Author: Emily Nguyen Le
Porter says ‘miscommunication’ between pilot and flight attendant led to incident Georgina Villeneuve and her service dog, Maggie, were kicked off a Porter flight last month after the crew didn’t seem to know the airline’s own rules around service animals. (Trevor Wilson/CBC) Georgina Villeneuve says the humiliation still stings when she thinks about being forced off a Porter plane last month. She was threatened by a flight attendant and berated by another passenger — all over her 20 pound service dog sleeping at her feet. “For a week I cried nonstop … [I] don’t like to create scenes,” the Edmonton…
It began around the holidays with what seemed like a passing stomach bug — or maybe just stress — but it didn’t go away. Despite escalating symptoms, her concerns were never met with urgency. That year of medical dismissal, she believes, cost her a chance at early intervention. For nearly a year, Georgia-Leigh Gardiner sought answers for the pain consuming her body, but doctor after doctor dismissed her concerns. By the time someone finally listened, it was too late. At just 28, the mother of a young son was told she had a terminal illness with a grim prognosis: around…
Kate had been saving money for her daughter’s birthday. She prepared everything her daughter would want, even if it meant going way over her budget. She never wanted her daughter to feel anything less than special. But when she saw the bill, she realized she had gotten in over her head this time. Kate walked hand-in-hand with her daughter, Holly, toward the restaurant, the cool evening air filled with the hum of excitement. Holly’s favorite restaurant wasn’t far, and her little feet almost skipped with joy as she looked up at her mother, her eyes wide with disbelief. For illustrative…
My 18-year-old daughter fell in love with a 60-year-old man and was marrying him against my wishes. She claimed she was madly in love with this guy. I was shocked when I discovered a chilling truth about him. The late afternoon sun bathed the living room as I sifted through mundane mail, the doorbell’s chime announcing Serena’s early arrival from her part-time job. She breezed in, her vibrant presence filling the space with energy and the scent of vanilla. I eagerly waited for this time of the month when she’d visit me. “Hey, Dad! You won’t believe what happened with…
It was supposed to be another day outside the station when I saw a boy, around 8 or 9, standing nearby. He wore an old t-shirt and shorts. He watched me and my K9, Koda, nervously. For illustrative purposes only I asked, “You wanna say hi?” He hesitated but stepped closer. Koda, sensing no threat, wagged his tail. The boy reached out and gently touched Koda’s fur before hugging him tightly, crying. I crouched down. “What’s wrong?” The boy whispered, “He looks just like my dad’s dog… before he left.” His words hit me hard. I learned that his dad…
For years, my wealthy in-laws pulled the same trick: “forgetting” their wallets at dinner to avoid paying. When they invited my mom to a fancy restaurant, thinking she’d fall for it too, they had no idea she was ready. This time, their scam backfired… spectacularly. I was raised to believe family stood for something — you know, loyalty, honesty, having each other’s backs. Growing up, my parents taught me that a person’s character wasn’t measured by what they had, but by what they gave. We weren’t rich by any stretch, but we never thought twice about helping others or paying…
Sophie was neatly ironing the clothes, enjoying the familiar rhythm: the hot iron, the smell of fresh laundry, the quiet hum of the telly in the background. It was a peaceful evening—until the doorbell rang. “Must be Oliver forgetting his keys again,” Sophie thought with a smile. Her son was always misplacing his wallet or phone, and she’d grown used to his absent-mindedness. Setting the iron aside, she hurried to the hallway, but when she opened the door, she froze. A stranger stood there—a woman in her thirties with a solemn expression. “Hello, Sophie,” she said. “I’m Emily. We need…
We thought we had everything handled — food, meds, walks. We even paid extra for the sitter to come by three times a day. Left a detailed printed guide of Baxter’s routine, complete with the playlist we usually put on when we’re away. But when we returned, something felt… off. He didn’t run up to us. No bark, no jump, no little “happy sneeze” he always did. He just sat by the garage door, staring at us with that same look he had the day we rescued him — like he wasn’t sure we were staying. I tried not to…
Olga froze by the stove. Steam from the boiling water rose, fogging the window. Through the haze, she saw the silhouette of her husband carrying two bundles. “What are you saying?” Olga slowly set the cup down on the table. “What children? Where from?” The door flew open. Artem entered the kitchen—his hair tousled, wearing a jacket covered with pine needles. In his arms, he held two boys wrapped in his old woolen blanket. One tightly hugged a worn plush rabbit to his chest; the other seemed asleep. “They were sitting under the oak, as if waiting for someone,” Artem…
Lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou, seen here in parliament on Monday, leaving France’s fiscal mess unresolved amid climbing borrowing costs. Benoit Tessier/Reuters Paris — French lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou Monday, plunging the country into a new political crisis and leaving it without a government at a time of increasing economic strain and geopolitical tensions. A total of 364 MPs voted against Bayrou and 194 voted for him after he called the vote in a bid to push through an unpopular €44 billion ($51 billion) savings plan that included scrapping two public holidays and freezing…