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Red washes over my head. Like blood that is so much thicker than this water. The color of grief. Not Rage Red. Not Squeeze Your Eyes Shut Tight Red. Red like a debt I owe. I can never repay it, this I know. Red like a neon sign that will forever flash “VACANCY.” Red like…

KICK She had an extraordinary kick, did this lady. Not a kick like a mule, although she could be stubborn, in the right way. No, she had the kick of an elite athlete, a long-distance runner. That unique ability to break into a sprint at the end of an endurance-oriented race. I could mention at…

MARGARET SAVES THE DAY   I know I led with the headline, but I hope you’ll stick around for the rest of the story. You might find it entertaining. I lived it, and it was not, but perhaps reading it could be different. Let me know.   I’m a Californian and a police officer and…

UBANGA BANGA   Millions of other kids have probably said this, but I will say it anyway: My father has always been the smartest person I know. Growing up, I could never pull one over on him. He, however, always managed to surprise me.  Like when he brought home the Knight Rider model car for me…

Clark Kent (CK) Interviews Superman (SM) The two meet and shake hands. Clark: OH MY GOD, MY HAND! MY HAND! YOU BROKE IT! Superman, concerned: I am so sorry, I wasn’t… CK: Got ya! SM: That’s a good one, Clark. And the first time I have everrrr heard that. Listen, I thought Lois was going…

BULLY THE KID I’m a horrible father. Husband. Ex-husband. Human being. I knew this long ago. Even before the first of a billion times the kid’s mother told me. Back when we used to talk. Or, when she used to shout, and I would pretend to listen. My best move as a father was not…

WHY ARE SUNDAYS Sundays are Difficult. they are not the start of something new, they are the end. like the last day of a vacation, that you cannot enjoy because you know that it is the last day. Sunday follows Saturday’s funeral. And replacing all the love, and comfort, and warmth, and memories from then,…

  INDEPENDENCE DAY 2020   In this country, the United States of America, July the 4th is a day of celebration, of commemoration. Of reverence and contemplation.   This day, let us reflect on a piece of cloth, and what it means.   May we remember the fallen. Honor the thousands and thousands whose lives…

DUST TO DUSSST – A murderer without conscience finds his just desserts out in the desert.  (This story appeared in Frontier Tales in April 2020) https://frontiertales.com/2020/04Apr/dussst.php The hissing was maddening. And loud, as loud as the rattling. Rattlesnakes! Leroy Dust was surrounded by them, as he lay on his aching side in the endless dark.…

JACKPOT “What do you want?” Not only are there countless ways to answer the question, there are many ways to interpret it. The guy at the front of the line, for instance. Wilted tie, short sleeve shirt, worn out tires and chassis. Long on overtime hours, on dreams, short on manners. He takes the question…