CJ Woods III’s Story Archive

The Divisions

November 8, 2018 | by CJ Woods III

As my mother clawed her way from welfare to nursing, she dragged me along with her, and when she sensed that her young teen might need more structure and guidance than she could give him, she asked the woman whose house she cleaned to intercede on my behalf. The timeline … Read More

The Wedding

November 1, 2018 | by CJ Woods III

When I was employed as an attendant at a psychiatric hospital, I became friends with one of the nurses. I do not remember how it was that we came to be close, or how that closeness was manifested, but she invited me to her wedding, and I accepted. My attendance … Read More

My Junk Drawer

October 25, 2018 | by CJ Woods III

My Internet service provider comes with a guard against unwanted e-mail. It does a very good job of filtering out spam, though it may occasionally dump an e-mail that I wanted to receive. I scroll through the headers on the “Junk” file before I empty it to make sure I’m … Read More

The Big Boom Theory

October 18, 2018 | by CJ Woods III

On the night of October 3, 2018, I was sitting in bed, surfing my TV for a show to watch. At about 10:20 p.m., a thunderous boom shook my neighborhood. I paused in my surfing, glanced around my room, and listened for other sounds of alarm, such as sirens. Hearing … Read More

Finding Something and Getting a Hug

October 11, 2018 | by CJ Woods III

My message to my friend had been this: “I found something that is similar to the gift I gave you.” Nancy Mahanes called me back and said, “I got your message, and I had to call you before I ended my night.” I had recently spent ten days in Sellersburg, … Read More