When I picked Mona up from the airport, she complained about the turbulence. “It was awful! The captain said it was supposed to be calm, but we hit a rough patch that lasted twenty minutes!” “Sorry, that’s probably my bad,”… Continue Reading
The chair didn’t fit in the room. It didn’t match anything else. Its faded yellow upholstery was just the wrong shade to match the lighter walls. Its pink flowers, liberally scattered across the fabric, matched nothing at all. Its wooden… Continue Reading
I say, “Don’t you think the name’s a little simplistic, a little unsophisticated?” “Joyland,” Elaine repeats as we walk the dry brown hills. She adjusts her Ray-Bans. “I think it’s perfect, Stephen.” She found the property a few weeks ago.… Continue Reading
I wanted to shove them into the tracks. I’d lost count of how long it’d been, but I was too conscious of the touches on my body; the scrape of an arm here, the brush of a leg there and… Continue Reading
At this moment, I am a very satisfied man. Beth is lying next to me, snoring softly. I am going to make this work, I can make this work, I tell myself. A divorce is out of the question now… Continue Reading
First, I’d like to thank my agent, Suzann Semmel. Without you, I’d still be sitting at a table at that soul-crushing Burbank Starbucks where you found me, typing away on my laptop, rudderless and angry with the world. Thank you,… Continue Reading
I noticed several pink and yellow children staggering around in a nearby yard as adults squatted on their hamstrings and pointed enthusiastically in various directions. In response, the sugary children would charge off toward… nothing. The scene confused me until… Continue Reading
My hands are hovering above my open eyes. I let out a deep sigh in the hopes that my wife will hurry up so I can get back to the game. I cast a quick glance below at my son,… Continue Reading
“Thank you for calling Central Core Data Collections,” the computerized voice said. “If you’re a customer, press one. If you’re an analyst, press two. If you’re a data collector, press three.” Collector 980 stretched out his robotic arm and using… Continue Reading
“How much does it cost?” “That depends; how much can you afford?” The man who had entered Ava’s office was seventy if he was a day. His face was set in a permanent scowl, his lips pursed at the corners… Continue Reading