Charles or the leg, which was it to be? Charles was difficult to live with, often a negative naysayer. The leg, on the other hand, was an easy partner, and offered comfort in difficult times. It was there for her when she returned home on the boil following a rancid work meeting, there when Charles … Continue reading
And Think Of England
Cocooned under what felt like silken covers, her eyes shut, Sandra noted how alarmingly quiet her apartment was. Usually on waking she heard water coursing through her neighbor’s pipes or footsteps patrolling the apartment above. When she hesitantly opened her eyes, she was confronted with an alien setting. Was it a dream? She closed her … Continue reading
Beating the Odds
The Eureka moment when Ron Ronaldson discovered how to live to 113 was quickly followed by endless hours agonizing over how to handle his discovery. Should he divorce his wife? He had promised to love Moira “till death do us part,” but that was when he expected they’d die at approximately the same time. Now … Continue reading
Table Man
Gillian wasn’t a practicing Christian but she thought Jesus, had things been different, would have made a loving husband. Always a good sign when a man is close to his mom and Jesus’ mother wasn’t the only Mary who thought he was great. So when she saw the personal ad, Gillian was captivated. “I can’t … Continue reading
Phoenix Rises
Tomorrow would be the “new start day” Kevin promised himself. But where to start? The mid-term essay was due at 9 the next morning; as yet his efforts were a clutter of disjointed paragraphs and midnight false starts. Drifting along, brushing past other straggling students, Kevin kicked at the papers tumbling across the campus quad … Continue reading
Aspirations
The moment the crown was placed on her head, Matilda acknowledged that even the acclaim that came with winning the regional Pickle Eating Contest—second year in a row—was as naught. Matilda’s passion was sheep; her goal was to be a shepherdess. She had joined the swaying group of people who were successes in the world’s … Continue reading
Ole
The moment her head broke the surface of the blissful water of consciousness, Mandy knew there would be no bullfights today. Her aching bones are crushed under her faded quilt and her head sizzles like a hot air balloon impaled in a blazing Spanish sky. “Get up, Mandy. I’m not phoning in again,” her husband, … Continue reading
For the Cause
It had gone well. No doubt about it. Five minutes into their conversation, they had been laughing and comparing notes about their loves and lives as if they had been together for years. She hadn’t been looking for romance and hadn’t expected the class would be the mother lode. Not a sport type, her goal … Continue reading
Kids, Cats and Quick Exits
For Larry, choosing between Trixie and his balloons was the most wrenching decision he had ever faced. Trixie was close to perfection with her bouncy blond curls, soar in the sky smile and understanding heart. He’d do anything for her, anything that is but give up his balloons. He had collected his first balloon (long … Continue reading
Quentin Blue Heron
Crouched at the end of the dock like a blue heron, a faded quilt pulled tightly around his hunched shoulders, Quentin is as jittery as the bugs—whirling dervishes that skim the lake at dusk. A mechanical hum from up the mountain shatters the morning silence. Is that his brain buzzing? The forested incline is dense … Continue reading