The look on my son’s face was undisguised disgust. Hunched over in the noisy diner, Ben shook his head, his mouth twisted in a scowl. I offered a wan smile to our waitress as she replenished my coffee, wishing I… Continue Reading
For the first weeks after Nicholas ran away, I’d run for the front door in the morning. Ma would find me staring at the steps. At first she said things like “Maybe tomorrow,” and then after a while she’d go… Continue Reading
Thunder rumbled again from the southwest. The broad, two story house with its warm porch light might welcome him. But if a runaway had knocked on his front door long after midnight, his dad would greet the unlucky boy with… Continue Reading
Him, in a gray coat and red scarf. Him, one hand on the gas pump, the other in his pocket. Him, winking at me while whistling a tune. Me, in the same blue hoodie and jeans I’ve been wearing for… Continue Reading
She looks scared and not very bright. That’s Jared’s first impression, and he’s a man who bets on first impressions. She’s thin except for the swell of her belly, as round as a full moon. She’s wearing a pale blue… Continue Reading