by Andrew Sarewitz Four children, each three years apart, raised by parents who instill similar values and make the same efforts and mistakes, still end up with outcomes that disprove nurture breeds consistency. We were three boys and one girl. I’m the youngest, which means, I’m lucky. Other than political views, we three boys span
by Robert Garner McBrearty In this version, the young woman drives through pouring rain and checks into an old, dilapidated motel where she is shown to her room by a tall man, the motel owner, who mutters something about his strange, ailing mother. The young woman steps into the shower, but senses movement, a shadow,
by Mark L Anderson I’ve always been fortunate when it comes to break-ups. More or less, I’ve never ended things with an earth-shattering argument, never ruined a favorite song, drank myself to oblivion, or had to burn all my photographs of someone. Well, I did have one bad experience. Years ago, I had a partner
by Brook Bhagat You show up in the afternoon. She hasn’t done her hair, and shadows hang in triangles under her eyes. The gray robe that used to be so soft is pulled tight and held hard. She props open the frosted screen door with her bare foot. “Why would you bring a cake on
by Margaret Guilbert BARN ROOFING My parents had wired $1,000 in cash to the A&P for me to find an apartment in New York, and I picked it up at the store on Third Avenue. There was a homeless woman standing outside in cold winter without a coat eating Campbell’s green pea soup from a
by Foster Trecost I read the lease like I’d read most leases, giving each line a fair start, but finishing only a few. After the first page I was eager to sign so I quickly flipped to the second, but in place of continued fine print, my eyes locked onto letters so bold they mimicked
by Niles Reddick Among the G-Wagons, Ferraris, and Rolls Royce convertibles, we parked our rented Ford Escape and walked with tourists and the rich and famous shoppers. My wife pronounced it “Ro-day-o” while I pronounced it “Ro-dee-o” because I was from the rural Midwest and had gone to rodeos my entire life. My pronunciation annoyed
by Barb Natividad When Max came and went from his apartment, one of his neighbors was usually in the tiny front yard of their building, sitting on a plastic lawn chair next to a cooler. His hands dangled from the arm rests. His left hand was missing three fingers. The neighbor always nodded at Max
by David Macpherson On a cold November morning, Walter backed the Subaru from his parking spot and hit something hard. He grunted as he got out to inspect the damage. The annoying alarm reminded him he had left his keys in the ignition. He forgot more these days— scenes hidden behind a thick wall he
by Geri Lipschultz “Did you notice that the most enlightened souls are born on January 1st, and the second most on December 31st? Did you notice that both you and Miranda are kings—not aces, however—according to your birthdays, alone? Fascinating it is how similar you are, even in your differences—you who dabble in the esoteric,