When Lauren worked for BYU’s records office, she made fifteen thousand per year . . . after her first raise. The man worked two jobs in the summer and one job during the fall and winter semesters. They lived in married-student housing, and they scrimped by, saving about fifteen hundred dollars over a year andContinue reading “The Last Room in Town”
Category Archives: Adult Years
The Beautiful Game
Soccer is simple for kids, right? Kick the ball into the other team’s goal and stop them from kicking it into yours. So they sign Grant up for soccer at age five. Grant has always been big, and he appears to be seven years old and playing with runts. Which would be to his advantageContinue reading “The Beautiful Game”
The Mud Pond
Grant is old enough now that when he and the man go fishing, the man will let him wander off by himself if he gets bored. Ever since birth, Grant’s attention has wandered, and today, it wanders after about twenty minutes of fishing. So he leaves his pole with the man and heads off downContinue reading “The Mud Pond”
I Want You to Be Honest about Something
The man has three distinct scenes in mind before this conversation with Lucia. At age eight, she hit her five-year mark with the local dance company, which meant that she was to receive a five-year award at the spring dance recital. They issued these awards partway through the recital. Each kid’s name was called, andContinue reading “I Want You to Be Honest about Something”
Wicked-Old Boomers
For years, Graham has watched Minecraft videos on YouTube, particularly by Stampie, who has etched out a following in the millions. Graham is eleven now and has begun experimenting with his own content on YouTube. Lauren and the man are working together on dinner in the kitchen. Graham comes in and announces, “There’s a guyContinue reading “Wicked-Old Boomers”
Hostage Rescue
The man’s oldest son has turned twelve, and today is his birthday party. Their new house has more than one hundred acres of woods behind them. They have allowed him to invite a bunch of friends for a party, and Lauren has turned over the activities to the man while she handles food. “Don’t worry,”Continue reading “Hostage Rescue”
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”
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”
To Monitor a Cat’s Blood Sugar
They are in Texas for Christmas eight months after being married. They are sitting in the front room getting ready to watch a movie with Ruthanne and the man’s parents. Mom comes in dressed in a nightgown and her slippers, and she carries a bag full of needles. “Lauren, before I forget,” she says. “IContinue reading “To Monitor a Cat’s Blood Sugar”
A Comprehensive Guide to Potty Training
She is not like Grant. She plays quietly with dolls, cuddles easily, and hates being dirty. She has transitioned out of diapers and pees easily on the potty. The man walks through the kitchen into the hall. A noise from the half bathroom at the end causes him to turn. She is sitting on theContinue reading “A Comprehensive Guide to Potty Training”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 