The Story Teller

Archive for 2012

Eminent means high in station or rank.

Example:

The eminent surgeon arrived on time.

Imminent means likely to occur at any moment

Example:

His termination is imminent.

Chris was a boy who was pressured by his peers. With only his widowed mother to raise him, Chris did not experience to play ball, to fly a kite, to fish or to ride a bike with his father. He actually did not mind much if only his friends would not tease him for being a Mama’s Boy.

Unable to defend himself from his friends, Chris started to take out his irritation on his mother who was infinitely patient with him. He began to ignore her thoughtfulness. He began to do the things she did not want him to do. He started to talk back to her.

Though it was easier to ignore him, Chris’s mother stood her ground. She had to point Chris in the right direction so that he would grow up to be a good and responsible young man. Chris felt suffocated. He started to see her mother as a hateful villainess that he wanted to disappear.

When Chris thought he had enough, he packed his bag and left his mother’s house. He went to his friend and savored his longed-for freedom. He smoked until he got dizzy and drank until he puked. At the end of the day, he had an impossible headache and he did not know where to go. He went to another friend’s house who was kind enough to let him sleep in the garage.

At the garage, with only his back pack for pillow, Chris thought of his mother and how she felt about his leaving. He suddenly felt unwanted tears burned his eyes and flowed freely down his face. Unable to stop himself from crying, Chris gave in and wept, not for himself but for his mother.

With his shirt drenched with sweat and tears, Chris opened his back pack. When he took out a clean shirt, a small white envelope fell from the pack. He picked it up and opened it. Enclosed are various medicine for headache, cough and cold and a spare key to the house. His mother probably put them because she knew he was leaving. She put the medicine in case he got sick and put the key in case he got back in the house while she was out.  Chris wept again and decided to come home the following day.

Chris was not surprised to see food on the table when he got back. His mother was her usual self as if nothing happened. So, Chris had to ask..

‘’Mother, what made you so sure I was coming back?’

‘I have faith in you. I knew you would choose to do what is right..’

‘How did you know I would do what is right and not the wrong?’

‘Because I taught you the difference.. and I have faith in myself…’

With tears in his eyes, Chris embraced his mother.

(Original story by the blog author. Any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise, are purely incidental.)

Eligible means desirable or fit to be chosen.

Example:

She was the most eligible applicant for the secretarial position.

Illegible means impossible or hard to read because of poor handwriting.

Example:

He failed the exam because of his illegible essay.

Two lads, Jet and Ernest, met on a ship on their way to the big city. Just like people in their late teens, they felt a liking towards each other as soon as they introduced themselves. They learned later that they lived in neighboring towns back home.

Then, Jet asked Ernest about his family. Ernest said his father is an engineer who works as a foreman. His mother stays at home and takes care of his two sisters. He has a black dog named Dummy. Their house is just small but always clean. His mother is a very good cook and she cooks his favorite dish every Sunday when his father is home and they watch movie together.

Jet said..

“You would surely miss them..”

“I already do.. But I have to go to the city to study. My uncle lives there and I will live with him for the meantime. What about your family?”

Jet smiled bitterly and answered..

“I don’t have a family. My parents died when I was young and I got to live with my aunt. Now, my aunt is dead too and I’m off to the city to find my grandmother..”

“I’m sorry about that…”

“Forget it. Come on, let’s have fun….” said Jet as he stood up and dragged Ernest somewhere.

On the last night of their journey, there was a storm. Jet and Ernest held on to whatever they could hold on to but the storm was too strong it tipped the ship over.

Jet and Ernest luckily managed to get hold of a piece of furniture that kept both of them from being drifted into the violent sea. But the storm raged on and they didn’t know how long it will last. They were both fatigued and scared. Finally, the storm passed and the sea was calm again.

Jet and Ernest were hungry, tired and cold. But there seemed to be no rescue coming for them. At last, Ernest spoke..

“I’m not sure if I could survive. I most probably won’t. But before I die, I want to let you know that I lied about my family. I don’t have a family. I grew up in an orphanage and ran away when I was twelve. Since then, I traveled from place to place looking for a way to earn money to feed myself. The family I told you about is the family I would like to have..”

With tears streaking down his face, Jet spoke too..

“I also lied to you. I’m not an orphan. I have a family back home. My father is a clerk and my mother is a seamstress. I have an older sister, Martha and a younger brother George. I told you I didn’t have a family because I thought yours was nicer than mine. I ran away from home because I thought I didn’t need them. But now I realize I was wrong, I need them and I’m going to die without letting them know how much I love them..”

The two held hands and fainted..

When they woke up, they were ashore. They were rescued by a fisherman who saw them holding on to a piece of furniture floating several miles away from the shipwreck. Jet’s parents were notified and he was reunited with his family who was overjoyed to see him alive. They invited Ernest to live with them and be a part of their family.

