I walked toward the door of Joe's thinking my worries were over. Not that my stomach didn't twist a bit. That Guy might be there. But that was silly. He'd had one disagreement with the owners, been accused of bothering female customers, it is only in my writer imagination that he'd be in there. I …
If you accidentally swallowed leaches with your soup…
If you could give guilt a physical form, what would it be? Pick any emotion. What would anger be? Or love? Or apathy? One month ago, we got a second dog. Our first dog, Porter, is now 14. We got him 13 years ago at the animal shelter. A Corgi mix, he is an awesome …
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And that’s the end.
I went to Joe's today to buy coffee and breakfast tacos. One of the owners, D., was working the counter, and he asked if I had a moment to talk. D. talked to That Guy on the phone. They'd had some other issue with him--"weird" chimed in D's partner--but he also talked about me. D. …
How many words tells a story?
One of my students has decided to write a novel. He's 20 and French. His novel is a thriller with a dash of sci-fi. The premise is great, and the writing can really come together if he gives it the attention it deserves. I've never had a student want to write a novel. Or at …
The Unexpected
My son and I walked up the concrete steps after spending about an hour walking around a nearby pond, taking pictures of action figures, and watching a woman and her sons try to get a frisbee out of a tree. The sun had come out from behind the clouds turning the air sticky. The walk …
Cover Yourself
When I tell people I teach English as a second language, they usually say, "Oh. You speak Spanish?" "No." I wait a beat. "Most of my students don't speak Spanish either." My students come from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Spain, France, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Taiwan, …
Free!
I scan the parking lot and don't see the car I think That Guy drives. My friend, E., and I walk into Joe's, and we see our friend K. He's finishing up a short story. I look around. I look around again. No. That Guy is not here. At the counter, the barista asks me …
Ordinary Mind and Melodramatic Mind Duke It Out
I try to live my life like a reasonable person. No, I don't want any melodrama with my latte, thank you very much. But part of my brain runs as if it were trying to write its own melodramatic novel. In Bulgaria, I used to ride trams that had accordion sections connecting the compartments. When …
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Everything is under control.
Almost 2 years ago, my son and the girl next door, L., had an art show in the breezeway between our apartments. They invited the other neighbors, and while L. didn't want to sell any of her work, my son was happy to sell his. He seems to think selling art is normal. L.'s mom …
Women in Cafes Alone
I asked friends to meet me at the coffee shop because I didn't want to deal with the guy on my own. I wanted friends to hide behind. And I went an hour later than usual in hopes that he'd be gone by then. My stomach knotted as I parked, a tangle of anxiety (I …
Marta Bacon 