The cab crawled to halt and Hubert felt a growing knot in his stomach. He handed the ragged driver several twenty dollar bills, each smashed and rumpled into a unique geometry. The heavy sedan door clunked shut behind him, and Hubert stepped onto the terrace of his childhood home. The… Read More »Collecting The Past
Her mother was all smiles and hugs when she answered the door, but Lisa could sense the resentment lingering beneath the greetings. It had been five years since they spoke in person, nearly fifteen since they’d been together under this roof. Lisa crossed the threshold, her mother’s welcoming hand upon… Read More »Homecoming
The mid-shelf rye wasn’t enough, and Clem had to beg for a taste of the good stuff that was surely tucked away. He whistled and waved with limited success. He knocked his knuckles against the ridge of the bar and gained little but a glance from the sweatstained purveyor on… Read More »Windfall
At three minutes to five, Amos Green reached over and turned off the alarm before it had the chance to ring. Taking great care not to wake the sleeping old woman who shared his bed, Mr. Green slide his feet from beneath the blankets and plopped them directly into the… Read More »Slow Dance
At some point, the little girl was promised, there would be fireworks. Kelsey trundled along on shoes velcroed tightly to her feet, fist wrapped around her brother’s index finger, and took in the spectacle of her surroundings. Shoulder showing halter tops, knees exposed at the edges of floral shorts. The… Read More »A Glimpse of Independence
The clipboard spring snapped its little metal bar dutifully back into place. An embossed pen, freshly filled with jet black ink, clicked into a custom-fashioned bracket. A pair of polished leather shoes traversed bubbling linoleum and approached the sole inhabitant of the waiting room. “I assure you, madam, the problems… Read More »Trinkets
The assault was only verbal, but injurious nonetheless. Not just to the victim, but to the fragile peace that held the third floor together. The tension was always present, morale on the brink of disaster. As if the girders beneath the carpet would crumble with the smallest acknowledgment of truth.… Read More »Last Day at The Office
Arrayed on a slab of gray slate, the tools of the trade sat untouched as an aging prodigy furrowed his brow. Each piece, the masterwork version at the maximum price, was perfect. The instruments of precision were usually a reliable conduit, but nothing was coming through. And so they remained,… Read More »The Architect
Paul was tired, and had been for as long as he could remember. It wasn’t that the days were long, though they were, or that he wasn’t getting enough sleep, though he certainly wasn’t getting the doctor’s recommended amount of rest in the few fitful hours he spend coughing in… Read More »The Works
“So what exactly are you trying to say?” Arms folding, closing her posture, Natalie looked straight ahead, head tilted slightly forward, staring past her clenched eyebrows with skepticism. The cafe buzzed around them, scattered people contending with the complexities of their own lives and paying little mind to the somber… Read More »Isaac and Natalie
