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”
Tag Archives: Sons
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”
The High C
Lani is a concert-level soprano 1 who passed on continuing her music career to start her family with Rob, a Coast Guard lifer. The young man’s mother has known Lani since childhood, and through quirks of circumstance–the Coast Guard for Lani and Dad’s law practice for Barbara–the two women are in the same congregation inContinue reading “The High C”
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”
A Present from Muffy
Muffy has long white hair with streaks of gray and black. Her eyes are blue and alert, though she is never mean. She is mom’s cat and sleeps at the foot of their parents’ bed. Her favorite game is to chase rabbit’s feet and, once she has caught them, drop them in her water bowl.Continue reading “A Present from Muffy”
The Primary Program
The boy has the biggest part of any kid in the primary sacrament meeting program. The primary president gives him the script weeks ahead of time, and he spends hours each week memorizing his lines and learning his cues. They have two Sundays of rehearsals, and he delivers all of his dialogue without looking atContinue reading “The Primary Program”
Fifteen Bucks for a Joy Ride
They have retrieved Peanut again from one of his neighborhood escapades, covered his new hole with a rock, and come back inside. It’s dusk on a warm, humid evening. Their mother is playing Super Mario Brothers. After Kevin showed her on his system, he gave her a turn, and she took them out that dayContinue reading “Fifteen Bucks for a Joy Ride”
The Boy’s Cat
When the boy was nine, he noticed a large black cat in their Leon Valley neighborhood. It dominated other cats. Sometimes, he would hear intense whining or crying and see the black cat on top of another cat, pinning it in place with his fangs embedded in the other cat’s neck. Once, he saw boysContinue reading “The Boy’s Cat”
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”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 