Happy Vomit

I went to the hospital the next day to visit Trevor, even though I knew he was in a coma.  When I got there, Sue was vomiting on the grass between the rows of parked cars.  Billie stood next to her, hand on Sue’s back.

I parked nearby and got a water bottle from my gym bag and a napkin from my glove box.  As I walked up, Sue heaved a final time and stood up straight. I handed her the water and napkin. She rinsed out her mouth and wiped her face.  She smiled.

“You OK?” I asked.

“Morning sickness,” Sue said.  She and Billie both smiled. I was baffled.

“You like morning sickness?” I asked.  The women laughed.

“Hell no,” Sue said. “I hate it.  How’d you like to puke five days a week?  I just like it more than vomiting up a half bottle of vodka.  The first time I ate Percocet I threw up, ate more the next day, and threw up again.  Compared to that, morning sickness is happy vomit.”

Happy vomit - Sue had learned to find silver linings watching the storm clouds of her addictions.

Today I’ll be grateful for the storms that taught me to find the silver lining.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Better Not

“Do you think I should go to Vegas?” Cara asked.

“There’s someplace even warmer you should go,” I said. She punched me, being careful not to make too tight a fist so as not to risk breaking a nail. I wondered why my friends were so violent.  “If you’re thinking of rescuing Josh, then no.”

“Why not? I’m not working and I’ve got the money to travel. I might be able to bring him back.”

“You might, but until he’s broke again, he won’t want to come back.  Once he gambles away his money, he’s going to look for people to enable him. He’ll ask for a loan. He’ll stick you with his hotel bill, maybe even beg you to pay off sketchy people he owes money to.”

“So I just watch him fail?”

“Not much you can do until he’s ready to get help,” I said with a heavy sigh.  “You can tell him when he’s ready, you’ll do whatever you can to help him get help.”

“This sucks,” Cara said, “being powerless over a friend’s addiction.”

“It certainly does. You can’t control him, you can only take care of yourself and not enable.”

Today I will accept being powerless over other people’s addictions.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

What I Like About You

Cara was a walking vocabulary word: omnipresent. Everywhere she went she tried to be the center of attention. She could make any discussion about her.  If you were trapped underground for a month, and asked by friends to describe your ordeal, she’d interrupt to tell how she felt watching the news coverage. Or, how frustrating it was to sit in traffic in the Squirrel Hill Tunnel for an hour.  Or how she had to expand her walk-in closet to avoid feeling claustrophobic.  

And yet, watching her play with Bubbles I couldn’t help but smile. Cara truly loved animals. She was a master organizer. I thought her work for charities was mostly attention-seeking, but who was I to judge Cara? Better to find something to like about her.

Today I will look for things to like about people.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Reach Out

I called Cara to see if she wanted to pick up Bubbles. “I’d love to,” she said, but she didn’t sound happy.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“You never check your phone,” Cara said. “Everyone got a message from Billie. She took Trevor to get his hand looked at. They started him on an antibiotic and a steroid. He had an allergic reaction and he’s in a coma.”

Cara started to cry. She picked up Bubbles who immediately began licking away her tears.  Cara laughed, wiped her eyes, and hugged the tiny dog so tightly I was afraid she might break her ribs.

In any circle there are people who are closer than others. Trevor and Roger were close. Roger and Sam were close. Sam and Cara were close. Trevor and Cara never seemed close at all. He had been a cop. He came from a working-class family.  She came from money and seemed to think traffic laws only applied to the poor.

Trevor never would have expected Cara to be so upset. I hoped they’d reach out to each other after this crisis past.

Today I won’t wait for a crisis to reach out to someone.  

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Take A Little Time

I had meant what I had said to Josh. I had a busy life. There were things I needed to get done that day. The smart thing for me to do would have been to drop Bubbles off at the nearest animal shelter. My sisters both volunteered at shelters, and I knew that smaller dogs got adopted quickly.

“Or,” I said to myself. “I could call Cara and tell her about Bubbles.  She’d want to come here to get the dog herself. In the meantime, I could keep Bubbles company.”  Playing with Bubbles would do us both a lot of good. She needed the attention and I could really use a break.

