Five Minute Observations

Category: Continuation

  • The Harrow Club

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Jasper spent more hours at the Harrow Club than some of the club’s guests. As the maître d’, he knew how to attend to all the staff and the club’s patrons. He was gifted with an uncanny ability to understand what someone needed before they asked. His mother, a prim and proper servant of the…

  • Emulsion Plastics CEO

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    James Penrose, CEO of Emulsion Plastics leads his company into a new year of growth and affluence.

  • RDF Plastics – Cujo and the Man

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Continuation of RDF Plastics.

  • Jim’s Cow

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “Do I need to quarantine her?” Jim took one last drag from his cigarette, crushing it under his boot heel. “She’s been like this for two days, right, Hank?” Hank was standing to Jim’s left side, turning out his lip, scrubbing his gums of the loose tobacco, and spitting out the last bits of tobacco…

  • Spud, Hanover, Tweed, and Spiner: Tri-Cities Iowa

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    The Tri-Cities of Hanover, Tweed, and Spiner weren’t always connected. Once upon a time, long before Floyd or Janice could recall, all four cities were independent. Yes, there were once four cities, all connected via the one road separating them, spanning roughly fifteen miles north, south, east, and west. Folks in this part of Iowa…

  • Duran Duran, aka Brent Alexander’s Vega: Part II

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    So, the following Saturday, Brent came over and took me back to his house in Livermore in the Vega. It was a twenty-minute drive, give or take, so we had time to talk about music and listen to Duran Duran and David Bowie. He played two songs from Bowie, and we talked about both tunes,…

  • Back to The Golden Skate: Bianca’s Mortification

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “I cannot believe you, Bianca.” Bianca’s mother opened the trunk of her Mercedes. Inside were three garment bags, a makeup case, and four shoe boxes. Each box had a different name brand plastered on the outside. Two were high heels, and the other two were flats. Bianca was sobbing. Standing in line ten minutes ago,…

  • Sergeant Blechle

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

         Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri. It’s a quiet, quaint small town with big city aspirations. One thing not lacking in Cape. Restaurants. Cape’s got a little bit of everything. From fast food joints like Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell to a few that are more nuanced, like Qdoba, Chick-fil-A, and Culvers. Then you have…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Josh and Will: Part XI Investors

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Walking up to the X-ray machines, Jonathan checked his pockets for anything that may set off the high-tech equipment. Inside his suit coat, he searched for his cell phone. A guard approached him before he could put anything in the gray tote. “Mr. Von Otto.” He motioned to him. “Sir. Please follow me.” Jonathan nodded,…

  • Josh and Will: Science Breakthrough Part X

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Her excitement bubbled up deep inside her. It was the same as her first kiss, that excitement buzzing in the pit of her stomach, making her shiver all over. She double and triple-checked the math, reviewing each variable of the equation. No. She didn’t make a mistake. Nothing was out of place. The positive integers…

  • Josh and Will: Jonathan’s Break

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Jonathan’s meeting ran longer than usual, which was expected. He did his best to keep from glancing every few seconds at his watch, but he knew his next appointment would be more lucrative. Budget meetings bored him. Not because the information wasn’t pertinent to his role. Numbers weren’t exciting. Jonathan loved excitement and adventure. Being…

  • Josh and Will: Jonathan’s Deal (Continuation from Grant’s Arrest)

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Jonathan’s meeting ran a little longer than usual, which was expected. He did his best to keep himself from glancing periodically at his watch, but he knew that his next appointment would be more lucrative than this one. Budget meetings bored him. Not because the information wasn’t pertinent to his role but because the numbers…