Gordon Laws

A Present from Muffy

Muffy has long white hair with streaks of gray and black. Her eyes are blue and alert, though she is never mean. She is mom’s cat and sleeps at the foot of their parents’ bed. Her favorite game is to chase rabbit’s feet and, once she has caught them, drop them in her water bowl.Continue reading “A Present from Muffy”

The Primary Program

The boy has the biggest part of any kid in the primary sacrament meeting program. The primary president gives him the script weeks ahead of time, and he spends hours each week memorizing his lines and learning his cues. They have two Sundays of rehearsals, and he delivers all of his dialogue without looking atContinue reading “The Primary Program”

Fifteen Bucks for a Joy Ride

They have retrieved Peanut again from one of his neighborhood escapades, covered his new hole with a rock, and come back inside. It’s dusk on a warm, humid evening. Their mother is playing Super Mario Brothers. After Kevin showed her on his system, he gave her a turn, and she took them out that dayContinue reading “Fifteen Bucks for a Joy Ride”

Toby

Ruthanne has a rocking chair in her room, so he sits there. The light is off, though a nightlight partially illuminates the room. He is home from his mission and waiting to go back to BYU. She is seventeen and is trying to keep pace with school, though she has suffered with the Epstein BarrContinue reading “Toby”

Medflight

Dusk in Glendale, California, and they stand on an old wooden porch. The door is partially open, and the young man knocks hard on the screen door. Traffic flies by at the intersection to their right, but there is traffic everywhere in California–it is the background noise to life out here. A tall Latina womanContinue reading “Medflight”

Kickoff Return

The young man plays tight end on offense and goes with the linemen during offense. They are in position groups, but drills haven’t started. Coach Bubba Arledge is leaning on the sled nearby and sees Sean, Roger, and the young man together. Arledge was an all-state guard on a state championship team. “How you doing,Continue reading “Kickoff Return”

The Thrill of the Chase

For the second summer in a row, Kevin is visiting for two weeks. They are in their new house on Eagle Drive three houses away from a public park. They have adopted Peanut, their new mixed-breed dog. They have a wrap-around driveway that extends from the street up the side of the house and aroundContinue reading “The Thrill of the Chase”

The Boy’s Cat

When the boy was nine, he noticed a large black cat in their Leon Valley neighborhood. It dominated other cats. Sometimes, he would hear intense whining or crying and see the black cat on top of another cat, pinning it in place with his fangs embedded in the other cat’s neck. Once, he saw boysContinue reading “The Boy’s Cat”

Take the Trash Out, Please

Graham is sitting on the couch watching a Minecraft video on an iPad. “Hey, bud, could you take the trash out?” the man says. “No,” he says without looking up. The man sighs. “Let me rephrase that. Take the trash out.” “Uggghhh. Why?” “Because it’s full and it’s your job.” “Why can’t Lindsay do it?”Continue reading “Take the Trash Out, Please”

You’re Easy

Coach Slaughter left for Lufkin after the young man’s freshman year. He was replaced by Gary Davenport who was making the jump from 3A to 5A and who brought with him the old school wing-T offense. His hiring had been opposed by major boosters, and the players had all voted to have Coach Powers, Slaughter’sContinue reading “You’re Easy”