He was young once, I remind myself, searching for an outline of youth beneath the sagging maroon paunches underneath his eyes. He reaches for my hand, and I make an effort to imagine away the wrinkles and tan-colored liver spots… Continue Reading
Smoke started coming out of the Corolla’s vents on the freeway and I was still in my costume. To make matters worse, I couldn’t fly. Since Mom kicked me out I had been living at the Sunrise Motel and spending… Continue Reading
I used to see the Poor Girl on the way to school. She had curly blonde hair, liked to skip, and didn’t have a coat. I think that’s how I found out she was poor; I asked my mother why… Continue Reading
Eric walked through Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in his favorite t-shirt — blue with NAVY stamped on the front in gold block letters. Mid-morning and he was already sweating through the shirt. He wished it were a lighter color, gray or… Continue Reading
“Man, we were good buddies. My dad always said he was a hard worker too. He hired Jake, my dad did. He worked like a bull too. Back then I don’t think he had much of a home life so… Continue Reading
I hate driving in snow, Margret thinks as she dumps a bag of ornaments onto the passenger seat of her car. She doesn’t even know why she does this. David’s been gone six years now, and their spoiled brat children… Continue Reading
Toast was too loud, and cereal even louder, and Julie was too hungry to stay asleep. She wanted to be out of the house by the time her father got up anyway. So she ghosted her way through the kitchen… Continue Reading
(in the summer of 2012 the London Olympics coincided with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee) It’s only money: that phrase had repeated a thousand times in Leuka’s head, but it didn’t help. At least it was a fine summer’s day: it… Continue Reading
I hated my options. Wouldn’t sell my jewelry. Agathe said, “You can’t take it with you,” but we can’t take anything with us. My husband had turned into a toad and hopped away; my kids were just starting out; I… Continue Reading
She hears the fat thump from down the hallway and pokes her head out from the kitchen. Sighs. Then reaches to turn the turnips down and throw her oven mitts on the tabletop. The dead weight of Granny, sunk into… Continue Reading