Fish Tank

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English: Great white shark at Isla Guadalupe, ...

English: Great white shark at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico, August 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is Dale’s favorite part of the deal: the party afterward. It is not just the libations, music, and women in their best little, black dresses that he appreciates. No, all that is icing on the cake. He loves that all this celebration is happening because of him. He made this, and so many other negotiations in the past, work, and he gets to stand out of the crowd, beaming like the proverbial kid in a candy shop. Continue reading →

Porch Swing

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Robert's Porch Swing

Robert’s Porch Swing (Photo credit: spike55151)

Zachary eases back in the big swing on his big porch in his “rundown” neighborhood. People have come and gone over the years. The past few it has mostly been gone. He remembers when his mom and dad brought him up from Birmingham all those years ago to buy this house. It took every last nickel they had ever earned and they both worked like dogs to keep it. He just sits back, a big glass of ice tea in one hand and his pipe in the other. Continue reading →

On the Inside Looking In

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Five generations.

Five generations. (Photo credit: Veronica Foale)

Mary sits quietly and alone at her table in the pavilion. She watches as youngsters run around Riverside Park, as her son socializes with his sons and sons-in-law, as her granddaughter, aided by her friends, sister, and sister-law makes all the preparations. She does not offer to help. She long ago got bored with “thanks mom, but we got this.” So she just sits, and watches, as her family gathers to celebrate the high school graduation of her eldest grandson, Peter. Continue reading →

No Shame in Her Game

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Coffee

Coffee (Photo credit: mhaithaca)

Maggie leans against the slightly dirty brick wall. These smoke breaks are a little slice of heaven for her. They are only a minute or two long, but they are all she gets. She knows she is supposed to get more, but there is too much work to be done. There are too many customers with hungry mouths to feed. There is no time for real breaks, but that is fine, because the money is almost worth it. Continue reading →

Uncle Vince Comes Home

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English: A picnic assembles in Columbus, Ohio.

English: A picnic assembles in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Henry is happy today. It usually is not the case when mommy and daddy bring him to the big picnics. His cousins are different from him, or more important, he is different from them. The boys like to squish and break the bugs they find and Henry just likes to watch them do their thing. He even knows most of their names, even though he is only eight years old, and can tell the difference between bugs that look a lot a like. He likes bugs, and likes reading about them. He does that a lot because Uncle Vince buys him books filled with all sorts of fun things to learn about bugs, and fish, and birds. He takes Henry to the museum where he works and teaches him anything Henry will learn. Continue reading →

That Last Loose Rock

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Bundespolizei an der Homburger Landstraße von ...

Bundespolizei an der Homburger Landstraße von Norden (Ffm-Preungesheim) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Six months left Joe tells himself. Half a year and he can retire. No more uniform, no more worries, no more headaches, just a life of relative luxury after a career of service. He looks across the desk at the fresh-faced, worried Private First Class, and nearly two decades of loyalty, honor, and a few mistakes flash before his eyes. “Why now,” he asks himself and, beneath his breath, the young enlisted man. He has come so close, why this last hurdle before the home stretch? Continue reading →