the total—$2,150—didn’t help. Nothing changed. With her MasterCard close to maxing out, she had to do something. He handed her the bill. “I just need you to sign here, please.” She went for a pleading puppy look, eyebro...

0 likes

Ich habe mich in Würzburg verliebt

Submitted to Contest #300

“Aren’t you looking suspiciously radiant today! Is there a new man in your life?” Doris leaned forward with an eager grin and raised eyebrows. Their regular Friday lunches at Ulele had resumed after Jean’s return from Germany, and Doris hoped to get all the details of the trip. Life in Tampa could be too predictable; she longed for a vicarious adventure. The server approached with menus, but Doris waved him off like a duchess dismissing a footman. “Later, please.” Jean toyed with the straw in her Ulele Sunrise cocktail as her oversized hoop...

3 likes

Elaine from Philadelphia

Submitted to Contest #299

Elaine from Philadelphia Francisco’s invitations to the fund-raiser luncheon at the Cuban Club sat on his dresser like a trio of flashing yellow lights. He’d purchased the tickets in an impulsive wave of nostalgia with no idea of whom to invite. Miguel worked on Saturdays, and Jose and Maria were sipping umbrella drinks on a cruise ship. Who else? Since his wife’s death from cancer a year ago, Francisco had lost their friends and maybe his mind. He’d quit his job, sold his house, and moved into a retirement community redolent of air freshene...

5 likes

The New, Improved Carole

Submitted to Contest #298

Jamming down the brake pedal, Carole threw the gearshift into Park and pressed the ignition button to stop the car. If only she could stop the chattering voice in her head that reminded her of her failure. She grabbed the brocade cross-body bag from the passenger seat and muttered a few choice expletives as she stomped to the door of her mother’s apartment. Mom had asked her two weeks ago to come for a visit, so here she was, but Carole was in no mood for parental advice. Not after the humiliation she’d been through. “What happened?” Melanie...

11 likes

The Midnight Decision

Submitted to Contest #297

Charles avoided late-night work sessions. His clearest thoughts percolated at dawn, before the household erupted with needs. And yet, here he was at a minute before midnight—barefoot and blanket-draped, hunched over the laptop. He froze with his eyes fixed on the glowing screen and fingers poised over the keyboard. The cursor blinked like a metronome, demanding a response, but for the first time in years he could not make a simple decision: Yes or No. The mental tug-of-war made sleep impossible for him. His wife and son slumbered in the sile...

2 likes

The List

Submitted to Contest #286

“You’re not going back to your house,” Edward said. “You can’t manage on your own anymore. Even if you had home health aides coming in to help you, it wouldn’t be enough. I’m moving you into an assisted living place, Village Palms. It’s very nice, and I’m sure you’ll like it.” His forced smile didn’t convince his mother, who had reached a stubborn age—ninety-two—and recognized that her son was caught up in his typical quest for efficiency. He’s a CPA, and a good one, but there is so much he doesn’t understand, she thought. Grace took a mome...

6 likes