Five Minute Observations

Tag: Fiction

  • Invisible

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Having zero expectations? That’s super easy being invisible. No one expects anything from you, plus you don’t have to worry about what you do or if it’s right or wrong. You fill up space in just the right way. There is no perfect occasion to wear an appropriate outfit. Jeans? Sure. Leggings? Absolutely. Unfortunate shorts,…

  • Tabitha’s School Board Fundraiser

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Marcus didn’t drink, preferring to keep his wits instead of losing control like his college friends used to. Rare occasions found him sipping a glass of Pinot Noir after learning red wine neutralizes garlic’s acidity, the reason he had heartburn after ingesting any alfredo dish. Fettuccini alfredo with white clam sauce was served at Tabitha’s…

  • Inside Walmart

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Walking through the sliding doors, Tabitha took off her sunglasses, letting both the shoppers and employees see her eyes. Making eye contact with her? Most of the people inside avoided that as much as possible. There was a terse, tense feel behind her eyes. It made you feel awkward. And if she may glance in…

  • Why Storytelling?

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Sitting back in the corner of the café gives you an exciting vantage point to see most interactions between the staff standing on the other side of the register and the patron purchasing coffee, a muffin, or some other food or drink item. There is the yoga mom with a wealthy doctor for a husband…

  • The Day Before Cookie Gets Fired

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Kathy hated the day-to-day business side of the diner. She looked into hiring a full-time bookkeeper and business manager on more than one occasion. But after looking at the books recognized that wasn’t an expense Janice’s Diner could afford. There were more important things she needed to worry about. The least of which was the…

  • Donovan’s Broken Heart

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “It’s over now.” She leaned back in the wooden chair at the café, having explained to her boyfriend of almost six years that she was moving on. No. He didn’t do anything wrong, per se. Did he do anything right? Other than never asking for her hand in marriage? No. Not at all. But then…

  • Kathy Tells It All: Part II

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Filling up his coffee cup, she set the full carafe on the table between them, next to the ashtray with five butts from Kathy’s smokes. “Thank you,” Floyd said. Holding the mug to his lips, he blew just enough to cool down to the top of his coffee. Kathy slid back into the booth, flipping…

  • Kathy Tells It All

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Floyd sat and listened. For the first time in his life, he was silent, hanging on every word. Kathy talked about the EPA and Jim’s cattle ranch, talking about some kind of contamination in the water. And if they didn’t catch it fast enough? It would taint over a million acres of farmland, cattle ranches,…

  • Carded For Cookies

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Grandpa is a great guy, but he’s got this thing about Oreo cookies. He can’t get enough of them. Before we knew what an obsession was or a sugar addiction, there was what Grandpa called his sweet tooth. And every few days, when Mom, Dad, and my sister, Sarah, visited his condo on the shore…

  • Floyd Patterson Comes Home: Part II

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Cookie was sitting on a few upside-down milk crates, jumping up as soon as Kathy opened the swinging door. Tears streamed down her cheeks, smearing her eyeliner and foundation. No sound came from Kathy, her hand pressed tightly over her lips. The older man knew best to leave well enough alone, especially when it came…

  • Zander’s Backup Plan

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Zander wasn’t comfortable talking to another attorney about the scam connecting him to Unger and the Zaterelli family. So, instead of mentioning any names, connecting him in any way to Mark Unger or the crime family, he spoke about the shell companies and private investors that he wasn’t at liberty to discuss. Attorney-client privilege worked…

  • Melton’s Plan Takes Shape

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Three years ago. That’s when Mark Unger introduced himself to Zander Melton, believing him to be the right man to help him put his get-rich-quick scheme. If anyone had a reputation for being a strategic player, it was Zander Melton. As a financial advisor, Unger dealt with influential people. The majority of them were honest,…

  • Emulsion Plastics Opens in Iowa

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “Are we ready to open next week, Cole?” Cole Wilkes, the Global Human Resources Director, was working hard to hire new staff to open their latest hub facility, a segment of their production line that would utilize cheap U.S. labor to assemble each of the pieces needed to complete a variety of products overseas. RDF…

  • Signature Required

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Kathy pulled into the parking lot of Janice’s Diner, dust flying over her new 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra. It drove like a luxury vehicle, unlike Jack’s Studebaker. The cloth seats felt like butter compared to the pseudo-pleather of the Studebaker. All electric controls meant she could roll down the passenger window. It wasn’t a convertible…

  • Moloski’s Take-Over

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “Twenty-one days, Jim,” Gerald whined. “Twenty-one days I’ve had to listen to alcoholics talk about getting clean, getting sober. And for what?” Jim didn’t see him pull out the cigarette or light it. But there he was, the former President and CEO, smoking a cheap cigarette. “All so I can prove to everyone that I’m…

  • Considering Retirement

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “Kathy!” Janice’s shrill voice echoed through the diner from the kitchen. The Presbyterian church let out a few minutes before 11:30 a.m., hunger setting in. Church people knew Janice’s breakfast foods would be hot and ready to go in minutes. Janice knew well that a few of these ‘holy rollers,’ as she called them, would…

  • Moloski Returns to Plastics

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    After parking the Lexus in a secured parking garage close to the Burnside Bridge, both men got out. A few minutes later, they were at the spot where Jim Barton met Gerald Moloski. Sitting between two homeless men, Gerald passed his bottle. On Gerald’s left sat Miguel, and Edward on his left. Miguel had Parkinson’s…

  • Emulsion Plastics is Hiring

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Cole Wilkes wasn’t comfortable in small towns in Middle America. Emulsion Plastics employed him as the Global Human Resources Director for new production facilities. Hiring and training new employees was his only job. Only after all the staff was hired and consistent production levels were achieved could Cole move on. His latest assignment was the…

  • Bad News for Moloski

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “What do you mean leaking?” Gerald looked down to Dr. Charles Kirchoff, one of the senior scientists in charge of maintaining RDF Plastics policies and procedures. A short, mousey man, Dr. Kirchoff was a stickler for following the rules, towing the line, and ensuring everyone complied with company policy. Kirchoff was the first to inform…

  • Kathy’s Second Job

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “I heard they is gonna be openin’ a factory just up the road. Some kind of assembly work is what I hear,” Beatrice whispered, even though the number of people inside Janice’s Diner numbered less than five, not including the staff. Betty and Beatrice sat at the third booth from the door. Doc and Jim…