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: Sons
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”
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 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”
Yankee Clipper
The man settles into the barber chair for his appointment. Dick is back for the first time in months. Grant is two-and-a-half, and his hair is overgrown. He sits on a chair just across from the barber’s chair, waiting his turn. The door opens, and an old-timer walks in. He sees gray-haired Dick and smiles.Continue reading “Yankee Clipper”
Maximum John
The boy is dressed in a suit and is sitting in the passenger seat of Dad’s gray Chevy Citation. They are heading to the north side of San Antonio for the award hearing in a lawsuit against the government. His parents have let the boy out of school for a half day to accompany Dad.Continue reading “Maximum John”
Ain’t No One to Give You No Pain
They have been on the road for probably seven hours and spent another hour and a half at stops for lunch, the bathroom, and changing drivers. It’s dark now, and they are northwest of Albuquerque. They started from their home in Corpus Christi two days ago, and they plan to stay in Utah for aContinue reading “Ain’t No One to Give You No Pain”
Secret Weapon
The boy and Stephen are in their first year of Little League Baseball. They each have been given two cardboard boxes of chocolates to sell as a fundraiser. They have also been coached on all the fine points of selling the bars–the Pizza Hut coupon printed on the wrapper around the bar, the options ofContinue reading “Secret Weapon”
The Living and the Dead, by Gordon Laws 