The Ugly Side of People is a short story that’s one of 22 in my new book, The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry. It’s about gossips and judgmental people, and I have never shared it here before, not even in its early stages.
We have probably all been gossiped about at some point in our lives, and as well, we have most likely gossiped about others. While some gossip can be idle and harmless (but still not nice), some is not. It can most assuredly be hurtful and intentional. Gossip can lead to bullying and worse. It’s a good reminder for all of us to heed what the Bible says in Ephesians 4:31: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
This story evolved after I witnessed something happen many years ago when I overheard gossip about a person some folks knew little about–or had any understanding of the situation the person was going through, for that matter. They say you shouldn’t judge people when you have not walked in their shoes, for how can you ever really know what goes on behind closed doors? How can you ever really know what someone is going through, especially when they keep it to himself? Watching this situation unfold as it did, and profoundly seeing the harmful effects of gossip for the first time, prompted me to write a story about a girl who has lost her husband and the town gossip has taken over.
It’s a good reminder for all of us–this writer included–to watch our tongues and be cognizant of our hearts.
It all comes down to being kind, really, and the story reminds me of Maya Angelou’s wonderful quote she said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
It’s been over 24 hours since the book launch, and since then, I’ve heard words of congratulations, encouragement, and a few people who say I inspire them to tackle their own writing projects. These sentiments couldn’t make me happier. I hope I’ve inspired others to write and publish. That makes my day!
At my father’s suggestion, I decided to put all of this work I’ve created over the years into one collection. I’ve included little stories to warm your heart or make you feel less alone; compiled a little book to take with you on vacation for summer reading; created something you can tackle and finish because the stories are all short, so you can read at your leisure.
When you’re about to launch another book into the universe, you have to keep yourself grounded. You can’t set your expectations too high, and you can’t set them too low. You have to keep your feet firmly planted where they are and do the best that you can to spread the word about your books and your writing because it is all about choices: you have chosen this path of self-publishing.
As we packed the car in the morning to make our way to Santa Barbara, we bought breakfast sandwiches from the Inn at Spanish Bay. It was my brilliant idea to take the sandwiches to go so that we could have some time in Santa Barbara, as it was our quickest stop overnight. The ride was four hours, and I wanted to at least see the town before we had to move on to Los Angeles the next morning.
If you’ve read Jojo Moyes’s book, Paris for One and Other Short Stories, or Rosamunde Pilcher’s The Blue Bedroom, then you’ll have an idea of what’s coming in my new book 
When the trolley finally arrived, Anthony and I sat on the seat and let the kids hang off the side as we rode all the way to the park with gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge. I highly recommend the ride, even if the wait is long. It is so worth it. Watching the expressions on my kids’ faces as they hung on to the trolley as it climbed and then descended those steep streets was worth every minute of the wait. After hopping off the trolley, we took some photos in the park and then began our walk around the city, most notably taking the stroll down the famous Lombard Street as well as the steepest street in the city, Filbert Street. We walked to the Italian section and stopped at Molinari Deli for lunch, and ate our lunches in the park with a view of the church where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe had their photos taken on their wedding day (St. Peter’s). My daughter got a kick out of feeding the pigeons, causing a scene whereby tons of them descended and she was like the Pied Piper. We sampled some outstanding Italian Cookies from Victoria Mara’s that rivaled Baltimore’s Vaccaro’s, which is pretty hard to do. I also got to stop by and visit City Lights Bookstore, where all the beat writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg used to hang out. Afterwards, we climbed Coit Tower, the Butterfly steps, and many other streets to become acquainted with San Francisco’s hills, which offer incredible vantage points for photography in the city. We ended our tour by hopping in an Uber and seeing the Painted Ladies, Victorian homes painted in the all sorts of colors. That evening we ate at Fino in Union Square then completely crashed because we were so active.
The next morning after breakfast at The Cypress Inn, we were all sad to leave, but seeing the Inn at Spanish Bay quelled our sorrow. Part of the Pebble Beach Resort, the Inn at Spanish Bay had just received renovations, and we stayed in a room that was gorgeous! Because we were so busy, however, we didn’t get to use the resort as we would have liked, but the boys played Pebble Beach and loved every second of it. While they were playing, Ellie and I explored Pacific Grove and Monterey, and ate lunch outside at the Monterey Plaza, where waves were crashing beneath us. We finished up lunch the headed back to Carmel for some serious shopping, then caught up with the boys for dinner at Pebble Beach at The Bench. Dessert was delicious in the upstairs restaurant, The Tap Room, known as the best “19th Hole” in all of golf. The night ended as we all watched in awe as my husband took down a massive piece of coconut cake.
After the Giants won in extra-innings and we took photos of some of the statues celebrating great players like Willie Mays surrounding the ballpark, we began our walk to the boat where we would take a twilight tour (and the last tour of the day) to Alcatraz. We’d booked these tickets well in advance, so if you’re planning to go to San Fran and it’s a sight you want to see, be sure to order your tickets ahead of time. Along the way, we stopped at the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero, an historic building that serves as a terminal for ferry boats, a marketplace, and an office building. It’s worth pausing to take a photo from this location because it’s so beautiful. We continued on to our tour and lined up, and just as we did, the sky became cloudy and the winds began to pick up; the creepiness of Alcatraz was set in the distance and the sky reflected its stature and mood.
However, upon our arrival to the island, it was difficult not to notice the abundance of flowers—the colors of reds and yellows and pinks and oranges along the walls and grounds framing the landmark. Tour guides greeted us and offered a bit of brief history before we put our headsets on and listened to the best audio tour we’ve ever taken. The narrator, who guides and directs you through the jail, has a great voice—part gangster, part hard-ass cop—and he tells you to “turn left…look up…there are the keys that the prisoners stole…” as he recounts stories of jail, wardens, life on Alcatraz, and the famous escapes. Our kids thought this tour was fantastic, and my son does a pretty amazing imitation of the narrator.
