Coming to America
November 12, 2014 at 3:49 pm 27 comments
for friday fictioneers 100-word challenge 14 November 2014
Photo Credit: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Adrian was from a small village in Asia. He came to America full of uncertainties and doubts about the future.
He remembered his uncle dropping him downtown one day. It was a concrete jungle he found with buildings so high they touched the sky.
“Uncle, I’m lost,“ he would phone his uncle later.
“Where are you?”
“I’m right in the corner of Main Street and PED XING.”
Adrian chuckled revisiting that same spot ten years to the day. By then, he had graduated from college and living comfortably in another city. Against all odds, he knew he had made it.
Entry filed under: Blogroll, friday fictioneers. Tags: fiction, humor, life.
1.
draliman | November 13, 2014 at 5:35 am
I well remember being in a new place and looking back, years later, when it has all become so familiar, and not so scary at all.
2.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 5:00 pm
draliman:
definitely, it feels good to have second chances.
3.
wmqcolby | November 13, 2014 at 8:32 am
“Main Street and PED-XING” Hahahahaha! Super!
Nice story, Plaridel. 🙂
4.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 5:01 pm
kent:
glad you got the joke. but the joke was really on me. 🙂
5.
wmqcolby | November 14, 2014 at 5:06 am
Hey, that happens a lot of times, you know?
6.
Leigh W. Smith | November 13, 2014 at 9:11 am
Love the humor of Adrian’s location. It’s a good reminder to all of us that even something that seems somewhat bad or annoying at the time, might even be funny at a later point in our lives. Oh, and welcome back, Plaridel!
7.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 5:01 pm
leigh:
the passage of time has a way of smoothing out the edges of the past. 🙂
8.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) | November 13, 2014 at 1:22 pm
That would be a place harder to locate than most.. but I love that me made it… (probably better odds in college than in acting though)
9.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 5:02 pm
björn:
i bet you the uncle had a hard time finding him. 🙂
10.
rochellewisoff | November 13, 2014 at 1:45 pm
Dear Plaridel,
It’s great to see you back. You must’ve known I had you on my mind. I’m with Kent. Love the corner of Main Street and PED XING. 😀 Nice to see that Adrian can laugh about it ten years later. Nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
11.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
rochelle:
it’s great to feel welcomed back. thanks. 🙂
12.
sustainabilitea | November 13, 2014 at 3:44 pm
I love the location he gave, something that would be easily done if you were a stranger who didn’t speak the language well. A touching story, Plaridel. I really enjoyed it.
janet
13.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 5:03 pm
janet:
PED XING and similar iterations are usually not taught in an english class overseas. thanks for reading my humble entry for this week. 🙂
14.
dmmacilroy | November 13, 2014 at 9:41 pm
Dear Plaridel,
This was heartwarming and sweet. A tale with a happy ending that illustrates what it is like to come to a strange place and survive and then, finally, to prosper. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
15.
plaridel | November 13, 2014 at 10:26 pm
doug:
thank you for your comment. it’s much appreciated.
16.
Perry Block (@PerryBlock) | November 14, 2014 at 12:25 am
Nice story containing a good laugh! Thanks.
17.
plaridel | November 14, 2014 at 9:58 am
perry:
glad you liked it. thanks for reading. 🙂
18.
patrickprinsloo | November 14, 2014 at 9:35 am
Isn’t it just lovely when things work out like that. Let’s have some more.
19.
plaridel | November 14, 2014 at 10:00 am
patrick:
so true, indeed. 🙂
20. Process is Progress . . . Right? | Leigh's Wordsmithery | November 14, 2014 at 2:01 pm
[…] after I read and was inspired by these two writer-friends’ Friday Fictioneers’ posts, each quite different. (There are others I haven’t read yet, brainburstingly great ones, to be sure, so check them […]
21.
plaridel | November 14, 2014 at 8:15 pm
leigh:
thanks for the link. i’m honored.
22.
aliciajamtaas | November 16, 2014 at 1:42 pm
I’m right in the corner of Main Street and PED XING Delightful. Great success story. Thanks for the happy ending.
23.
plaridel | November 16, 2014 at 3:13 pm
alicia:
sometimes the stars do converged and the planets aligned for some people. 🙂
24.
Margaret | November 16, 2014 at 1:45 pm
Love this. I work with migrants and I hear lots of stories like this. You’ve captured the experience and the feelings very well.
25.
plaridel | November 16, 2014 at 3:15 pm
margaret:
thank you for reading and liking this short, short story. much appreciated.
26.
Nan Falkner | November 18, 2014 at 9:05 pm
Dear Plaridel, Good story – love the cross streets. I really enjoyed your story! Nan 🙂
27.
plaridel | November 18, 2014 at 11:14 pm
nan:
that’s so sweet of you. 🙂