Until a week ago Christopher thought it was all coming together. After the incident with Melina and his boss’ reaction to it, he knew it was all coming apart. What to do? His brother-in-law, an addict forever in search of a quick cure, presently touted the “The Stages of Change” system, as a guide to … Continue reading
High Noon
Before her husband’s outburst, Jessica had considered confessing about the missed call. She prided herself on her honesty whatever the damage. The only subject she scuttled around—a perilous country of land mines—was Will’s father, the cause of the outburst. If Will knew what she’d done, he’d neither understand nor forgive her. As it was, he … Continue reading
Chariot of Fire
Hurtling along the Trans Canada Highway into the dusk, perched upright in my orange Toyota,
I’m a charioteer in my Chariot of Fire, blissfully ignorant of what may be around the bend.
I am potent.
Extra octane surges through my pulsating veins. Today, I challenge the Universe: hand to hand
combat, best out of three. Continue reading
The Usual Skeptics
“Before we were asked to choose months, we never fought,” Maggie said, pummeling the bread dough and whipping it around to give the other side a whack. “Bullshit,” her husband replied. He grabbed the newspaper in an attempt to exit the ring before the bell for the third round. In their years together, after a … Continue reading
The Wrong Box
New in town, Walter was delighted to be one of four locals invited to give a presentation on what the facilitator called his “profession” to the high school graduates. Chadville was obviously more appreciative of his type of work than was his former town, where they called a long haul trucker’s work a “blue collar … Continue reading
First Prize for Fight Free
Penny climbed unto the platform squeezing her flowered dress to her side to prevent the wind blowing it over her head. Her day had arrived. She was a winner, ready for the crown—albeit only a paper Mache one—but even more important, ready for the cash prize. As had been pointed out at a recent town … Continue reading
And You Are?
Strolling down the street, swinging his umbrella and minding his own business, Richard pulled up abruptly on finding that a favorite pub, the Crab and Crow, had been razed to the ground. Where years earlier, he and his buddies had caroused, a commercial sign advertised soon-to-be-built condos and business opportunities. Good news that. Perhaps the … Continue reading
Mendelssohn’s Eye
Since waking that Sunday, April had been in a tizzy, anxious to reveal her creativity to her husband Jeff. She’d have snapped the laggard from his snores but, having found the bed empty, she’d hurried to the kitchen. She was crestfallen to discover that the room was deserted. Her suspicions that Jeff had ducked down … Continue reading
Breaking Up
After running through a gamut of emotions—anxiety, guilt, and regret—Athena’s reaction to her decision had impaled Sheila with terror. She’d read of men—and to be fair, also of women—who were so enraged when a spouse or lover left them that they became violent, which is where things seemed to be heading. Safe in her cozy … Continue reading
Dudes in the Dell
On finally digesting the transforming word “gig” over the din of the pub noise, the friends sailed above the deflating grumbles of wives and bosses into a sunny future. Only on considering task number 7, did they detect the sound of a their hot air balloon hissing. Before that, expectations were high… “We’ve got a … Continue reading