Tag: story
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You’re Offended by That?
“You’re offended by that?” Shelby screamed at Angela. The two best friends were having coffee at the local Starbucks. It wasn’t unusual for the friends to talk about subjects varying from abortion to religion. Even political ideologies were a part of their dialogues. For some reason, all rational thought left Shelby. There was no reason…
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Andy’s Close Call
High school. Acid-washed jeans. Polo shirts, more specifically, Ralph Loren. Bright, loud colors. Mini-skirts. Teased-out hair, if long enough, coated with enough Aquanet to freeze it permanently in place. Jelly shoes, no socks. The Don Johnson Miami Vice look. And more than enough drama to write four seasons of Saved By the Bell or 90210.…
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Paying Attention to Your Direct Reports: Mental Health Awareness Month
Struggling. It’s an understatement to use that term at work. Not that anyone would notice or care. Certainly not those working for a large organization that supports mental health. It’s ironic to think the same people who advocate for others to get help with their own mental health fail to recognize it in their own…
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Amber’s Observation (Sisters – Part III)
“And how do you know that?” Amber asked. “Do you have a picture?” “No. But Bud’s not a cowboy, farmer, or rancher,” she said, putting a finger down for each one of the things Amy liked that Jamie didn’t. “He didn’t wear cowboy boots.” Another finger down. “Bud didn’t own a massive rodeo belt buckle.”…
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What’s His Name? (Sisters – Part II)
“I’m so happy for you, Amy! When do we get to meet him?” “I don’t know. Bud travels for work, so he’s not around much.” Amy continued to play with the grass, imagining it was Bud’s hair. “But he’s coming home for a few days, so maybe we can get together then?” “I’m a maybe,…
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Mastering Storytelling
Like it or not, people born on this planet have a narrative. Everyone wants to talk. Some about an event. For others, it’s a task they finished or a budding relationship. Or maybe they just ended their marriage. Whatever it is, you will find someone ready to tell you all about it! And what is…
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Lawson Returns to Spiner
Marshall hit the brakes of the SUV, Lawson almost hitting his head on the dashboard, even with the seatbelt on. Struggling to open his eyes, Lawson rubbed them, blinking a few times. “Where in the ever-loving name of all that is holy are we? And where did you learn to drive, kiddo? Holy crap. You’ve…
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Zander’s Backup Plan
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…
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Emulsion Plastics: Now Hiring
Pulling off the highway onto the gravel road leading to the new plastics facility, Emulsion Plastics, Kathy’s heart raced, thinking about the different kinds of work she could soon do if the hiring manager decided she was the right fit. Instead of wearing the uniform for the diner, she wore a very modest dress with…
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Signature Required
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…
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Ground Zero: Melton’s Plan
Zander Melton wasn’t the brightest student in law school. He wasn’t as adept as his classmates at retaining information. And what he lacked in actual intelligence, he more than made up for in his ability to see where the pieces on the board were moving. Zander was a strategist, and a good one, at that.…
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Moloski’s Take-Over
“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…
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Considering Retirement
“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…
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Kathy’s Second Job
“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…
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One Day in the Cafe
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she said. “I mean, I really. I didn’t. No, I didn’t really want coffee. Not really, anyway.” Ten seconds earlier, she held a precariously balanced iced vanilla latte between her philosophy textbook, a day planner, and a hand-me-down iPhone 13 from her grandmother. Unlike other twenty-somethings, she refused…
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From An 80-Year-Old Film
“Take my hand!” His lips mouthed the words. I couldn’t hear what the medic standing over me was saying, and nothing. I tried to get my body to work. It felt like a thousand needles in my fingertips, that same feeling you get when your extremities fall asleep. Or if you lay on your arm…
