Gordon Laws

A Poor Man’s Made Out of Muscle and Blood

The boy is ten and on his first All Star baseball team. They have completed their first practice in the simmering Corpus Christi heat, and it was nothing like regular Little League practice. Drills were far more intense, they conditioned, and they worked the entire two hours with no time wasted shagging balls or foolingContinue reading “A Poor Man’s Made Out of Muscle and Blood”

Ezekiel Wallace, 2

The next night, the five gathered under the live oak just past 10 p.m. They had all wandered in separately, roughly five minutes apart, to avoid being seen congregating or wandering together, but the streets and canals were mostly empty. Master Williams had been considered too old to enlist, so he had been a recruiterContinue reading “Ezekiel Wallace, 2”

Your Life Is a Mission

The stake president has released him from his mission. He removes his tag and tucks it in his pocket. “Could I have my dad give me a blessing?” “Sure,” says President Grande. His dad stands and places hands on his head. “Gordon Derby Laws, Jr., by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, I lay myContinue reading “Your Life Is a Mission”

I Have Killed Many Men

The missionaries are in a well-kept home in Alta Dena at the request of the mission president. He had called the young man to tell him that Kevin’s wife had asked for her husband to be taught, but he should not be pushed. The mission president had said, “It’s a delicate situation. Her husband isContinue reading “I Have Killed Many Men”

The Neighborhood Dealer with the Uzi

The door swings open. An Armenian man in his mid-40s smiles and lets them in without a word. He is wearing alligator skin loafers, white jeans, and a black silk button-down shirt. A pair of sunglasses sits on the top of his head. The young man and Elder Judd sit on a plush couch. “I’mContinue reading “The Neighborhood Dealer with the Uzi”

Haunted House

The man moves up the walkway to the front door and opens it. The door opens to a hall that connects to a dining room with a beat-up oval table. There’s one seat at the table and in that seat is his father. “What are you doing here?” “I don’t know. What are you doingContinue reading “Haunted House”

I Will Erase You: Ezekiel Wallace

Ezekiel Wallace The waters were dark and inky, rolling gently against the docks and rocking the battered, wooden oyster and fishing boats. The air was cool, the night quiet, and he gazed across the dark, moonless horizon, the star canopy arcing toward the rolling, watery oblivion. He breathed deeply the familiar salt air, the fishContinue reading “I Will Erase You: Ezekiel Wallace”

The Gray Lady, 3

My memories pick up with me sitting on the sidewalk and red and blue lights chasing each other around the snowbanks and gravel. Rob was next to me, and an EMT was asking him questions. A cop hovered over me, and he was talking but all I could hear was Quan. “Dude, we didn’t takeContinue reading “The Gray Lady, 3”

Be Sure to Check for Bombs Under the Bed

They live in a rental house in Corpus Christi while trying to find the home they want and selling their last home in San Antonio. The boy has already checked under his bed and in his closet—fortunately, he has found no bombs. Irrational? Maybe you haven’t seen Cloak and Dagger. Maybe you don’t remember thatContinue reading “Be Sure to Check for Bombs Under the Bed”

I Am the Rain

The thing about this fight is that it never really is a blowout. It’s quiet, with eye rolls, sighs, and “fine, if that’s what you want to do since apparently all we’re going to do is what you want” along with, “what? You’re the only one who has a problem with my idea.” But theContinue reading “I Am the Rain”