“I can find the time,” I said to Bubbles. She wagged her approval.

Today I will find a little time for myself.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Bubbles

By the time I got to my car, I’d almost forgotten about Josh. My concern was for his dog.  I pictured a half-starved animal lying by an empty food bowl, dying of thirst.

When I opened the door to his house, a tiny wiener dog attacked.

Her food bowl was empty, but she still had a little water. Josh may have filled it the night before. Her license was up-to-date. The tag read ‘Bubbles.’

I could picture Josh sitting at his computer, working on his ‘system’ to win big at the casino, ignoring Bubbles. Did the dog whimper? Did she try to climb up on Josh’s lap?

I refilled Bubbles’ bowl from the sink. Her whole body shook as she tried to climb my leg. I almost tripped over her as I set the water bowl on the floor. After I filled her food bowl, I sat on the floor.  She climbed into my lap, standing on her hind legs to lick my face.

I laughed. “You’re going to pull a muscle if you don’t settle down.” Bubbles rubbed her tiny face against my chest, her tail wagging furiously.  ‘What did people ever do to deserve the love we get from dogs?’ I wondered.

Today I’ll try to be worthy of a dog’s love.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

I Tried

Josh called me from the bus station to give me his keys.

“Josh you can’t call me at the last minute to watch your house,” I said. “I have a busy life.”

“I sold the house,” Josh said. “I was so excited about going to Vegas, I forgot about my dog. See if Kim wants her, or take her to the pound, will ya?”

I thought ‘WWRD?’ What Would Roger Do? He’d punch Josh, maybe right in the face. I put that option aside for a moment.

I said, “Addictions are like swirling whirlpools in the middle of a vast ocean. At the outer edges you might not even notice you’re going around in a circle.  Before long you’re getting pulled to the center. By now you gotta know you’re being sucked under.”

Josh smirked and said, “I got a system. My old girlfriend is gonna let me sleep on her couch. She’s even going to throw in some of her money.”

We talked more. I gave him the number of a friend who specialized in treating problem gambling. He laughed. His bus came and I never saw him again. I’d done what I could to help him, and I had to accept it wasn’t enough.

Today I’ll do what I can and accept it may not be enough.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Whatcha Got?
A month went by. Billie was offered a job that included passing medications. It paid more than she was making. Sue’s belly grew. Sam’s belly shrunk. Trevor kept trying to treat his wound with over-the-counter medications. Roger punched him.

 “You gonna hit me back?”Roger asked Trevor.  “No, you can’t ‘cause you only got one good hand.” They stared at each other and I thought I’d have to step between them. They hugged. Trevor promised to get the hand looked at. Love can be expressed in many strange ways.

Cara started a winter clothing drive for the homeless and tried to convince Kim to take another cat from the shelter.  Kim’s new boyfriend turned out to be a kind, thoughtful widower in his early forties.  His wife’s car had slid off an icy road five years earlier. Kim was the first person he’d dated since then.

Roger finally got his bike back. He sold it a week later.

“Ken, not having that bike for so long convinced me I never really needed it in the first place. I’m happy with the bikes I got.”

Today I’ll be happy with what I have.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

It’s Not All Bad
The weather turned too rough for me to go to Chicago to see Brat Boy play. He texted me to say it was not a problem.

I still felt bad. When I was a little boy I was badly burned. I spent three months in the hospital. My mother came to see me after work. One day I noticed how tired she looked and told her she didn’t need to visit every day.

The next day, she was a little late getting to the hospital. An empty, sad, sinking feeling washed over me. I remembered that feeling like I’d felt it the day before.  I hated the idea that Brat Boy might be feeling something like that.  

I had to remind myself Brat Boy was eighteen, not eight. He was staying in a hotel, not a hospital.  I had been alone. Brat Boy was sharing the room with his girlfriend’s brother.  I had no doubt they spent every waking moment playing X-Box, talking trash, and eating pizza with their teammates

. 

Getting burned had been a horrible experience, but some good had come from it. My strong desire to be there for the people I loved grew out of that moment. Knowing  I was never going to be reliable while I was still drinking was one thing that drove me to get sober.

