Category Archives: Fiction

Adoring speed Virginia had to watch herself. She first encountered it in late high school: sweetened milky coffee and stolen cigarettes. She loved the buzz. She quick-addicted. A year later, in college, she swallowed her first beans. Little white tabs … Continue reading →

We noticed. What we’d tended to view as blonde dippiness morphed into blatant repetition and bizarre forgetfulness. Several of us experienced her failure to show up at planned lunches. There were reports of missed appointments at hairdressers and manicurists.’ Carolyn … Continue reading →

Pam’s story started first, in the spring of 1944; Duane and his twin Diane didn’t make their appearance till late 1947. But by the time they came to our attention in the mid-1980s, their age difference was irrelevant. They’d both … Continue reading →

It could be said that Carolyn is overly into cause and effect. That woman doesn’t believe in correlation; as far as she is concerned, if Action A is followed by Situation B, then A caused it. That’s at the root … Continue reading →

Lesley has always been gay, but Sam, who describes herself as bisexual, had only been with one other woman before Lesley. And she’s been with men ever since they broke up: three different relationships in ten months. Lesley now considers … Continue reading →

I’d like to be gentle, approachable, sweet. But I can’t help myself: I’m always aware of how precious my existence is, and freshly determined to make the most of it, and I’m often the only person present who seems to … Continue reading →

Erica watches his mouth as it makes words. She’s still sleepy, and she feels like sinking toward it. “Actually, I don’t eat breakfast. I hope to leave the candy untouched until after lunch.” She considers. “But thanks for the invitation. … Continue reading →

One floor below, Hank has just finished drying his hands. He drops a damp paper towel into the opening below the dispenser as he turns toward the door. In all 5th and 6th floor bathrooms, sirens are whooping. The sound … Continue reading →

Hank has been in his office since 7:30. Now that he lives on Telegraph Hill, he can walk to work in 20 minutes. Now that Tom’s away in college, he has morning responsibilities to no one but himself. Now that … Continue reading →

Paula wasn’t having any of it. While she sometimes argued that it is up to the victim to define whether abuse has occurred, she took exception then. She asserted that Maggie was too young to judge the experience when it … Continue reading →