Two students in the back were whispering to each other. What are they saying to each other? he wondered. He…
To Reconnect
As the song goes, “They say that Maui nō ka ‘oi, and I agree.” Once upon a time, when he…
What’s in a Name?
His parents had met at an estate auction, and it had been love at first sight. Both were passionate antique…
Who’s There?
The alarm went off. “Bella, what time is it?” “The time is 5:00 a.m., Delmar. You set your your alarm…
A Relationship
They seemed to clash a lot nowadays. Should I go or should I stay, he wondered, like a chorus playing…
Not the One
“I wish you would try to see it from my side, baby.” See it from his side. I have absolutely…
A Portrait of the Norwegian Historian as an Old Man
His ancestors were not just marauding, blood-thirsty, war-mongering, pillaging, rapists, and slave traders. Vikings were extraordinary explorers, experts at navigation,…
Looking for Love
In love for all his life with every poet’s idea of love, he always wandered around in some kind of…
The Tab
“Well do you or don’t you?” she asked He drummed his fingers on the table but said nothing. Staring out…
Books Write You Write Books
You think of your life as a library. It’s a big one, maybe not the size of the warehouse in Raiders…
What Counts
Do you know what’s easy to count? he thought. The number of people whose deaths were Covid-related. Well, plus a few…
The Psychic
I woke up this morning – for which I’m always thankful nowadays – to find that everyone who knows him…
Opening Wounds
One of the deals with the Lutheran Church was that after you slogged your way through Catechism and Confirmation, you…
Another Challenge
This happened a long time ago when I was young and stupid. Maybe eight at the time, I was part of…
Sticking Point
“So it’s agreed, then, we should sell the house, right?” she said. “And we’ll then split the money in half.”…
Rock of Ages
You remember that Carly Simon song, “There’s Always Someone Haunting Someone”? I suppose she could be talking about actual ghosts,…
Catching Up
I had a pretty lousy childhood, but my adulthood has been pretty good so far if you really want to…
The Last Time
Neil Young was playing. The Comes a Time album. Sipping a beer, he stared into the fireplace and saw her face. Young did that…
One of These Days
“You know me,” he said. “I have a smile for everyone.” His smile, this one to illustrate, seemed to be…
The Cube
I was riding the Pacific Heights bus toward Ward Avenue when I saw the smoke. As we neared the source, I…
Lanning Lee 