Sarah held her sister tightly, preventing her from disappearing beneath the waves. Linda sputtered, taking several deep breaths as the young woman helped her to her feet. “Are you guys all right?” Billy shouted in the distance. Sarah kept her hands around Linda's waist until she was sure her sister could stand alone. “Sis, you gotta watch those waves,” Sarah furrowed her brow, examining Linda’s face. What the fuck? Sarah...

Friday, June 7. Memorial Day had come and gone and summer went into full swing along the coast. Kids were freed from school and beaches filled up with people, traffic, noise and chaos. Linda Anderson, as was her habit this time of year, managed to back away from a stressful job as a senior legal secretary to take her son Billy and kid sister Sarah to the small coastal village of Port Edmund for a four-day weekend. This fa...

Eventually, I go downstairs. Clodagh is watching yet another crappy reality show... Married at First Sight Australia or something. I slip onto the sofa beside her, resting my head against her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, my finger drawing a pattern on her thigh. She doesn’t say anything for a moment and I worry she’s really pissed off with me before she turns and smiles. She kisses the top of my head and laughs. “You...

It was early in 1985. Ronald Regan has just been sworn in for his second term as President. The hottest movie in town was Beverly Hills Cop, starring Eddie Murphy. Families sat around the television to watch shows like Dallas, Dynasty, Cheers, and The Cosby Show. Home computers were rare and simplistic. New cars tended to be smaller, and imports from Japan hurt the American auto manufacturing effort. The 1984 Olympics end...

I slammed the door behind me as I stormed out of the house and into the backyard. I sat in one of the patio chairs and tried to think of anything else but the fight over my joining the volleyball team. I was so furious I could scream. I just wanted to be me. I just wanted to be left alone. “You have been a cheerleader since junior high dear, try something new. Maybe if you were more like some of the other girls you wouldn...

Katie was a hitchhiker I'd given a lift to after picking her up close to my home. She had come home with me and we'd slowly gotten to know each other over a couple of days. I didn't know much about her, other than that she was a single mom with complexity in her life and a daughter at college somewhere. We'd headed out for supplies, a change of scenery, some clothes, and food. We'd come slowly back home, walking around th...

I left Michigan with Annie, my little sister, the day after I graduated high school in June 1987. After crossing the Michigan/Indiana border, I swore I’d never return. With the exception of layovers at Detroit Metro Airport, it was a promise I kept to myself, at least until Gary Mertz died. Once I saw that a bunch of my old classmates, including Kimberly Crane, were going to be attending the funeral, I decided to break my...

I lie with Katie in the middle of the bed, her red hair splayed out on the white cotton sheets. Her pink nipples are hard and her curls are damp and smeared with our combined juices. I gaze into her big green eyes and smile at her. I lean in and brush her mouth with my lips. “Oh, Mammy,” she whimpers. “You’re such a good girl,” I whisper. “Am I, Mammy?” she beams with happiness as we snuggle. My fingers idly stroke her hi...

I wait for Katie to join me; to come downstairs on some pretext or other but she doesn't show. Aoife’s bedroom door is firmly shut when I come upstairs for bed and though I lie awake for hours, I don't hear Katie sneaking out of bed. Sunday morning comes and part of me is relieved and part is disappointed. Clodagh will be home today. Katie needs to go home and this affair will become like a dream and I’ll wonder if it rea...

I come down for breakfast the next morning and find Katie and Aoife already at the breakfast bar, munching their way through the crunchy nut cornflakes. Katie blushes and smiles sheepishly, watching me over the top of the cereal box. Images of last night flood my mind as I lick my lips instinctively, imagining I can still taste her flavour on my tongue. She’s wearing the same pair of too-tight pyjamas, the ones I had stri...