Five Minute Observations

Author: Joe Class III

  • 299

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “299.” “How do you know that?” Standing over the spilled various colored Skittles, a young girl asked. Blonde. Tightly braided pigtails trailed down her shoulders, tied in bows with a bright red ribbon. Her bib overalls were a little too big, the cuffs falling over her well-worn Chuck Taylors. On the front of the bib…

  • Cohen, Levinsky & Associates 

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Gerry! Hey Gerry! Can you hear me?” “Hmm?” Pulling off the Bose headphones, the young blonde stared straight ahead without blinking, waiting for her boss to say something. Instead of answering, she waited, knowing full well anything other than a correct response would warrant a severe tongue-lashing. “Gerry, didn’t we submit the billing for Harris…

  • Church Ladies of Birchhaven

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “What happened to Jennifer and Sarah? I thought they were friends.” After eating a light lunch at Pete’s Diner, Francis and Martha sipped their espressos. Both women were friends from the local Southern Baptist church, lifelong followers of Jesus, and very stuck in what they would say is their views of Christianity, regardless of how…

  • Field Trip to Monterey

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Good idea. Bad idea. I think the first time I heard that was in the early 90s with the creation of Tiny Toons, Steven Spielberg’s animated cartoon. It was an animated bit that didn’t include any iconic Warner Brothers characters, like Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck. That’s what made it unique. It featured a skull…

  • What He Said

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    All I wanted to do was get a cup of coffee. In line and talking to the woman standing in front of me was the least of my concerns. As an on-air talent for a radio station, it’s not abnormal for fans to catch me somewhere and want to chat. And most of the time,…

  • Worse than Mount Vesuvius

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “The shockwave itself would be greater than the sum of all the worst volcanoes we’ve ever seen in the last hundred years, Todd. Worse than the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii. It’s impossible from today’s physics.” “But there’s quantum theory. What about the possibility of everything, everywhere, existing in one plane…

  • Dreamer-ite-tist

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

         “Just picture it,” his hands gesticulated wildly, “best resort on the whole freaking island! We’d be millionaires in no time!” Jonathan wasn’t surprised that Gary talked about sandy beaches, sunshine, and surfing. It was his longstanding passion. Living in Chicago wasn’t conducive to the tanning bed California look, nor his love for surf, beautiful women,…

  • Judge Leimback (con’t.)

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

          “Jared, I’m serious. He’s got it in for me.”                “You are out of your mind, Angela. Judges don’t retaliate. Especially against attorneys, unless you’ve committed some egregious act against the court. Which,” he took a bit of his sandwich, “you haven’t.” He took another bite, staring at Angela. “Right?” The question was muffled,…

  • Leimbach: The Judge

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Three Starbucks cups, two stained with her red lip stain. Two cheeseburger wrappers, one from In-and-Out and the other from Burger King, sat discarded on opposite sides of the desk. On the other hand, each file folder was stacked neatly per each client. Angela couldn’t stand chaos on her desk. Wrappers, crumbled-up notes, pens, and…

  • Midnight

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Nightmares come alive at midnight. In the blackness of night, hope dies. But this time? “You’re breaking up with me? At midnight? On New Year’s Eve?” “I figured a clean break, new start. All that jazz. Start off the new year right.” She hugged me, but it was reflexive, not reminiscent of our romance. “Besides…

  • Bullets and Danica: Growing Up Bret Danica Part VI

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Bullets. Brass casings ejected from the barrel of a gun. Any gun. He couldn’t care less what kind. The copper metallic smell. Their hefty weight, feeling the grains packed tight inside each brass case. One touch and your fingers smelled like metal. Each time he fired a gun, put one round at a time into…

  • The Corner of Broadway and First (con’t)

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Two hours later, I came back to the same spot, the same people. A few more gathered near Maggie. She had procured another bottle, a little bigger than the last one I saw her drinking. “Suit Boy!” she shouted. “You came back. Cheers!” Maggie held the bottle out toward me, toasting me with it before…

  • The Corner of Broadway and First

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    The streets were the same. The roads were just as pockmarked and potholed as the days previous. But something caught my eye. In a split second, it grabbed my attention, changing my viewpoint forever. It was him. Standing there. Standing on your standard street corner. The same place. Same time. Each and every day. Had…

  • Ms. B

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Standing up too fast, the girl reached for the wall, bracing herself. Stars filled her vision, but she didn’t pass out. Staring in front of her, she blinked a few times. Sweat quickly beaded across her forehead.                “Are you okay, sweetie,” an elderly lady asked, touching her right arm. Thick glasses dangled from the…

  • Josh and Will: Harris Trucking Part XV

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Bill stopped just short of the stairs leading up to Scott’s office. Scott was a decent enough boss, understanding all too well the intricacies of trucking, especially from the driver’s perspective, having driven over a million miles in his driving career. He’d seen everything from the worst pileup in Wisconsin during mid-February, halting him from…

  • Josh and Will: Harris Trucking Part XIV

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Yo, Billy!”                Bill let a lot slide right off his back. He would tolerate people doctoring their coffee with cream and tons of sugar. The latte and cappuccino drinkers could get away with drinking something that resembled coffee. Bill even allowed certain people to refer to him as William or Will. Then there was…

  • Josh and Will: Running Amok Part XIII

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Will asked Josh as they lay in the freshly cut grass of the school’s soccer field. Clouds hung in the azure blue sky, a telltale sign of Danville. Josh picked up a rock and hucked it at Will. “Seriously, dude? You sound like Ms. Cantrell.…

  • Josh and Will: Emily’s Meeting Part XII

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Emily, I’m not sure that’s the best . . .” Emily didn’t let the older woman finish her sentence. “I’m sorry? Did I ask you for an opinion? Much less the wrong one?!” “Well, I just thought that . . .” “That I was incorrect in my thinking? Is that what you thought? You think…

  • 43

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    43. That’s the approximate number of muscles in our face. Using these 43 muscles can make a person’s day. Smile. Wait and see if the person you smile at doesn’t feel good, reciprocating with their own smile. It’s a simple gesture. Using these muscles indicates our happiness and contentment, helps us to appear more attractive,…

  • Josh and Will: Part XI – Meeting with the Defense Department

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    The guard escorted Jonathan to the fourth-floor conference room. Behind them, the reality star continued to whine about not having her equipment, about having to write everything down by hand. “Do you see these nails?” she griped to the guard. “I cannot be expected to write everything down and maintain my manicure. Can’t you possibly…