Her life is a jeweled lavaliere of loses, each loss an onyx milestone: two later-term stillbirths, a dead brother from a hunting accident, there had been failed marriages, a son’s suicide by cop. Saffron was all about sailing. If only she could’ve collected a bounty of crystal ships that drifted the high seas. Admittedly, that […]
I invade dumpsters. Eyes widen, surveying Keystone Light cartons, corn stalks, and empty steak packages. I conjure barbeques, gesturing arms, and laughter. Have another beer, some steak. I taste smiles. Voices offering beds. Welcome. Caught. Cold eyes dissect stench—beard. Bum, wanderer. I hold dreams. Try […]
I was sitting in the end booth minding my own business. I always mind my own business. The corned beef was on its way. After so many years, Jennifer knows what I want, and I’ve been on a serious corned-beef kick. The Clayton Diner’s known far and wide for its sandwiches, especially the kosher ones. […]
Palm Springs is a pastel city. Everything in it has a tint of gray, its buildings, its furniture, the clothes worn by its people, and most of all, in their sexual proclivities-ambiguity. So, when they found Stoddard Wells dead, splayed out in a sterile alley near a large potted plant, in his only suit, wearing […]