CARDINAL PERSPECTIVES

  by Hannah Blevins

The cafeteria is filled with the same noise and same faces as it is every day. Familiar faces, and yet I do not know all their names. I know a few from shared classes, but even then, I know nothing beyond face and name. I know nothing about these peoples’ lives.

Walking to a table with tray in hand I recognize a woman from my math class. I know for certain that her name is Claire, but I know nothing else. She seems smart, but the type of smart that you have to work hard for. Like she poured all her free time into her studies because she knew a scholarship would be her only hope of paying for college. You see, her parents didn’t go to college and neither did her older siblings. She’s a first-generation student and more than anything she wants this degree, so she and her future family can have a better life than the one she was raised in. 

But I don’t know that. It may not be true at all.

Claire walks past a man that I recognize from English, but I can’t recall if his name was Ned or Fred. Ned Fred is in his mid-thirties, having gotten a later start to college life than many here. His late teenage years and his twenties were rough. He dropped out of high school after failing his junior year twice in a row, being too focused on where his next high would come from to focus on his grades. Everything between then and now was filled with petty crime, unkept part-time jobs, and long drug fueled sleepless nights. It took a near overdose to bring that lifestyle to a stop. Now he wants to make up for lost time. He wants to get a proper education and make something of himself. 

But again, I don’t know that. Maybe none of that ever happened. 

I scan the room again and find two people sitting closely side by side. They’re engaged in conversation, one that seems humorous as they both laugh quietly together. They’re best friends, have been since elementary school. They’ve stuck beside each other through everything and now they’re here together just like they always talked about. But both are hiding a secret from each other, too afraid to share. They’ve both been in love with one another, have felt this way since senior prom, but neither one has the courage to admit it. They’re too scared it will ruin their friendship. So, they live with their secrets and hide feelings them away, not realizing each secret is the same. 

Or maybe they are just friends with no deeper feeling involved.

From across the cafeteria, I lock eyes with a girl, and right as we meet, we both cast our eyes downward at the table below. Embarrassment warms my cheeks as I realize how strange I must seem, sitting all by myself and staring at my peers. She must think I’m some type of creep. However, she was staring too. Could she have been thinking the same thing as me? Watching these people from across the room and wondering what lives they have lived. Was she doing the same for me when our eyes met? Had she caught me staring, or had I caught her? Was she thinking the same things I am currently thinking? Is she also embarrassed at the idea of being caught up in her own head?

Or did she not think those things at all? Maybe that is just another person’s story I made up on my own. 

Contemplating the possibilities, I sit and pick at the food on my tray. 

  by  Somaya Zakaria

I was living in my comfortable zone, waking up late, meeting my friends and going for a swim every week, when my daughter-in-law called me asked me to babysit my grandson.  I did not feel like it. 

My husband asks me to do things that I don’t like. 

I had to accept her invitation.  I was furious. 

I have to follow what he says. I get mad. 

I was compelled to babysit my grandson.   

I wish my mother would alive. I wish I could ask her advice. I would ask her, if she was me, what to do? 

Would she say yes? Would she say No? Would she do it once and for all.  I'm really overwhelmed! 

No, I'm going to say No to things that don't make me feel happy!  It doesn’t sound selfish, it sounds real. 

  by Carly Wood

You know how from time to time, no matter how many times you pull your sock up it just won’t stay?

You’ll pull it up, and as soon as you start walking again your heel rubs against the inside of your shoe and it goes sliding down your foot.

That’s my life.

As I walk up on the building, I cross over to the sidewalk through some grass and I walk into the place with no hurry, fine right? 

Wrong.

What you didn’t see was my darling red sweater with blue birds and purple cats getting caught in the door of my car, in affect this caused me to get pulled, then launched backwards, rump first into the side of my car. Entangling my sleeve and trapping my left arm like a little baby bug in a web. 

Of course, the batteries in my car keys are expired and I must reach over and force my arm to stretch long enough to manually unlock the door, freeing myself AND my sweater. 

This nightmare ends and I finally make my way towards the building, I cross over the grass and make it to the sidewalk. At last, I can just get to the place I need to be.

Wait did I lock my car door?

I turn around. I walk across the sidewalk over the grass and back to my car. As I approach, I see my parking is horribly crooked in the spot. I shrug it away, I don’t care. Not to my shock, the car was indeed unlocked. I lock my door, holding my sweater to the side to avoid history repeating itself, jiggle the handle, and turn around once more. 

