The man’s son was dressed in his white shirt and tie and sitting at a desk in Paraguay; the man viewed him on screen through Facebook Messenger. His son coughed hard. “You sound sick,” said the man. “I’m not sick, Dad,” said Elder Laws. “I just went shopping, and they took my temperature and IContinue reading “Murder Ward”
Tag Archives: Fathers
A Real Opponent
The man had been wrestling with Lindsay at least twice a week since all activities had been shut down. They took turns doing two minutes in neutral, two minutes with him on bottom, and two minutes with her on bottom. On this late morning, Lindsay was unable to escape from bottom, unable to prevent takedowns,Continue reading “A Real Opponent”
Stop Snitching
Their cheeks were pink from the cold air, but they were both sweating from their run. “Lindsay was being a jerk, Dad,” said Grant. “Oh my gosh!” Lindsay exclaimed. She looked at the man. “He was soooo slow.” “It’s not my fault. I haven’t worked out in, like, six weeks.” “So the Missionary Training CenterContinue reading “Stop Snitching”
Homecoming
They left the minivan in central parking. The bridge to terminal A looked as it always did, with the moving walkway churning away and the “Welcome to Logan Airport” audio playing. But they were the only people on the bridge. When they entered the terminal, they were on the fourth floor, and as they reachedContinue reading “Homecoming”
No, I Am Your Father
In week three of online school with all extracurriculars canceled, they are now in episode V of Star Wars. The kids’ phones are at their sides. They have watched an episode per night–one night they made popcorn, another they made sundaes with packs from Peaceful Meadows. They have watched in chronological order, supposedly as GeorgeContinue reading “No, I Am Your Father”
Wiener Pond
He hates taking the side trails home to avoid the 20-meter puddle. Today, he has an idea of how to navigate it. He slows to a walk and starts around the edge of the puddle, his feet on the edge of the sand and water. He brushes against the thorns and sticks. At the pointContinue reading “Wiener Pond”
April Is the Cruelest Month
He was raised in the home of Master Baker Boswell DeGraffenried and only knew himself as Hank. His mother was a housemaid to Mrs. DeGraffenried, and she went by Ginnie. It wasn’t until he was nearly ten that he heard a field hand call her “Virginia,” and he said, “Why does he call you that,Continue reading “April Is the Cruelest Month”
The Natural
They have not yet played a game, and they are still being evaluated for positions. When Coach Shumate asks if anyone can pitch, the boy volunteers. He is picked to try out third, so he stays at shortstop while Mike Davila and Mike Sheehan each take turns pitching to a couple of hitters. Davila isContinue reading “The Natural”
The Queens We Use Would Not Excite You
They are spending the day at Aunt Camille’s house and hanging out with David, Katie, Adam, and Ben. David is the oldest in the group followed by the young man, then Katie and Stephen. Dad is upstairs with Aunt Camille. Jonathan is at work. Jared has gone on a roadtrip with a friend to California.Continue reading “The Queens We Use Would Not Excite You”
Put Your Trust in Ice Cream
They are in Corpus Christi to visit, and upon their arrival, Mom declared that she had done no shopping because she didn’t know what they would want since they had a baby now so they would need to go to the store. Fine, no problem. They are now at HEB with Grant in his carContinue reading “Put Your Trust in Ice Cream”
The Living and the Dead, by Gordon Laws 