Would You Do It For Me?
“I’ll have to ask my husband which one.” We were standing in the tiny, trendy shop where I was the clerk. The middle-aged woman’s husband waited outside the exterior door, … Continue reading
My Two Cents about Crossing the Line
Do you believe in right and wrong—not as a topic of philosophical or religious discussion but as an everyday guideline for behavior? Many believe wrong is okay if the end … Continue reading
Playing the Shell Game
According to Wikipedia, the shell game dates back at least to ancient Greece. A con man quickly shuffles a pea around beneath a series of shells or thimbles on a … Continue reading
Secrets on the Clothesline (a story)
Love is the magic balm. Children are the purveyors of love, treating our worst injuries with sloppy kisses. She stood at the clothesline, her broad hips echoing the shapes … Continue reading
“…Suffer Little Children, And Forbid Them Not…”
We all knew, know, or were children who endured emotional crises that echoed into their adulthood. My mother used to say you can fix anything with enough love. As a … Continue reading
Love Nicely Aged
Some 27 years ago, I wrote this little sketch of an old couple in their first RV. We don’t have an RV, but the banter isn’t entirely unfamiliar to my … Continue reading
Maturing Our Patriotic Love
The crush that can precede love is lovely, passionate, and mostly blind. Marriages built on it generally don’t last, because reality tarnishes the glow. However, authentic long-term relationships take the … Continue reading
Too Long at the Fair (a short story)
What happens when a woman who has used her looks to navigate the world without ever finding herself grows older? Maggie smiled over the scrambled eggs, hoping her mascara hadn’t … Continue reading
Me Who?
#MeWho isn’t a movement. It’s a statement of invisibility. We indicate our respect for status or social power with our attention. Someone with great status can quiet a room by … Continue reading
When Women Accept a Back Seat as Their Due
“If you are lonely, then you will know/when someone needs you, you love them so…” (“As Long as He Needs Me” by Lionel Bart). In the musical OLIVER! the barmaid … Continue reading