Today I’ll be grateful for the good that comes from bad situations.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Dependable

Later that week I had planned to drive to Chicago for Brat Boy’s volleyball tournament.  The weather looked dicey with the possibility of freezing rain and heavy snowfall.  In the past, Brat Boy and Blondie had told me I didn’t have to come to all their events, but I hated missing one.

Addictions create the need for apologies. I’m sorry I missed your birthday. I’m sorry I made an ass of myself. I’m sorry I’m unpredictable and unreliable. One of the great joys of recovery, at least for me, was being dependable. I wanted my kids to know I would be there for them.

During Blondie’s freshman year I drove to Kentucky to see her basketball game. She hadn’t expected me to make the trip since she hadn’t seen a minute of playing time. Her face lit up when she saw me. She waved while she was doing warmups. Blondie nudged a teammate and they both waved. Blondie’s smile melted my heart.

If I made it to Chicago, I expected Brat Boy would roll his eyes when he saw me, and then smile. Later he’d say something like, “Are people your age allowed to drive this far?” I might say, “It’s clever the way you serve into the net, or out-of-bounds. The other team never knows where the ball is going.”  We’d trade more insults. I’d say, “Love you kid.” He’d say, “Love you Dad.”  We’d go eat something greasy.   I couldn’t imagine a better time.

Today I will take great joy in being dependable.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

A Step in the Right Direction

“My leg getting infected turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” Sam said.

“How so?” I asked.

“There’s a big difference between choosing to lay on your couch and having no choice but to lay on your couch.  I hated it. When my leg healed, I started walking.  I lost a little weight and liked it.

“Did you put the weight back on when you stopped walking?”

“No, even at my heaviest, I kept walking. It was my diet that did me in. I’d starve myself on rabbit food, and then binge on pizza and ice cream.”

“But it was the walking that got you started on losing the weight?”

“It was a step in the right direction,” Sam said, laughing.

“A friend of mine is into really bad puns,” I said. “God took his hair. Just sayin’.”

Today I will take a step in the right direction.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Take Care

“What brings you to the frozen north on a Tuesday?” I asked Sam.

“Going to talk to Trevor,” Sam said. “Have you seen his hand?”

“I haven’t lately.”

“So Billie made him show her the wound. She freaked out. Apparently it’s infected and Trevor keeps putting off seeing someone about it. He’s been putting over-the-counter antiseptics on it.”

“So why are you the one to confront him? You live the furthest away.”

Sam pulled up his pant leg to show me a jagged scar running the length of his calf and under his sock. “When I was still drinking I caught my leg on a rusty nail helping my neighbor tear down an old porch. I did what Trevor is doing and wound up in the hospital a month later. It was another month before I could walk again. People had to take care of me because I didn’t take care of myself.”

Today I’ll take care of myself.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

#@$%! Genie

I saw Sam getting coffee at a gas station and went inside to say hello.

“You look good,” I said to Sam. “Have you lost more weight?”

“I have,” he said with a half-hearted smile. “I’m about three-quarters of the way to my goal.”

“Shouldn’t you be happier about that?” I asked.

He sighed. “I’ve been fighting the urge to splurge, go off my meal plan for a week.”

“You’ve been thinking about splurging for a week, or you want to go off your plan for a week?”

“Both. I’ve been thinking instead of a cheat day, I’d give myself a cheat week.”

“Cheat days might work for normies.  Might.  For us, when the genie gets out of the bottle, he goes on a rampage.”

“I know. I’m sticking to the plan. #$%@ genie.”

Today I won’t let any genie out of the bottle.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Free this week:

ebook: The Road Way Less Traveled: Starting Recovery Young

https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Montrose/e/B001K8MG0S

Here's an Excerpt:

Singing Rats: 

