Christina Maria

At Peak Performance Bootcamp, deep within an interview session with Grant Lawrence, it was suggested that I work on my storytelling in order to develop my interview skills.
I think its a fun idea, and so I'll be writing stories for 30 minutes a day for a while, or maybe even interviewing my favorite people. I'll use a photo to inspire the stories. Heres the first,

Before bed when my brother, sister and I were younger our mama would tell us some crazy stories in order to try and keep us safe. This photo reminds me of one.

When my mama, Susie, and her best friend Debbie were 15, they were walking home from a baseball game in Richmond. They, "Progressive Contracting," had just lost the game against the "Mod Squad," 5-6 and Susie was venting about how the coach had pulled her from pitching the last inning. A white pickup truck pulled in close to the sidewalk, and slowed as the passenger side door opened. In an instant, Susie saw a man grab Debbie from the truck and reached for her herself, getting a good grip under her right arm. Debbie was caught in a tug of war, and after 7 seconds, she was free. Debbie ran after Susie through the wet grass, over the hedges and around the mermaid fountain in the first yard. Over the fence. Past the wiener dog, and an older couple having a beer in the second yard. Over the fence. They jumped 5 fences, a ditch, ran for a whole block, a ditch, toward the firehall where Susie's older brother worked. Bursting through the doors, out of breath, broken words and a pretty angry looking brother, slowly turned into some form of communication and Police were quickly informed. An alert and search were sent out, but the men in the white pickup truck could not be found.

My mama was a hero, and in seriously good shape. I remember eventually falling asleep picturing myself as my mother, proud, smart and fiesty.