(Original story by the blog author. Any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise, are purely incidental.)

Snob is a noun that refers to a person who strives to associate with those of higher social status.

Example:

She is a snob.

Snub is a verb which means to treat with disdain by ignoring.

Example:

She snubs her relatives at parties.

Working at home, just like any other way of earning, has its upsides and downsides. Writing online gives me the luxury of working whenever I want and stop whenever I need, while teaching at home makes me feel powerful and comfortable. Long before I did, my cousin left her employment and preferred home based business in the form of a computer shop. Unfamiliar with computer software herself, she hired her brother to set up everything for her. Needless to say, there was no need for professional liability insurance, not that I think her brother competent, in fact, I knew he is very good in what he does. We are just probably lucky because we have him. For others, however, it is still safer to have a proof of general liability on hand.

Mr. Lawrence was a successful lawyer. He never lost a case. His clients were rich and he was among the most sought-after lawyers in the city. But for some reasons, he was unhappy.

He woke up very early in the morning and slept nearly at dawn. The moment he woke up in the morning, he only had time for a steaming cup of coffee and off he went to his office. His schedule would be recited by his secretary and it was already dark when he drove home. He worked even on weekends.

One time, his colleagues commented on his working so hard and advised him to take some time off and have some fun. Mr. Lawrence just laughed and said such is the life of a successful lawyer, hard work and dedication. After all, he wouldn’t be as successful as he was if he worked only half the time as he did.

Mr. Lawrence, however, worked only because that’s the only thing he knew. He had no immediate family to visit during the weekends and no close friends to have fun with at the end of the day. He didn’t even know any of his neighbors. He only knew his housekeeper by name and the only number he knew by heart was his secretary’s. He was an unhappy man, indeed.

One day, one of his clients sent him to a poor family in a rural area. It seems like, his client had been having a hard time convincing a man to sell his land to him. His client was planning to put up a golf course and he wanted to buy the man’s small farm which was located at the boundary of the rich man’s vast property.

Mr. Lawrence left early and very confidently. He had handled cases more difficult than this and men with more extensive education than the farmer. How hard could it be when there was an ample amount of money.

When he arrived at the farm, the farmer was not around, so he met only the wife and the children. As soon as he came, the wife, obviously suspicious, greeted him and invited him inside. She offered him a glass of water and a pack of biscuits which, surprisingly, he enjoyed.

After he had eaten, the farmer’s wife started to speak.

‘I know why you’re here, Sir, but you are just wasting your time. My husband is determined not to sell and so am I..’ her voice was so sincere but firm that Mr. Lawrence decided to leave and come back again when the farmer was around. Maybe the man was less adamant than his wife.

However, half a mile from the farmer’s house, Mr. Lawrence’s car broke down. Left with no other choice, he went back to the farmer’s house to ask for help. Fortunately, the farmer was already there but since it was already late, he just invited Mr. Lawrence to stay for the night and promised to get help early the following morning.

To his dismay, Mr. Lawrence found out that his cell phone got no signal. So, he reluctantly accepted the farmer’s offer to stay for the night.

The farmer’s wife gave him an old clean shirt and a faded pajama so he could change. Then, she served a hearty meal of native chicken and rice plus several slices of papaya which she picked from the backyard. Mr. Lawrence thanked the wife for such an enjoyable meal.

Then, the farmer invited him outside and handed him a stick of inexpensive cigarette. They smoked while sitting on a felled tree under the starry sky. They talked like old friends. The farmer told him how he inherited the farm from his father and from his father’s father and so on. Then, he asked him how Mr. Lawrence became a lawyer. Without realizing it, Mr. Lawrence talked to the farmer like a trusted friend. Something he never did to anyone.

When they were done smoking, they went inside the house where the wife was washing the dishes and the children were playing on the floor. There were three. Unused to such chaos, Mr. Lawrence snatched a paper from the table beside his chair and made a ball for the youngest, a boy of two. Then, he made a flower for the girl, about four and made an airplane for the oldest, a boy of six.

The children had so much fun and so did Mr. Lawrence. A few minutes later, the wife prepared the children to bed, so Mr. Lawrence was finally left alone to sleep on the couch. Surprisingly, he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. It was a sound and dreamless sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, he felt relaxed and peaceful for the first time in several years. He joined the farmer and his family for breakfast of fried rice and dried fish and a cup of coffee. As the farmer promised, he asked for help as soon as possible and before noon, Mr. Lawrence was on his way back to the city.

After several months, Mr. Lawrence left his law practice, purchased a parcel of land, wrote books for a living, befriended his neighbors and, luckily, married a local girl and had two children of his own. Finally, he was no longer unhappy.

