My Fabricated Truth: The Time My Mirror Deceived Me

By Tijuana Fulford

My Fabricated Truth: The Time My Mirror Deceived Me is a short novella that is a part of a bigger collection where readers are allowed to answer and ask questions. This book opens with all the surface tensions and feelings that were happening amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 election, and the racial tensions that were happening throughout the United States. When Tina finds out she is pregnant, she is elated and excited to be starting a family with her fiance who is a proud member of the police force. There is just one small detail that is preventing Tina from ushering her bundle of joy into the world with smiles and joy... Tina just found out that she may not be who she thought she was, and if she is not that, then who is she? What is she? Will she tell the truth or will she lie? What will she do? What would you do? My Fabricated Truth: The Time My Mirror Deceived Me is a captivating piece that questions the fabric of what is right and wrong. This allows the readers and book clubs to have a meaningful discussion where each answer changes the life of multiple people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639859818

Book preview

My Fabricated

Truth

The Time My Mirror Deceived Me

T

IJUANA

F

ULFORD

Copyright © 2022 Tijuana Fulford

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2022

ISBN 978-1-63985-980-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63985-981-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

When the Mirror Betrayed Me

The Appointment

The Conversation

The Possibility

Are You Black?

The Ride

Mirror, Mirror

My Little Bundle of Joy

When the Mirror Betrayed Me

The sun had already set and I felt the same about my life, dark. My feet seemed like they couldn’t support my body weight any longer, and I needed support. I always knew it though. I had known for quite a while that things were not right. I mean, things just did not add up, but who would have thought this? My life was in shambles because of that tiny piece of information I’d stored on my phone. I felt like I was close to losing everything. What will people say? What would they all think? Would I be blamed? Hell, yes, I would be blamed. At that point, I could hear different voices in my head. Yes, I was losing it all.

No! I had to calm down! I got this. No one knew; I mean, I may have even misread the paperwork. This was too much to process. I decided to sleep on it and leave the worries for tomorrow. I grabbed my phone, which had quite recently become my most valuable possession because of the secrets it was hiding and crawled into the couch to get some rest. I tried closing my eyes, intending to leave the conscious world for a few hours though; even after fifteen minutes, which apparently seemed like an eternity, the only thing which revolved into my mind was what I’d read or maybe misread. I was still unsure.

I knew I had to talk. I needed to talk to someone to keep myself from losing my mind. Before I could decide on who I should call, my fingers automatically searched for the name in my contact list who always knew what to do—Ron, my business partner and my best friend. Of course, I knew that I didn’t have to tell him everything. Though Ron and I never kept anything from each other, I think I still didn’t dare to say that out loud. Moreover, I felt as if we were growing apart day by day. Yet I was sure of one thing that he would cheer me up.

Taking advantage of the privacy I had while I was alone in my house, I put the phone on speaker and heard those irritating rings before Ron’s vibrant voice sang into my ears. Hello.

Just his voice made me smile for an infinitesimal moment. Hi there! What are you doing? Please, I need to talk, but don’t talk about me.

Ron rambled about his day and how he went to some center to volunteer. Ron was always off doing some social justice work that honestly was never going to change anything. But hey, it made him feel good, I guess. I secretly unfollowed him on Facebook because I was tired of seeing all of his progressive ideas. I mean, someone, please give him an NAACP card already. While my ears were entirely filled with the voice coming out of my phone, my mind began drifting onto the smaller things: how my flawless creamy skin turned just the perfect shade of the sun in the summer, leaving me with a beautiful buttermilk glow, or how I had never done a squat in my life but had somehow inherited a little extra cushion. The perfect amount of it. The kind that makes you jump to get into your jeans. So many little things!

I really had made quite a life for myself. It was not always good though. I remember that around age seven, things started shaping up for me. The sad part is, I struggle to remember pretty much anything prior. Apparently, I had blocked it out or had amnesia. I decided to just move forward. There is no sense in dwelling in the past. It couldn’t be worth much if I could not remember.

Tina, Tina… Ron yelled through the phone. I had almost forgotten that I was on a call. Are you there?

I giggled and apologized to cover up my daze into the past.

Sorry to bore you, he stated plainly. I could guess the obvious irritation in his voice. You called me for something, remember?

I just called you to know how you’re doing. A brilliant cover-up, Tina.

Well, I just told you, Ron replied, keeping the irritation out of his voice, and before I could defend myself, he continued, Don’t bother to even say that. I knew you weren’t listening after a first few things.

This man knew me too well. Guess it happens with your best friends. I giggled again, losing all defenses. Sorry! I just wanted to hear your voice. We’ll meet on Friday as usual, right?

Yes, Friday evening it is. And are you okay? finally he asked.

I needed an even stronger cover-up now. Ron would know a lie in a jiffy. Yeah! I’m all right. I was bored. Jim’s on duty and I simply wanted to know where you were. I managed more lies somehow. Ron was suspicious; but before he could probe deeper, I heard someone call his name from behind, and we had to hang up. God bless that person!

As the call ended, I waited for Jim to come home. It was supposed to be the best time of our lives after all. Jim and I had been engaged for