Cheating does not have to be having sex with someone other than your spouse, but rather cheating your spouse out of something. My name is Leonidas. I am sixty-seven fucking years old. I was sitting up in the recliner, bandaging my hands. I lost my touch, I cut both my hands sharpening my spear. I needed another Corona, but I couldn’t open it, I didn’t want to break my teeth trying to open one. Where the fuck was my brothe...

My body was dripping with sweat as I ran down from Cinema 18’s low-side to high-side hallway. Outside, the storm continued to boom, and the emergency lights flickered on in the building. I weaved through the crowd of angry guests and rushed into auditorium nine. The screen was off, and the crowd of customers there were rising up from their seat. I pulled out my walkie and spoke into it. “Picture and sound are off in nine....

The rising sun's light brightened George's attic bedroom, filling the space with a pleasant warmth. His alarm had not yet sounded, but George was finally awake after what had to be at least ten uninterrupted hours of sleep. Feeling more rested and refreshed than ever, he tightened his blanket and relished the coziness for several minutes, enjoying the new and exciting feeling of well-being. His thoughts drifted to the fan...

Chapter 11 Nora “Hi baby!” Nora squealed in a pitch at least an octave higher than her natural register as she walked through her front door on Tuesday evening, arms full of bags and keys dangling precariously from her fingers. Being the mother of a cat was so often a test, not only in patience, but in balance as well. Tony weaved through Nora’s legs in bouncing figure-eights as he meowed so loud she was positive her elde...

George feigned illness to get out of gym class so that he could start working on Farah's piece. He spent all period on the top row of the bleachers, flanking the basketball court, scribbling on his tablet in a flurry of creativity. In truth, this wasn't the first time Farah was the subject of his art, but those were hidden away on sketch pads deep in his closet. Even though Farah's sketches were far more tame than the one...

I woke up early the next morning to the sound of birds chirping. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden light across the landscape. My dreams last night felt empty and devoid of thought, just those words resonating in my head like a frozen TV screen. Maybe I’m still in some kind of matrix, and all of this isn’t real. I stretched and yawned, watching the mist rise from the water and seeing the misty outline o...

After the CRJ landed in Santiago, I bid farewell to others including David and especially Terri who had decided that I was her little sister! But we knew that in a few weeks, we’d reconnect in Whistler and I quickly connected to my A350 for the long flight home. Andy had given me a spare Surface and I now had a Rapid Response logon. There were several emails I needed to answer so they could complete my onboarding. Once I...

As we continued to date, I was falling in love. We had our first sweet kiss. Athena gave me my first sensual haircut. I needed to buy an engagement ring from the Italian mob, but I needed to learn to dance from a hot friend. My name is Leonidas, I am sixty-seven years old. I’m reminiscing on my outdoor recliner, I finished my second Corona and just sweating it out of this old tired body. I grabbed my third and ripped the...

I woke at 4 AM in Ellie’s spare room, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite all the drama and tedium mere hours ago. After a quick shower, I pulled on a red Icebreaker 250 zip-up, last night’s jeans, and a thick polar fleece as it was cold outside and would be colder at my destination, though my heart would soon heat up there. I was shocked to see Ellie, normally useless until daylight, up and had pancakes ready. I wonde...

I was reminiscing about what I used to have before I was married, romance, sex, and giving the loves of my life more sexual pleasure than I wanted myself. My anticipation once married starts well then gradually but all falls to hell. My name is Leonidas. I am sixty-seven years old. I'm stretching out on my outdoor recliner on the deck of a huge house I built. I have a huge monster of a deck bigger than most houses, after...

Walking up the GX’s steps, I turned around and blew Sarah a kiss. I’ve seen this in happen in the movies and thought it was contrived. But this was from the deepest part of my soul, and I saw it had hit her soul like a freight train. I really had no choice leaving: two guys laid out with COVID and one with a broken leg meant that if I didn’t go, nobody would be available to do ground support on the deployed aircraft. If I...