I once knew a couple who took stock of their marriage every year to decide if they were going to renew the contract. There is something ghastly about undergoing an annual performance review of your love, but it does speak to the need to ward […]
All posts tagged: identity
Plum
Something in my mind said “Plum,” so I circled back home on my green Schwinn 10-speed once again. I’d already done this 7, 8, 9 times. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, not too hot for an aimless cruise around town, but those plums were […]
Be cool
She fell a little too much in love with me so I had to dump her, but it could just as easily have been me falling in love with her. This story is about what it takes for us to do what we do. Oh […]
Scene 2 – Bug
Walking down the driveway something caught my eye. Glancing at the ground I saw a bug dragging itself along with only its front legs because it was missing the back half of its body. I was horrified. The sight of a living thing forging ahead […]
Old people
She was tipped over so far to one side in her wheelchair she was almost horizontal to the floor. From this position she was trying to drink a cup of cranberry juice. I stared across the table at her, entranced. Was it possible? Apparently. Somehow, […]
Be what?
Let’s face it: on occasion we all fall a little in love with someone we want as a friend or a romantic partner but who, alas, does not feel the same way. This is what I overheard a colleague talking about the other day, adding […]
Flag girl, part III
So what was this flag girl part of me ready to say I am not having it? The part that, as time went on, was so in-tune with how-to details. “Hmmm, Mary Kerr keeps a garden hose at the ready in the trunk of her car,” […]
The long goodbye
Tactical error. I was already halfway across the street, essentially committed to crossing, when I saw the little old lady. Blast. Another person had already claimed that sidewalk. And what’s more, because she was trundling along so slowly while pulling a little red suitcase down the […]
Velvet’s threshold
Part I She held herself like a queen, not in a haughty way, just in full possession of her silly 17-year-old self. Only 4 years older than Velvet myself but nonetheless the teacher of her in my Drama 3/4 class, it took a few weeks […]
Clown car
Lobster pie and wild mushroom risotto were on my mind as I set off early Saturday morning on my standard weekend walk, heading for downtown. Kerry and Bruce had just been to Fiddlehead’s, glorying in their luck at catching these specials, limited edition, so I aimed to […]
Popsicle test
Sugar compelled us. We were sugar sniffing girls, alert to its presence in any form and prepared to work with raw materials to get it closer to the treat format. At the same time, we were practical about it, taking it, if need be, straight up from the bag […]
Be cool. 