Gordon Laws

Damn You, Paddington Bear

Sunday morning, the boy sits in the second pew with his family. Stephen is next to him. They each have coloring books, and he is trying to stay inside the lines while Stephen is trying to draw bears on his. A speaker is at the podium saying things the boy does not understand or careContinue reading “Damn You, Paddington Bear”

The Casket Is Open

Early in the evening, the young man goes with his best friend Ted to the calling hours at Seaside Memorial Funeral Home. Chris’s mother is sitting about three pews back from the casket next to a man. She is bone thin and wearing a gray pantsuit. The man must be her second husband. Her firstContinue reading “The Casket Is Open”

You Remind Me So Much of that One Girl

Before dinner, they sit in the living room waiting for Granny. She is making lasagna, and it is best to leave her alone. The young man sits on the couch next to Lauren, holding her left hand in his right as they watch TV. He runs his index finger around the small $600 diamond heContinue reading “You Remind Me So Much of that One Girl”

Don’t Cut Yourself

The sun is high and hot. The young man is hanging around with the running backs and receivers. Brian is new to the team—tall, bulging biceps, and a tattoo, all as an eighth grader. “Dude, what’s up with your wrists?” says Javier. “Oh, I got a super sharp knife and I cut myself.” “On purpose?”Continue reading “Don’t Cut Yourself”

They Won’t Kill Me if I’m with You

The young man and Elder Johnson tap on the door, and a young Latino waves them in quickly. “You didn’t see no one else out there, did you?” he says. “No,” says the young man, as he sits down on the couch. “Why? What’s up, Anthony?” Anthony peeks out the window, which is covered byContinue reading “They Won’t Kill Me if I’m with You”

I’m a OG

It is dusk in the snake pit. The door opens, and the man immediately lets them in, motioning them to a card table in the kitchen. He is probably mid-twenties, black, trim, and wearing dreds and a white muscle shirt. “Always good to see people who represent the Lord.” They chit chat a few minutes,Continue reading “I’m a OG”

What Did You Do That For?

Stephen is ahead of him coming back into the house from playing basketball in the driveway. As they reach the front room, Ruthanne comes from the hallway leading to the bedrooms. She is bawling and holding up her thumb. A sewing needle is sticking straight through it. “What did you do that for?” Stephen bellows.Continue reading “What Did You Do That For?”

Be a Winning Winner Who Wins, Not a Losing Loser Who Loses

They have just finished playing 2 v 1 on a full-length U12 field. Lindsay and Graham both play for Liverpool locally, but the man has beaten them 18-12. Lindsay is irritated about it. “All right. Over to the big goal. Five-shot PK shootout.” “Seriously, Dad? I wrestled and then we played and I’m exhausted.” “OhContinue reading “Be a Winning Winner Who Wins, Not a Losing Loser Who Loses”

Why Don’t You Try Something Different?

The man sits on a leather couch. He keeps his phone at arm’s length and facedown. His therapist is how you picture a therapist—a sweater, salt and pepper hair, glasses, trim, legs crossed, leather shoes, a steno pad on his lap and a pen in his right hand. They are two-thirds through the session. “SoContinue reading “Why Don’t You Try Something Different?”

Revelations Communicate Divine Intelligence

What the man would like to know is if the dreams are revelatory. He has read about Joseph and his interpretation of dreams. He has studied Lehi’s dream. He has studied Daniel and the stone cut out of the mountain without hands. In his stewardship interview with the stake president, he asks, because after all,Continue reading “Revelations Communicate Divine Intelligence”