Monthly Archives: February 2014

Conspicuosity

Posted on February 28, 2014 by sputterpub

I hate to be conspicuous, and yet I never move except I write the tune. I’m not in charge – a pattern isn’t set by me – I’m just as shadowless at noon as anyone somnambulating by. I’d rather you … Continue reading →

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Sleeping with Cats (End)

Posted on February 27, 2014 by sputterpub

She wanted Rick to move out, but she didn’t say that. Instead she picked at him all evening. He tried to defuse her with sex; he pinned her fists behind her and nuzzled her neck. It didn’t work. Re stropped … Continue reading →

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Sleeping with Cats (Middle)

Posted on February 26, 2014 by sputterpub

As far as Rick was concerned, they were then a couple. Linda didn’t see it that way. She liked the sex and the ice (she hadn’t met Re yet), but she wasn’t ready for a full relationship. She told Rick … Continue reading →

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Sleeping with Cats (Beginning)

Posted on February 25, 2014 by sputterpub

What a run. It’s been an up-and-down airline since Linda took over. It’s been an erratic time since Rick came into her life. She’s thinking she needs a break from both MainePlanes and Rick Jenssen. Linda likes anagrams. She tells … Continue reading →

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My Brother’s Hands

Posted on February 24, 2014 by sputterpub

My brother’s hands are fast becoming claws. The doctor said the nodules were a sign that he’s inherited a mix of flaws that made some tendons pull. At 49 they started to compel his hands to curve. His fingers seemed … Continue reading →

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Party

Posted on February 21, 2014 by sputterpub

Some aliens inhabited her place, their shoes on new upholstery, their mood a forced frivolity, their lack of grace astonishing, and as for attitude, they wore determined immaturity, with music overloud and humor drowned: a desperate grab at thin festivity … Continue reading →

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Dear Dad

Posted on February 20, 2014 by sputterpub

When Ruby was little, her father was her sun, her moon, the stars. He was a big, capable, educated man, principled about his conduct and devoted to his family, and he doted on her. She was his oldest child, his … Continue reading →

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Apricot (2 of 2)

Posted on February 19, 2014 by sputterpub

If she’s old enough to bleed, she’s old enough to breed. The words repulsed her. They were such an animal assessment of an acquaintance. How could a boy who had been a cohort turn so suddenly into an assessor, a … Continue reading →

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Apricot (1 of 2)

Posted on February 18, 2014 by sputterpub

Mag had a little epiphany as she reached for the apricots. She’d been a selfish child and she continued the behavior into adulthood. She became more subtle about it, but the truth is that she always wanted the best cookie … Continue reading →

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Bargain

Posted on February 17, 2014 by sputterpub

My generation starts to feel its age. We harden arteries, repair our hair, deplete our bones of calcium, and wage cosmetic war to try to hide the wear. And world recession takes away from us the consolation that our parents … Continue reading →

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