I cross over the grass, onto the sidewalk and make my merry way to the building. Nothing can stop me now; I am going in and I am going to have a great morning! 

It kind of stinks out here though, you know they should really get this place up to parr. What is this, a sewer?  What is that? I spin around to see what that could possibly be, I see a dog’s numbero dos. Gross, people are gross, dogs are gross. I walk further and the smell does not fade. 

Please, please please please. 

“There is absolutely no way” I think to myself. I shakily look down and turnover my foot. You don’t need my narration to comprehend what this event was. 

Crap.

I move away from the lawn in which I just abused. “Sorry little babies” I say quietly to the blades of grass and stand up tall. I cross over to the sidewalk through the grass again, as I turn to step back onto the sidewalk a man with a puffer jacket and brown boring khakis is standing there with a bewildered look. Why. Can a woman not just talk to inanimate objects in peace?

Whatever.

I move on, he wouldn’t get it. I make my way across the sidewalk. This is where the day will finally go my way. I open the door, breathe in the lavender fabuloso scent of the floors, and I even hold the door for the girl behind me. “Thanks” she says “I’m welcome” I respond. 

Okay why did that come out. 

I pick up speed and make a bullet pathway towards the stairs. I start walking up them, and thankfully make it up them with no issue. Gold star! This is it; this is where things turn around and the day starts over. I make it to the upstairs hallway, and I walk. I even take a sip of my water, and the walking paired with simultaneous water drinking does not choke me out! What a win. I have a few more feet to go and I feel something in my shoe. I feel it crawl down my foot. 

There goes my sock, slithering down. 

  by Alex Robinson

Someone has broken into my house. That was the first thought that came into my mind upon seeing my front door stand slightly cracked open, letting in the cold. My doorknob was completely missing, with a wide circular gap taking the area off. Someone drilled through my door to rob me. My hand went into my pocket to grab my phone on pure instinct, and I dialed 911 to let them know my house was broken into. I gave them the details, but they informed me that it would take them about 10 minutes to make my way due to my location being on the outskirts of town.

After calling the police, I was forced to wait. Out of view from the house, time was not on my side. It felt like 10 or so minutes just sitting on the sidewalk, waiting for the police to arrive. Why did this have to happen? I moved here to get away from the tenseness of the city. I guess the world finds a way. Nervousness loomed in my gut as my mind began to rush about what could the intruders be after me for. 

My handheld safe. I had about a thousand dollars piled up of money I was meant to deposit to the bank that’s currently stashed in a temporary safe at the end of this month. What if they had got to my office and found it? Getting out of my car, I walked up to my compromised front door and opened it. Looking back, that was the worst decision I have ever made. I was so worried about my belongings that my very own safety didn’t cross my mind. I should have stayed outside and waited for the police. Nonetheless, I pushed on, making my way inside through the busted door. 

Everything looked fine. Looking past the stairs, I saw that my back door was wide open. The robber already had a way in. Why did they have to break in through the back as well? There must be two. Reaching to the back room, I could see the knob was caved in unlike the front door, where the knob was drilled off. I didn’t need to worry too much, I needed to get to the office. The downstairs bathroom was next to the office, I almost forgot I left the door open. Giving my bathroom a quick check to make sure everything was okay, I turned to my office door.

The door to my office was closed, just as I had left it. They might be hiding inside. Grabbing my car keys to use as a weapon, I slowly opened the door. Nobody. My office looked untouched. I checked every possible hiding spot they could use. Behind my leather chair, in the corners of the room, under the desk, nothing. Closing and locking the door quietly behind me, I opened my desk drawers to look for my handheld safe. It was still there, with no dents or anything marked on it. I just had to be sure. Putting in the numbers, the money was still there.

Taking a breather, I began to think. Why would someone break into my house and not steal anything? I assume they must have not found this yet, that’s the best answer I could come up with. Just then, I heard something fall upstairs. They’re still here. Thinking about my game plan, the best bet I could have against the robbers was to get to the kitchen to get a knife. I don’t know if I could do any damage using car keys, it’s better to be guaranteed. Opening the office door slowly, I made my way to the kitchen. The only problem was the stairs were on the way there. Checking the top, I saw nothing staring back. Then I couldn’t help but notice how dirtier the stairs were than I left them. That confirms it.

The living room was a wreck. I recently tidied it up before I went to work. It looked like chaos; the couch was moved away from the wall, the carpet was dirty, and there were several holes in my walls like someone trying to punch another person. Cautiously, I went towards the kitchen door, which was next to the couch. The kitchen was perfectly fine. At this point, I was questioning the intruders’ motives. Why was my kitchen fine but my living room looked like a fight occurred in there? Feeling able to move around without the fear of being watched, I grabbed a knife and made my way upstairs. 