(Original story was the blog author. any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise, are purely incidental.)

State refers to the condition of a person or thing; central civil government; to declare;

Example:

The real state of his business is unknown.

Estate refers to a piece of landed property.

Example:

He checks on his vast estate every morning.

Last Sunday, a student availed of my home-based tutorial services for the first time. I was nervous, not because of the lessons which I’m sure I have already mastered through the years but because my place is not ready yet. In absence of new chairs, I just borrowed a couple from the dining set. I also took down the electric fan from my daughter, Mika’s room so we had something to use. And just as I was about to plug the electric fan, I realized I need to have one of the switch plates fixed and that happened to be the one I was about to use.

Oh well, to cut it short, the lesson went on smoothly and the student is supposed to come back in a weekday next week.

Four friends, Lamberto, Danilo, Marlito and Crisanto, packed their bags and met at the bus stop. They waited for the bus going to the city.

After several minutes, a delivery truck stopped by and the man on the passenger seat waved at them.

“What are you waiting for?” the man asked.

“We’re waiting for the bus going to the city,” answered Danilo.

“Well, we’re on our way back to the town which is only a few miles more to the city. If you want, you can ride with us, but.. I’m sorry to say, my truck is empty and uncomfortable..” the man continued.

Wanting to leave as soon as possible and happy to save some money, the four friends agreed to ride in the truck regardless of the discomfort.

Since the truck was big, it was difficult to get on it. Lamberto helped his friends to get on first by giving them each a push. When it was his turn, his friends were happy to pull him up.

Being the last to come up, Lamberto found that all his friends were seated. Marlito was sitting on an old mattress, Danilo was sitting on a wooden box and even Crisanto was sitting on a big spare tire. However, Lamberto was simply happy to be on the way that he just laid an old newspaper and sat on the truck floor.

He started to think of the money that was supposed to be for a bus ticket. How lucky they are to be invited to ride for free. Lamberto smiled and thought of what to do with the money when he arrived at the city.

Crisanto noticed Lamberto’s smile and assumed that the floor was more comfortable to sit on than the bumpy and smelly tire.

“Lamberto, do you want to sit on the tire?” Crisanto asked.

“Why not?” answered Lamberto.

So, Crisanto sat on the floor and Lamberto on the tire.

As the tire bumped up and down, Lamberto thought of the possible jobs he could do once they are in the city. Maybe he could apply as a waiter in a restaurant. He likes that. If he’s good, maybe the manager will give him some leftover food for free. Lamberto smiled.

Danilo noticed Lamberto and thought that maybe the tire was more comfortable than the hard box, so he asked.

“Lamberto, do you mind exchanging seats?”

“Not at all..”

So, Lamberto sat on the wooden box. It was flat and hard, but at least it wasn’t bumpy. Lamberto started thinking of another job he wanted to do. Maybe he would apply as a bus conductor. He likes that. He would wrap paper money around his fingers and would wear a belt filled with coins. What more, he would go places.. for free. Lamberto smiled.

Marlito noticed Lamberto and thought that maybe the box was more comfortable than the smelly mattress. So, he said..

“Lamberto, can we exchange seats?”

“Sure!”

So, Lamberto sat on the mattress. It surely was smelly, but it was soft. Lamberto thought of how lucky he was to be on the best seat in the truck. Then, he imagined how nice it would be to apply as a security guard in a department store where it would be air conditioned and he would be wearing a nice uniform. Lamberto smiled and didn’t notice the strained looks on his friends’ faces.

At last, the truck stopped and the four friends got off. They thanked the driver and the passenger and started to walk the remaining miles going to the city. Then, Lamberto looked back and saw the men they left having a hard time unloading the spare tire. He let his friends go and he came back to help.

The man on the passenger seat spoke..

“Well, I’m sorry if the trip had been uncomfortable. From the looks in your friends’ faces, it seems like they didn’t enjoy the ride..”

“It was uncomfortable alright, but it surely was enjoyable..”

“You could say that probably because you sat on the mattress..”

“Oh no! I sat on the box, on the tire and even on the floor. But you know what, I didn’t even notice the difference..”

“Why is that?”

“Because I was busy thinking how good the next rides are going to be..”

The passenger smiled and ask..

“Do you want a ride to the city?”

“Oh, but I thought the truck stops here?”

“Yes, it does. But we’re riding in my car. By the way, I’m Mr. Gomez and I own the truck and making mattresses is my business. If you need a job in the city, I would be happy to hire you..”

Lamberto held the man’s hand and shook it vigorously. How lucky can he be?

(Original story by the blog author. Any similarities with other stories, fiction or otherwise are purely incidental.)