Roman Sherwood never expected anything from his drill instructor but glares and open-handed blows. Then came the day of the inspection. Sergeant Musselwhite singled the boy out, directed him onto the quarterdeck, and taught him how to wear a necktie… Continue Reading
Cutting away the bad parts is important. Mama takes the shears and snips-snips-snips.I take a note in my head to cut close to the bone, avoid wastage, and not let the scrapsgo unused. She cuts further, gliding her knife along… Continue Reading
Lila heard a sigh on the other end of the line. “How did it happen?” her mother asked. “The usual way,” said Lila. “Lila. You know what I mean. Do you two not use protection?” “Mom. It happened.” “And you’re… Continue Reading
Mom had all but thrown us in the backseat of the station wagon, her rage boiling up front, as we sat in a gathering twilight and watched the Ferris wheel spin its rainbow jewels around the sky. No cotton candy,… Continue Reading
After midnight, still eighty-eight degrees and humid, we pulled bikes from the garage of our rental house and headed out, wheels spinning down the same tree-lined avenues we rode when Jeannie and I were twenty. In those dog days of… Continue Reading
Isla paints her nails, one finger at a time, each a vibrant petal of pink, coral, or peach. It’s a contrast to her skin, the color of a dull stem. Her veins, blue surface roots sprouting on her arms, pallid… Continue Reading
There were nights I climbed out on the fire escape and listened to the voices above. I should’ve been doing my homework, because I’d be stuck in the sixth grade for another year, but Dad had just left for work… Continue Reading
You probably don’t remember. In fact, I doubt anyone remembers. Maybe that dog of yours that Dad found huddled in a Coca-Cola crate behind Steve’s filling station off Highway 83 just south of Thedford. I always did like that dog,… Continue Reading
I. In Edinburgh the bagpipes are for tourists. I’m sorry but it’s true. I don’t mean to be a snob. But in Stirling they’re more genuine. They roll over the floodplains and you never see who’s playing them. You can… Continue Reading
The sun was too bright and the sky was too blue. My eyes had nothing to hold on to as we scrabbled along the cliff’s path. You walked faster than me, as though your exertion would make the ordeal more… Continue Reading