We left on a Thursday. I remember because I didn’t want to miss Law and Order. Before we left, we watched that show together a lot, mostly on the couch, falling asleep while bodies turned up in alleyways and Ice-T… Continue Reading
I used to visit Aunty Sash on Saturdays. My mother was glad to have a ten-year-old out of the house for the day. I enjoyed it because Aunt Sash fed me on cake and Corona which was a kind of… Continue Reading
The sun shone bright in the small southern California town’s blue sky. The fall wine festival was in full swing. A local band plucked their guitar strings and happy couples strolled by, holding wine glasses. Families walked together, enjoying their… Continue Reading
I used to live in this town. Alone, in a house just over the dunes. Today is the day, and I have made my annual pilgrimage back to the beach. I lie back and close my eyes. My body on… Continue Reading
As a tadpole, I spent my days lounging atop the spongey remains of yesterday’s dinner or soaking in the gurgling, acrid pool I called home. I whipped my tongue at falling bits of meat and beans. When bored, I practiced… Continue Reading
The old man’s first call from his wife was about which exact brand of peanut butter she should be getting since they no longer carried his brand. Her second call was about 10 minutes later. His ‘Hello’ got no response.… Continue Reading
Sarika lay unconscious in the driver seat. Clad in her blue silk saree complemented by a green blouse, a pearl necklace, and a Titan watch, she had been driving to the orphanage to adopt a baby brother for me. I… Continue Reading
The sand felt warm, the way it usually was on Saturday afternoons in Seaside Heights; face down on the beach under a hot July sun that burned my back and shoulders while Jenny was getting cheese fries and Cokes from… Continue Reading
With Susan it was different. Susan and Tom lived one house away from each other, and had been born only a week apart, so they had splashed in wading pools, stroked wooly bear caterpillars, picked up toads and climbed trees… Continue Reading
I hear them grunt as they nudge each other in the dark, their leg chains clanking around in weary indifference. Long after the cicadas cease their shrill mating songs and the hellish bellows of the cats retreat into the darkness,… Continue Reading