She showed him pictures of her kids; three, one in college and the other two in high school. The ring she wore was the size of Gibraltar; she was always into flash. She stirred her drink and he lit her cigarette. It felt funny to him; talking to her after all these years. He ordered […]

A car door slammed next door and it woke up the old man. He was trying to sleep off a whiskey hangover from the night before. Noises from all over kept him awake. Car doors slamming, people talking, diesels running along the highway, trains groaning through town; all of it made him toss and turn. […]

He heard the car next door. People were talking, the two doors shut, and the engine was turned on. It was loud; needed a muffler. Tires spun on gravel; seemed like they took off rather fast. He went to the front window; they were gone. This was one of many noises that kept him awake […]

He awoke to people talking outside. What are they doing? he thought. What are they plotting? he quietly opened his window. They were in the alley. A group of five. Mexicans. There was a pickup truck parked on the side. The men drank beer and threw the empties in the back of the Ford. They […]

Tomorrow. I’ll get it done tomorrow. It’s not as if anything will change in the next twenty-four hours. No. It will be the same. You’ll see, the old man said. He took out a Camel and lit it; opened a beer and drank. You’re always so busy, he took another swig. I spend my whole […]

He wanted to write about young love,but, the old man had forgotten what that was like. Forgot what it was like to lay with her head in your lap and watch the sun go down. Couldn’t remember ever running his hands through a woman’s hair. Or, holding her close down in his parent’s basement. Maybe […]

The winds sang that night; wooden gate swung back and forth. Trees swayed and diesels carrying piggy backs danced along the highway. The trailer park was quiet for the most part. Few lights were on. Cars parked in front of one trailer; lined up for their nightly fix. The old man sat in the front […]

There was a blood moon back in August. The night air was thick; could hardly breath. Mike G. sat under the bridge smoking a menthol cigarette, a Newport, came in a pretty green package with a clear wrapper ’round it. Opening up a box was like Christmas. He knew what he was getting, but, closed […]

Seated in a Vietnamese restaurant in Paris. I notice everyone is speaking English. The servers are speaking English, the customers, English words from the kitchen are screamed at one another. This feels very strange.

Did you see him? Yes, I saw him. What did he say? Nothing. He sat there in silence. Didn’t even look at me. Stared at the wall the whole time; a painting. Some barn on a farm. He just looked at it. Didn’t acknowledge me at all, Pete took a swig of beer. He can’t […]