He was approaching Chicago from 30 in Merrillville. Soon the old man would be on 80. Then The Skyway taking him into the heart of the city. Leaving Gary, Blue Island, the Southside behind. Skin and Bones was heading North. Goin’ back to his Lakeview neighborhood of old. Back to the old bars and joints […]
She sat in the front room knitting a sweater while he watched Wheel Of Fortune. Both of them, sitting in their Lazy-Boys with old feet propped in the air as Vanna turned letters and Pat was wittier than ever. Buy a vowel, the old man said. I said, buy a vowel you idiot, he took […]
There was nothing he could do. After driving for days, miles and miles through the West, he’d come to that conclusion. Maybe it was better this way. Penniless, gas tank on E, no dog to take care of. All responsibility tossed aside; he figured she’d make it on her own. At the rest area, he […]
Watching hyenas run from lions. Thinking of you. Watching hyenas attack a deer. Eventually the fool wins. We always wanted too much. Too many vacations, too much money. The odds stack up. We never had a chance.
She wore a dress for the first time in years. It was a black dress with red roses sewn on to it; came down low exposing cleavage. He told her she never looked prettier. Said it was like he was falling in love all over again. It’d been years since they got dressed up and […]
He drove out to the state line; one side Indiana, the other Ohio. Out where Allen County turns into Defiance. When he was younger he used to come over here and buy beer. They’d pile into the old Ford and take off for cheap thrills; Mickey’s Big Mouth, Rolling Rock, Falstaff; whatever was on sale. […]
There was always somethin’ there ‘tween ’em. He’d look up from the want ads and there’d she be; hoverin’ over him with a pot of coffee ready to pour. It was like it was magic; she could read him and he could read her. Timing is everything; right? So, they sat at the kitchen table. […]
He remembered his past. All the way back to when he was a kid in Arkansas picking plums during the midnight hours. Looking for the perfect one. The moon was high and full, shining down on wet grass that yellowed in the coolness of the Fall. This was the last of summer’s harvest. Soon the […]
She saw him ‘cross town over on North Avenue. ‘Bout where Milwaukee and Damen run into each other. He was walking out of the check cashing place; just got paid; there was a jingle in his step. First thing he did was walk into the diner, she looked on from her old Dodge that was […]
They sat there in darkness on a park bench. She held onto the flowers he had given her earlier that evening; a mixed bouquet of different colors; gold, rust, yellow, with green leaves wrapped in plastic. She had never got flowers before, made her feel wanted, loved. On this night. On this night. He took […]
