Even now, his mother tells the story the same. “There are so many things all these doctors and experts don’t know. Like Bigfoot. People think he’s fake. He’s not. My daddy saw one.” “Really?” “Yes. He was a coal packer and trucker. He used to haul loads down from the mountains in Utah. One time,Continue reading “Yes, Virginia, There is a Bigfoot”
Tag Archives: Sons
I Think It’s an Important Message
Near evening, the author has just finished and printed his first novel. It is about a white football coach in a black part of San Antonio. The author’s father is preparing for trial, so they are sharing the office. “Dad, can you read the trial scene for me? I want to make sure it isContinue reading “I Think It’s an Important Message”
We Don’t Know What the Next World Will Be Like
It is early afternoon. The man sits on a kitchen chair next to his father. His father pushes a button, and the train begins to run around the long oval track. “I love trains. Your mother got this for me as a very early Christmas present so I could enjoy it longer.” It has beenContinue reading “We Don’t Know What the Next World Will Be Like”
Among the Dead at the Mule Shoe
Thunder of cannon. Line after line of men, issuing sheet after sheet of flame—that’s the vision he sees. He is standing on a trail inside Union lines. He stares across the empty field at the Mule Shoe of Spotsylvania Courthouse where Union and Confederate troops fought for 24 straight hours, often with just wooden defensiveContinue reading “Among the Dead at the Mule Shoe”
You Think You’re Dying of Cyanide Poisoning?
Visions of his own death at any second—that’s all the boy can see in the dark as he lies on his back. That and the news report he had seen while passing through the front room to play outside near dusk. He could see bottles of the soda Slice being pulled off the shelves. “Stephen?”Continue reading “You Think You’re Dying of Cyanide Poisoning?”
Christmas Nightmare
On Christmas morning, the boy and his brother could stand it no longer. “You awake?” says the boy. “Yeah,” says Stephen. “Think we got hoppity horses for Christmas?” “Hope so.” “Wanna go check? “Think we’ll get in trouble?” “Not if we don’t get caught.” “What time is it?” “3:45.” “Mom will KILL us.” “No, we’llContinue reading “Christmas Nightmare”
This Will Be the Day That I Die
Until South Padre Island Drive ends. That’s how long you drive to get to Big Shell. You drive the island expressway across the bridge, pass Snoopy’s on the right, pass through Flour Bluff, watch it turn to a two-lane road, and then there are sand dunes and a sign that says, “Four-wheel drive vehicles onlyContinue reading “This Will Be the Day That I Die”
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”
Their God Would Be a Lion
Under the stars and the soft pier light they stand with poles in hand. The bass have been biting in a spot where the light shines brightest on the water. Stephen has snagged two already, while the young man has pulled in a catfish. Their dad has been skunked so far. “I never liked fishing,”Continue reading “Their God Would Be a Lion”
Why Don’t You Try Something Different?
The man sits on a leather couch. He keeps his phone at arm’s length and facedown. His therapist is how you picture a therapist—a sweater, salt and pepper hair, glasses, trim, legs crossed, leather shoes, a steno pad on his lap and a pen in his right hand. They are two-thirds through the session. “SoContinue reading “Why Don’t You Try Something Different?”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 