Preparations by Kenneth Bernard

Narrative
Preparations by Kenneth Bernard is a story about how valuable time is and how it is life changing. "Would you rush naked to my dying side?" is  question he wonders. He began considering this once when he heard about a Ukrainian woman do this for her husband. She was dressing from a shower when she got a knock on her door saying her husband, Fred, was dying. She rushed out to look for him and did not care that she was fifty years old and fat. What mattered to her was being beside her husband  for his last words. The love she had for him was so great that she did not care about anything else but her husband. "No matter how many plans you make or how much in control you are, life is always winging it".
      The message that i got out of this story was that no matter what happens, if you love someone you should be there for them no matter the circumstance. The old fat lady ran out naked to be with her husband the last minutes. The love that you feel for someone should be greater than anything else if you do worry about them. Be prepared for what life hold for you because you can never know what to expect. No one know what expect in a day to day basis but was does matter is the way you do respond to it depending on who is being affected. At the end of the day you always have to be prepared for the unprepared.

Blackberries by Leslie Norris

Food

Summary

Blackberries is a short story by Leslie Norris that talks about a family and their troubles. It begins with a mother taking her son to get a haircut. The child had never been to that barber shop, but he was excited to know that after his haircut his mother was going to go take him to get a cap. The boy wanted one just like his cousins Harrys'y cap. Once they got there the smallest hat was a little big on him but she still bought it even thought it was really expensive. A couple days later his father tells him that they were going to go to the Fletcher's Woods to go walk and bond. Once they were there the father fell into a bush and saw that it had blackberries. They started to indulge on the blackberries that the dad thought it was a good idea to bring some back home for the mom. The boy took his cap off and picked blackberries for his mother. Once they were home and the mother saw that the cap was ruined by the blueberries she was super mad. She got on to the boy for doing that, but then the dad defended him. When that happened the wife shouted at the husband because he did not do much for the family. His job did not make much income and she was mad that he did not even help out. The boy started to cry but he was realizing that it was a different kind of feeling.

Meaning

What i got out of this story was that one should really take care of what they do have because it might be more meaningful than what you actually think. The cap the mother bought for the boy was very special, for him just to ruin it with food. The boy did not do it intentionally but it really did upset the mother that works hard for her money. This would really hurt the boy because he was doing something good but did not realize that it was bad. 

Tancredi by Barbara Alberti

Obstacles, Barriers, and Boundaries

Summary

Tancredi is a short story by Barbara Alberti, which talks about a baby being born with two heads. The mother of the baby was Grandma Santina, and at first looked at this as a blessing. Over time Grandma Santina got stressed over Tancredi being a weird baby and tried killing the baby three different times. All the times she failed because God's calling was not for the baby to die. As Tancredi grew up both heads became very different, the one on the right was angel good, the one on the left was devil bad. Right hand Tancredi tried to be good and worship God, while the left had a bad temper and was rude. The left Tancredi would always bully the right head, basically they would clash a lot. Their was a specific event that really separated them, when the left head went to a whore house. While they were in action with the woman the right head felt guilt and shame. He got fed up with it and one day stabbed himself, the left head got really mad and started chocking him until he died. This was the first time he actually was one himself, he felt remorse and shortly after passed away.

Meaning 

This story had a huge obstacle because the child was one but with two heads. Having one body but not being able to control it completely was a barrier because of the two different minds. What really affected Tancredi was that one was good and the other was bad. The good one was self less but the bad one was the one that made their relationship struggle. The meaning of this story seems to be to not focus on the negative things that happen to you. In doing that many bad things can happen and you can end up hurting yourself.

Family Album by Siv Cedering

Family

Summary

Family Album by Sic Cedering, is a story that talks about the family history of the girl that her family comes from Lapland. She describes how her father had ten siblings but only five of them survived. In this story she is describing her family and how every single one is different from one another. She talks about how her mommas father was a communist and once ate a snake.  Or how once her aunts fiancee tried making love to her before marriage and she canceled the whole wedding because of her temper. The author of the story is looking at a photo album which brings back memories to her mother. This memories being brought back to her make her see herself in this album.

Meaning

"I am talking about my inheritance-the family jewelry that I wear in my hair, so to speak, the birthmark that stays on my face forever" is the true meaning of her describing her family. This girl sees her family in her, and she reflects on how every single part of her family and sees herself. She lets the reader know that everything her family does or has is part of her in a special kind of way. Her family album is reflected on her and she has inherited everything that she likes and even the things she does not. Everything about her family is reflected on her and she wants to keep it all alive forever, because she is not ashamed of who she is but proud.

The Other Wife by Colette

Identity

Summary

The other wife is a story by Colette, it talks about a couple, Marc and Alice, how they attended a restaurant and were going out for lunch. When they arrive at the restaurant, Marc spies out his a woman next to the restaurants window. Alice wanted to go sit there, but Marc insisted to sit somewhere else. Alice asked for an explanation, and Marc gave her the truth. The lady sitting next to the window was his ex wife. Alice had never met the ex wife and this was her first time seeing her. Marc and Alice were very loving and it showed. Marc  shared with Alice how bitter and unsatisfied hi ex wife was. He could never make her happy, he just did not know what she wanted, she was difficult. Once they were leaving Alice started to think if she was happy, and if she was satisfied. 

Meaning 

Once Alice realized what her husband really thought about his ex wife, she felt as if she was settling for less. "..she kept looking, with envy and curiosity, at the women in white, this dissatisfied, this difficult, this superior..". Alice analyzed her husband and in doing that she saw and old man, while she was still young. Alice had not really thought about her identity and how she was viewed by other people when seen next to Marc. She realized that his ex wife seems to be superior because she knows that she did not loose much. Alice has not identified herself as a person much less the type of relationship she is in.