Devil’s Triangle—that’s how he remembers it, though he discovers later that it’s actually Satan’s Triangle. They watch it at Granny Laws’s house with their cousins on a slow summer day when their parents head out to be with each other. The TV is ancient—you can change channels by jangling keys in the air. It hasContinue reading “Where the Devil Lives”
Tag Archives: Humor
Beware of Tree Alligators
On summer nights, they are in bed by eight when the light is still out. They can hear the red-headed Scott Starr playing with friends and siblings in his driveway. Sometimes, their best friend next door, Kevin Luzius, is still out riding his bike. The boy and his brother hate it. This night, a gustyContinue reading “Beware of Tree Alligators”
You Can’t Steal My Motorcycle!
Today is the first day of the first trip he will remember. They are in North Carolina for a trial that his father is participating in for the Department of Justice. They are staying at a hotel on the beach. They are barely into the room before the boy and his brother are in theirContinue reading “You Can’t Steal My Motorcycle!”
What to Do if There’s No Toilet Paper
Right before bed on campouts was story and joke time. That’s when the man’s father would dig out Grandpa’s diary of jokes and off-color stories he had picked up while working on the railroads in southern Utah. So of course, when he takes his kids on their first campout to Titicut, he figures he willContinue reading “What to Do if There’s No Toilet Paper”
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”
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”
What This Neighborhood Needs
They have parked the car and just finished praying together. The young man looks at Elder Davis. “So we’ll check this media referral and if no one is here, we’ll tract this street.” “Sounds good.” The street they have come to is the outside edge of the snake pit—a two-mile area on the west sideContinue reading “What This Neighborhood Needs”
Nothing to See Here
Grant is old enough now to work the TV remote on his own. It is Saturday morning and Lauren and the man are in bed. Dragon Tales is droning and the man is between here and there when he hears: “Come on, Lucia! Let’s go get more ice cream!” They are awake now and flyingContinue reading “Nothing to See Here”
After the Play at Ford’s Theater
The boy is standing in the checkout aisle at the grocery store. The weekend before, his parents decided he was mature enough to sit quietly through the performance and took him to Ford’s Theater to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. As he holds his mother’s hand, he listens to the cash registerContinue reading “After the Play at Ford’s Theater”
Baby Games
The boy has a July birthday. He is also unusually small for his age—short, slight, and skinny. He is the youngest in his kindergarten class when school starts that fall in San Antonio. He does not know it, but his parents are thinking of holding him back. After his first day of school, he sitsContinue reading “Baby Games”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 