April’s marriage was a complete failure.  She had married young because that’s what girls did in west Texas. Carl was a few years older and well-respected in their community and church. He was industrious and devout.  Her parents liked him. He was never a romantic, but he’d treated her with respect when they were dating. That ended not long after the wedding. She told me everything sitting on the sofa in my living room. ...

Jerry woke and saw that his right leg was in a cast along with his left arm. He was hooked to an IV and the standard monitors. His right hand rubbed his chin. Feels like three days of growth. I’m not bound, and it does look like a regular hospital. Jerry drifted back to sleep.   oOo   Hanna had been home for three days and told Julie everything she remembered about what had happened. They’d cried about being back together...

There you are. Sitting across the room. The dark, empty room that keeps on stretching further and further. I look at you but I can't seem to meet your eyes. We've been waiting for as long as I can remember and we'll still be here for many hours more. You make your hands into fists and smile. You stare down at your feet. I grind my teeth. I wonder where your thoughts are. I look away. Outside the world is purple of the disa...

    “Well Tom, this is it. The final stop for your bachelor party.” The two best friends had stopped in front of an old Route-Master bus. The sign over the entrance read: Where Time Stands Still “Mike, this is a great joke, a greasy spoon for my what, my last meal?” “Yeah, you could say that. Now let’s go in and see about that meal.” The two entered and sat at the counter. A man dressed way out of fashion, unless retro wa...

Part 1: The Encounter  The phone chimed twice and vibrated in his pocket.  Jake pulled it out and saw two texts had just arrived:     DA    CODE RED     ES    30 Min out.  On my way. Code Red was an agreed-upon signal with Dave and Es that meant someone needed assistance as soon as possible.  Dave was tending bar tonight at his place.  Es was too far away to provide immediate assistance.  It wasn't clear what was needed,...

I waited patiently downstairs as Monica and Rachelle finished their meeting. It was just yesterday that Monica had returned from her year-long leave of absence. The first thing she did was to tell us that our District Manager had gotten promoted to a different district and that she had taken over this district.  She also wanted to talk to us one on one. I did not feel threatened by Monica, on the contrary, we had a perfec...

Carefree laughter, amplified by the night, transported Dave back from the depth of his novel. The distinctive voice of his niece pierced the darkness as they passed his cabin. “I’ll catch you up, just wanna word with my uncle.” Holly, fresh out of school and full of the bubbly enthusiasm of youth, had come to stay with him last summer, liked what she saw, made a few friends, got a job and never left. Fatherless from five,...

  23 March 2020.   Week 3 of CoVid-19 here and believe me, in a few days, the threat became real. People suddenly started having the shits; no toilet paper in the shops, shelves were stripped of essential groceries. For me, as shopping is a daily chore, I shopped smart considering others. When my wife told me, a lady was diagnosed in her office, naturally, I was alarmed, but decided to take it as it comes. On the Thursday...