Well I wanted to publish a blog everyday, but I missed yesterday, and the day before. So I will do two today. This is actually something I wrote for a writing class I started last week. It’s was due today and I wrote it today. Well done on me.


The objective was to write a short story that started with the words, “First day an artichoke” When I sent it to my teacher he sent me back as completely different story. No critique or comment about it, just a whole new story. I was confused. I’m still confused.



Anyway, tell me what you think. I am an amateur writing so I hope you like it or find it a little interesting. Either way, thanks for reading.

First day. An artichoke… by Christina Maldia

First day. An artichoke showed up in the middle of Betty’s country garden. 

It was completely unexpected since Betty hadn’t planted any artichokes, or any other thing at all for that matter. But there it was staring at her on the dried up patch of dirt. One single artichoke hanging off a stalk. Betty stood aghast in her panama jack gardening hat, and almost dropped her yellow rake and shovel. 

Betty always believed that artichokes were food of the gods…that the heart was the best part. 

Her mother only made artichokes when she had something important to say to and she wanted Betty to listen. Artichokes take a long time to eat and it was the only way she could keep Betty still before she would hop out of their brownstone walk up and into the city streets.

Betty was a city girl and her mother would always say so. But Betty would do many things in spite of her Mother.

“Betty would never be happy in the country, she’s my scrappy little city girl!” Betty heard her mom proudly telling the neighbors.  

“What does that even mean?” Betty would ask her mother. 

“It means, you’re tough and full of spunk, you would be bored to pieces in the country. Besides your heart is here in the city.”  

But Betty only heard “I’M YOUR MOTHER AND YOU’RE NEVER LEAVING ME!”  

On the day that Betty’s mother died of a heart attack in the middle of the kitchen floor, a single artichoke had rolled out of the paper grocery bag she was holding. 

That was around the time when Betty started dating Donald. Betty’s mother hated Donald for her.

“He’s a nice boy, but you will only get bored of him.”

Deep down inside Betty knew her mom was right, but spite…spite. Everytime her mom complained about Donald, Betty would draw closer to him.  

After Mom died, Betty and Donald moved to the country. 

First day. An artichoke showed up in the middle of Betty’s country garden. Betty dropped her gardening tools and walked towards. She peeled off the leaves of the artichoke, but there was no heart.

Second day. Betty moved back to the city.