Fiction
What Thoughts I Have of You Tonight
by Pepperlandgirl
The only place open at 2:30 in the morning was the IHOP on 8th and
Sycamore. At that time of night there was only one waitress, one cook,
and the coffee tasted bitter. The Stop-N-Go on 18th, just pass the middle
school, closed at 1:00 and reopened at 4:00 as the commuters started
rolling out onto the freeway. All the grocery stores closed at midnight,
and Wal-Mart locked the doors at 11:00--but they opened early too. I
knew every night clerk in every gas station and every tired waitress
who watched the hours tick slowly by. [more ...]
General
When My Dad
by fessie
When my Dad was 32 he had it all figured out about the car wash.
We'd go up to the Busy Bee in the early morning, before the crowds showed
up, and he'd lecture me each time on the proper methodology. The secret
was in the sequencing - you'd start on rinse and the first thing, the
essential first step, was spraying down the scrubber. That way you didn't
get the grit from the last person on your car. [more ...]
Little Mistakes
by ggurl
Every little detail reminds me of some mistake I made once: the flowers
planted too closely together by the sidewalk, choking each other spindly.
The tiny edge of wallpaper over the counter I accidentally left unglued,
catching on everything that passes. Steven’s unmatched socks in the
drawer I’ve made single somehow in the laundry. It’s inevitable that
I notice, that my mind won’t leave these things alone. [more ...]
True Life Adventures
The All-True Tales of Grandmother Woolson
by AnneBelle
My name is Abigail Woolson Finley and what follows is the record
of my conversation with my beloved Grandmother on the occasion of ratification
of the 19th Amendment. She was 88 years old that August 26th and despite
her best efforts and sincerest desire, she would not live to cast her
vote with other women just three months later. [more ...]