A parable about changing people, places, & things

There were three houses in a row.  In each house lived one man.  These houses became infested with singing rats.  The rats sang special songs that touched the souls of each man, even though each rat sang a different song.  These rats carried fleas, and the flea bites made the men sick.  The rats ate most of the men’s food, made nests in their furniture, ordered junk from the internet, and ran up huge phone bills.  Soon the three houses were falling apart because the men were too busy listening to the rats to make home repairs.
Eventually, all three men realized they had to change their lives.  The first man made up his mind he would live with just one rat and the rest had to go. “Once I make up my mind, I stick to my guns,”  he said.  “I can handle a rat or two.”  Two months later, the rats threw him out, but kept his car and his credit cards.  “Don’t come back, or we’ll rat you out to your probation officer,” they told him.
     The second man put up a tent in his yard, and decided he would only go back into his house to eat.  “That way I can still have music with my meals.”  Two years later he replaced the rats with dancing mice.  “It was the noise from the rats that was ruining my life,” he said.  When they buried him, the mice danced on his grave.
The third man burned his house to the ground.  All the rats that weren’t killed ran to his neighbors’ houses, too afraid to return.  The third man also lived in a tent for a while.  Slowly, a little at a time, he built a new house where his old house had stood.  He bought a mean cat.


 Which man are you most like?       

The Road Way Less Traveled: Starting recovery young, p. 7. © 2002 by Ken Montrose)

ebook version free this week from https://www.amazon.com/Ken-Montrose/e/B001K8MG0S

Get Over It

Kim called to tell me she was worried about Cara.

 “Cara stopped by to visit my new dog,” Kim said.

“Sounds like a good thing,” I said. “What’s the issue?”

“It was her wedding anniversary. She called to wish her husband a happy anniversary and then stayed for two hours. She said she was going shopping when she left.”

“I’m guessing he wasn’t happy about it.”

“Of course I could only hear her end of the conversation, but it sounded like he was pissed.  I asked her, and she said ‘he’ll get over it.’”

“He’s going to get over her if she keeps this up,” I said.

Today I won’t neglect important relationships.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Can You Hear Me Now?

“The insurance company doesn’t believe the bike was stolen,” Josh said on the ride home. “Roger is mad they won’t replace it until there’s some kind of investigation.”

“I don’t believe the bike was stolen. Roger doesn’t believe it. Neither do Trevor or Billie or Kim.”

“Cara believes it, she’s my friend!” Josh protested.

“I like Cara, but let’s just say she can be a little clueless at times. You sold that bike to pay off gambling debts. “

It wasn’t what Josh wanted to hear. He ended the conversation.

Today I may have to tell someone something they don’t want to hear.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Poolside

My heart ached for my friend.  At first, my surroundings only added to my sadness.  Clouds the color of old silver coins and shaped like profiles of long-dead leaders filled the sky.  Leafless trees filled the horizon.  

I walked up the bank a little way to a shallow pool hidden behind a wall of boulders. The calm of still water washed over me, as I stared into the peaceful pool.  A crayfish appeared to search in no apparent hurry for a new home. I wished him well. A school of minnows flashed by. Likely a bass or pike lurked where the shallow pool gave way suddenly to deeper water, waiting to ambush foolhardy fish swimming too close to the edge. 

I laughed at the idea of fish trash-talking.  “What’s the matter Mr. Pike, water too shallow for you to come get me?”  “Sorry, can’t hear you Minnow. Swim a little closer to the drop-off…”

Two ducks who hadn’t flown south floated peacefully at the edge of the pool.  Were they a couple of homebodies, staying behind and keeping each other warm?  I thought how lucky I was to have Dr. Deb, who warmed my heart on the darkest days.

Overhead hundreds of starlings flew in tight formations, ugly individually, but beautiful as they swirled and danced together.

“Sometimes you have to look twice to find the beauty in dark days,” I said to myself.

Today I will look for the beauty in life.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Be Somebody

A week later a warm front wandered across Ohio and into Pennsylvania. I called Josh to see if he wanted to go fishing. I thought it would give me a chance to convince him he needed help for his gambling.

“You don’t get it,” Josh said as we stood on the bank of the Allegheny, casting lures past disinterested bass.

“I truly don’t,” I said.

“I don’t want to be ordinary. I’m so damn average it hurts.”

“Nobody has to be average,” I said. “The average person doesn’t walk dogs at the shelter, volunteer at the food bank, help the homeless.  You could do any of those things.”