The first thing I saw in the upstairs hallway was a shelf turned over with all my belongings having fallen out. Books and shattered glass were all over the floor, along with more punch holes in the walls. Are these people not working together? What is happening in my house? I got more curious. That’s my problem, I couldn’t help myself. I should have stayed outside.

Every bit of knocked-over object in this hall led to the last door. My bedroom. This was the point of no return. Why am I doing this? Why can’t I just stay outside? My safe’s okay, I have nothing left here. Why can’t I just leave? The option’s still there, just go! I opened my bedroom door. I am an idiot. Everything seemed fine. My room was fairly large, it was enough to fit 4 people at one in here. So far, there was nothing out of place. It was all as I had left it. The bed was made, my lights were off, all my books were organized, and even my closet doors were closed.

Thankful that nothing had broken in my room, I breathed in relief. Getting ready to check my upstairs bathroom, I noticed something peeking from beside my bed. There was a duffle bag on the floor, next to my bed. Before I could think of what to do next, a rough and masculine whisper came from under the bed.

“Hey, kid. Keep quiet.”

I backed away and pointed my knife towards my bed. The robber was under there. I whispered back, figuring he was playing some sort of game.

“Who the hell are you and why are you in my house?”

The voice immediately responded as if he was trying to prove his innocence.

“I’m not- I not trying to rob you if that’s what you’re worried about.”

This scenario was the most insane thing in my entire life. Yet, I pursued, trying to get answers so I wasn’t forced to result in harm, hence the knife I was holding.

“The odds are stacked against you, the cops are on their way, stay put and this won’t have to get uglier than it already looks.”

“Heh. You don’t get what’s really happening, do you?”

I picked up a sense of smug coming from this guy. Does he think he can get away with this?

“I get that you think this will fix itself, it won’t. You’re going to get arrested for robbing-“

“I’m. Not. Robbing. You. There was a bit of a mix-up, sorry about that.”

He sounded genuine. I’ll hear him out, only because the cops haven’t shown up yet.

“What do you mean there was a mix-up?”

“I never wanted to break in. Hell, I never wanted to do any of this. That’s what you get for having no meaning in life, the world will find a way to make you fix your problems.”

What was this man saying?

“Are you talking crud? What are you talking about? If you’re trying to stall, it’s not working.”

I had a hard time understanding this guy’s motives. Why did he break in?

“See, I’m after someone who was trying to hide from me. He broke in, and I followed him afterward. None of this was meant to happen, you just got home before I could catch him.”

Thinking about the front and back doors, it made sense why both were forced open.

“I’m only waiting to make my move.”

The room went cold, suddenly not feeling as safe as I once made my bedroom out to be. My own bedroom, the safest room in my house. I felt so vulnerable in the once-comforting safety of my very own bedroom.

“What?”

“He’s in the closet.”

With goosebumps riding up the back of my neck, I slowly turned around to face my closet. The door was open, and two reflecting eyes looked back at me. The next thing I remember was a sharp pain in my chest. I wasn’t bleeding. I lost control of my body, going limp as I began to lose consciousness. The bed turned over; the man was now free to attack.

Forcing my eyes open, I could see the two outlines fighting. There was no way of seeing them clearly, they were only a blur as my eyelids were threatening to fall. I couldn’t hear the fighting; I was currently passing out. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I don’t know if it was a figment of my mind going into sleep mode, but everything in my room was falling. They jumped on my walls leaving no remorse for my room. They fought like animals, defying gravity itself with the goal of killing each other. That was the last thing I could see before I woke up. 

A bright light was blinding my eyes. Holding my hand up, the sun’s shadow cast from the back of my hand, shielding the rays of the sunlight. Confused as to where I was, I looked around to find I was on my front porch. The sound of a police siren pierced my ears as it got closer, turning onto my road and parking in front of my house. As they stepped out of their cars, I had a short reflection. Someone broke into my house to hide from someone else. I still couldn't wrap my head around the way they fought. I had no idea what I had to tell the cops. I noticed they stopped walking; they ended up staring at my house.

“Sir, please step out.”

They looked serious. I walked out with my hands up, only for them to put me at ease.

“No, you’re good. Just step out here and look at your house.”

Doing what they said, I came out and saw what they were staring at. It was the man from the closet, tied up and bleeding in the sunset.