Five Minute Observations

Author: Joe Class III

  • Outside the Grocery Store

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    Joe Class III
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    “No finesse whatsoever. Park wherever you want to, huh? Is that how you think driving works?” Their windows were rolled down, so you heard every word he spat at her. His hat was on backward, the brim touching his neck. Several tattoos were visible on his face, a few on both arms, and, as expected,…

  • Suzie, Jim, and Darlene

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    Joe Class III
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    Suzie slid into the booth, catching her dress on the edge of her heel. The fabric tore before she freed it from her heel. “Crap!” The hole wasn’t all that big, nor was it noticeable, except to her. The black dress matched the rest of her outfit, and the spot was nothing more than an…

  • Josh and Will: Inside the Warehouse.

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    Joe Class III
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    “This place is the coolest!” Josh shouted, his voice echoing off the concrete flooring. Scattered throughout the empty space were discarded pallets. Will assumed these were discarded as the business closed its doors. Helping Hands may have owned the building, holding the lease for several companies that utilized the space in the warehouse. At one…

  • Josh and Will. The Beginning.

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    Joe Class III
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    “You sure we aren’t going to get into trouble, Josh? I mean, nothing about this seems okay.” Both boys were straddling their bikes, the toes of their tennis shoes touching the ground. Neither boy realized how far they rode. It was almost six miles to their houses. Josh and Will lived across the street from…

  • The Little Things 

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    Joe Class III
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    She was working behind the counter at one of the local coffee shops. Ice blue hair, a steel ring through both sides of her lip, several piercings through her ears, and one in her nose with the halfway-shaved head, looking a little like Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element. There were a few visible tattoos,…

  • Trinity’s Dance Part III

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    Joe Class III
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    The drive out to the dance that October evening wasn’t much to remember, other than the country road we drove out. Nothing to look at except the acres and acres of dry, brown grass, dead or dying from summer’s heat. I don’t remember driving that far out before. In Manteca or Modesto? Sure. That was…

  • Trinity’s Dance Part II

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    Joe Class III
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    The talent of being able to slide in and out of conversations without being disruptive or intrusive was a magnificent gift. So was the ability of quiet footfalls, almost ninja-like, a unique capacity that made it possible to hear multiple conversations happening at different times. Some, like the one I happened to overhear, were a…

  • Trinity’s Dance Part I

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    Joe Class III
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    Everyone thinks living in California is a glamorous experience, which can be true depending on where you live. But, believe it or not, in October, California gets cold, like other states. October of 1985 was a bit warmer than previous years, the high being in the upper sixties, quite a nice change from the norm.…

  • Lightning At Del Valle Part II

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    Joe Class III
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    On this warm September day, there weren’t any spiders. There wasn’t any traffic either. On really windy days, guys would bring their model sailplanes out and let them ride the thermals. But there weren’t any remote control pilots either. Just the three boys and Dad, driving to Del Valle. On a school day? It was…

  • Lightning at Del Valle Part I

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    Joe Class III
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                   In the Midwest, it’s time for school. Traffic is a bit dense for students traveling to the university, high school, junior high, and elementary schools between 7 and 8 o’clock each morning. In Missouri, the weather is humid and hot, like the start of most school years. It’s not like the west coast, where…

  • What Do You Do?

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    Joe Class III
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    Is it just me, or does that question bug you, too? It’s as if people expect some level of success that measures up to what they do, doesn’t it? And no matter what you do, someone else is doing what you can better or working just a little more than you, so it appears you…

  • Standing On the Outside

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    Joe Class III
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    A new school. That’s not what I expected or wanted to happen at age seven. Moving? There’s no good way to articulate it. It sucks. Plain and simple. Moving bites. But if you are a kid and your parents tell you, “Guess what, kiddo? We’re moving 800 miles away from Washington.” Whohoo! 800 miles? It…

  • 1980s Ford Van Part III

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    Joe Class III
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    How did I end up in the back of this van? That’s what I’m trying to remember. I had a crush on this girl at school. Her name was Kimaya, I think. It means divine or miracle, and she was beautiful. I mean, gorgeous! Guessing at her parents’ ethnicity, I would say they were Hawaiian…

  • 1980s Ford Van Part II

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    Joe Class III
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    Okay, so back to the van and Amanda sitting in the back seat with me, her friends willing to drive me anywhere I wanted. Even Dublin, if I so chose. The problem was I didn’t want to go home. The abuse was too much for my teenage mind. I couldn’t take another day of Bev…

  • 1980s Ford Van Part I

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    Joe Class III
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    Amanda was fine – a term used predominately in the late 1980s by most high school kids, me included. She had all the telltale signs of a rocker chick, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she smoked pot and drank some kind of alcohol just to fit in with the others wearing her style. The…

  • Jenny and Sasha

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    Joe Class III
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    Waking up this morning, I realized everyone has a story. Every person born on this planet has a story. Some are good. Some are tragic. But, like it or not, miserable or elated, everyone everywhere has their own story.                Of course, there are common elements: love, hate, mistrust, lying, friendship, happiness, wealth, poverty, and…

  • Storyteller

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    Joe Class III
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    I had confidence in using the term, storyteller. I believed one word was self-explanatory. But I hadn’t tested it until my friend said, “I didn’t understand what ‘storyteller’ meant until you explained how you can tell stories.” I wasn’t clear? How was that possible? I thought ‘storyteller’ is compelling, right? But what if I confused…

  • Telling Your Story

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    Joe Class III
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    Somewhere inside us is a need to tell someone else something that happened to us. That thing is called a story. Stories are the glue that connects us, brings us together. And, sometimes, separates us, dividing us in ways we could never imagine.                 Okay, so what’s your story? What’s that one thing making you…

  • Experiences Make Great Storytelling

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    Joe Class III
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    Everyone, like it or not, has a story. Each person born on planet Earth has some event, task, or relationship they want to talk to you about. And what is the goal of each of these individuals? To tell their story.                Like it or not, we all have a story. Some of us have…

  • Bullets and Danica – Part IV

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    Joe Class III
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    Mari Vanna. It wasn’t what Bret Danica would pick, preferring a three-star Michelin chef, plating, and cuisine. Exquisite taste in fine dining was an expectation for Bret, enjoying rich, flavorful food. Living in Chicago afforded him access to some of the finer dining establishments in Chicago, getting a table in moments instead of waiting weeks…