“You really don’t get it.  I don’t want to be just more than average, I want to be somebody. I want to win big, write a book about my system, and be noticed.   Is that too much to ask? Not to be just another body shuffling through the world?”

I shook my head. “Very few of us are going to be famous, going to be somebody to the whole world.  Try being somebody to somebody who needs you.”

He shook his head.  “You still don’t get it.”

Today I’m going to be somebody to somebody who needs me.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Life on Life’s Terms

It was the week for car trouble. I saw Kim at an AA meeting. She was sitting with Cara and Sue. She’d gone to the movies with someone she thought she’d really like to see again.

Kim said, “Ken, his tire went flat while we were in the theater. He didn’t curse, didn’t complain. He shrugged his shoulders and changed the tire. He takes life on life’s terms with no unnecessary drama.”

I smiled. Trevor looked concerned.

Today I’ll live life on life’s terms.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

The Night Flu By Me

The next day I went to the gym. When I got back I thought I’d write my blog, eat a little dinner, and fall asleep watching TV.  It had been a long week, and I couldn’t wait to curl up on the couch.

As I walked into the living room, Dr. Deb said, “Saddle up cowboy, we’re driving to Maryland.”

Oh.

 “Blondie has the flu, we have to go get her. I’ll drive her car back,” Dr. Deb added.

Goodbye football game. Goodbye 60 Minutes. Goodbye couch. Hello five-hour drive.

As we were getting in my car, Dr. Deb asked what I was smiling about. “I really wanted to do nothing tonight, but it feels good to be there when I’m needed,” I said.

“So you’ll take her back in your car in case she throws up?”

“I think she should ride back with you, so you can feel needed too,” I said.

Today I’ll be grateful I can be there for people who need me.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Stop Thief!

Trevor called me to say Roger was about to kill Josh, and could I meet him at Josh’s house. I got there after the police left.

“It wasn’t stolen, was it?” Trevor asked Josh as I walked down the driveway. “You sold it to pay off gambling debts.”

“I’m telling you someone broke into my garage and took the bike,” Josh insisted.  “You should tell your cop friends to get off their butts and go find it.”

I could see the anger rising in Trevor’s face. Roger wasn’t the only one ready to kill Josh. I put a hand on Trevor’s arm. His hand was still heavily bandaged.  He took a breath and in a calm voice said, “The burglar broke in through the front door. You have a garage door with a cheap lock. It’s hidden from view. A thief would have gone in through there, not the front.  The detectives noticed the pegboard over your workbench is empty. Where’d the tools go? You didn’t report them stolen, so we have to assume you sold them.  Clearly you need money.  That bike is loud as hell. If someone started it up in your driveway, why didn’t it wake you? Your driveway is steep and that bike weighs a ton. Are you telling me someone pushed it up that ski slope driveway of yours?”

“How many times have you said to be careful, criminals are clever?” Josh asked. 

“This has got to stop,” I said to Josh.

Today I’ll be grateful my addiction isn’t pushing me toward desperate acts.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

A Line of Credit
“His family is showing me more kindness than I deserve,” Sue said.

“Please don’t make me pour this coffee on you,” I said.

“No, really.  I got drunk, convinced my boyfriend of about a month we didn’t need to use protection, and got pregnant. I don’t deserve to be treated this well.”

“Bullshit. He’s a grown man and responsible for his actions. I doubt it was hard to convince him. You took responsibility for your actions and got sober. You are doing everything you can to take care of your baby.  Give yourself a little credit.”

She thought about it. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Today I will take a little credit for whatever I’ve done to make things right.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

What Kind of People Are They?

“Why are you crying?” I asked.

Sue said, “I saw my boyfriend’s family. They’re very religious. I expected them to hate me. Call me a sinner, think I led their son astray.”

“Did they?”

“His mother asked what doctors I was seeing. His sister wanted to take me shopping for maternity clothes. His father said he didn’t approve of sex before marriage, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. That’s when I thought I was going to get kicked out of their house.”

“Did they kick you out?”

“No. He smiled and said the baby didn’t need his approval and all I had to do was ask if I needed anything. They couldn’t have been more kind.”

Today I’ll be grateful for kind people.

Dogged Determination ©2018 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/