May 2010
11 posts
Lecture Halls
Liam gripped the edge of the porcelain sink and thought of a plan. He looked into the mirror, smiled and then frowned. He heard a knock. His back tensed. Then the handle jiggled. He held his breath. It was locked. Then the sound of crunching gravel.
He breathed. In and out. He held it in again. Then exhaled. He turned around and headed for the door.
“It was you?”
...
One More Time
I can’t see him. I can’t hear him. I look at my watch and hope he’s around the corner. I hear footsteps and feel my back tense up.
“Tommy?”
No answer.
“Tommy?”
It’s dark. I’m hiding behind a dumpster. I’m crouching, miniskirt around my waist, wishing I had bothered to dress appropriately for once.
“Are you...
Hot Days
“I don’t reward dirty deeds,” he said, staring me down. I shrugged. I had wasted enough time on this man. He was the one that asked me to do it. If following orders got me nothing, I might as well do what I wanted to do.
It had been a long time since I’d seen Carol and I longed to be in her arms. I had no idea what she’d been up to for the last two years, but I...
Opposite
She couldn’t take it anymore. The bumpy ride, rude passengers and obscene language. She needed to get out of there. There was only one way out. She wanted to take control, slide behind the wheel and drive it away. The only thing she could do was wait for the next train to pull in and jump.
In Kind
She was empty-handed when she walked out of the store, but she still gave the man holding the door fifty cents. He hooted and hollered and tipped his hat in thanks. She thought that would be the end of it. But the next day he recognized her on the street and said, “Good evening, young miss” as she walked past. She nodded her head in appreciation. He continued to greet her when she...
Looking Up
The only time Felix didn’t feel lonely was when he heard the first clap of thunder. It didn’t matter what he was doing, he’d stop, put down his chainsaw and look into the sky. He would patiently start counting waiting for the flash. The sky was his opera. The way everything got quiet right before the big dramatic finale and the way the clouds would cry on him, moved by the...
Success!
Daniel Copperhead had a hole in every single pair of pants he owned. He refused to buy new pants and wore his hole-ridden khakis with a sense of pride.
“Why don’t you buy a new pair?” His wife pleaded with him while holding up his tattered jeans.
He couldn’t do it. He worked too hard to throw it all away. It was proof. It was no longer just a throwaway comment or a...
Beauty Full
She was distracted by her hair. The way it stuck to her lips in the wind. The way she’d always stop to look at her reflection in a window, fixing the stray strands, readjusting her bra strap and finally walking away. She never thought about the strangers inside staring at her while they drank their cafe au laits. She hoped they were just as mesmerized by her appearance as she was and...
Yes
Ben never said no. Sometimes there were maybes. But mostly he lived in the world of yes-yes-yes. He was in a constant state of pleasure. He tried the newest technology, weekend getaways to Bermuda were the norm and he always woke up with a smile on his face.
As a child, Ben was told no so many times that his face was always in a frown. It’s not that he never had happy moments, but he...
Empty-handed
Julie Jones owned rare diamonds, apartments in Paris and a wardrobe full of Jimmy Choos. Julie wasn’t just rich, she had it all. Whatever she wanted she could have bought, but the problem was that she could never make up her mind. Everything she owned was gifts. She had closets, rooms and houses filled with things. She never said no, but she never said yes. The only thing she ever...
Cloud Postcards
Maryanne lived amongst the clouds. Tired of long airplane rides between her divorced parents, she chose to live with neither. Her life in the sky wasn’t all cupids and angels, but it was peaceful. When she looked out the window of her cloud castle, she could count the stars till she fell asleep or rise in the morning as the sun said hello as it did everyday in his baritone voice. She...
