When I got to college, I was the only freshman in the senior dorm. I had planned to go to another school but at the last minute I changed my mind. Richards Institute where I had originally planned to go had a wonderful fine arts program, which was my field; but I had been accepted at Rodgers University, and when push came to shove I just couldn't give up the...
6 * * * * * * It took me two hours of dwelling on the conversations I had over the last week to realise it came down to one thing. I loved Paul and he loved me. I had to talk to him for the sake of both of us, even if that conversation was the end of all my dreams of the future. I tried to delay things further by working through what I would say, and how h...
Sometimes it's been so long since you've felt good, you can't even remember what it was like. I didn't know when I started feeling this bad, but it must've happened a long time ago, when I wasn't paying attention, mired deep in a bad relationship in a city seven hours away from my small-town home. I didn't even know how miserable I'd actually been until this...
I was behind the bar at the Wild Goose that very same night. The owners, Carla and Johnny Lake, wanted to attract a younger crowd and generally make the place more hip. That made me grin to myself, but I nodded seriously. They were very clear that they wanted to hear any ideas I had to change the image of the place and draw people in. Ideas? This hick town w...
I was off work that weekend. The ER doctor insisted I needed some rest. Lecky agreed. He thought the restaurant and I both could use a few days to let the dust settle. A lot of gossip and innuendo was going around about the dust up Joe Tom and I had with Rebecca Knowles. I needed the money but I was happy to just vegetate until Monday even though I felt perf...
One of the first things I noticed when I started interning at this company was Matt, our "fitness consultant," a professional bodybuilder that's been hired to keep the office in shape by running exercise classes in the company gym and making various recommendations. As a muscle fan, I've known about Matt for a couple of years. One of the best bodybuilders t...
Chapter 8: Potty Mouth Erica pushed her way into Brian's apartment. Brian and I stood back in amazement. "What do you mean we're still in danger?" I asked. "Stop and think for a moment. Evan, you are religious about turning your alarm on. Was that night any different?" "Of course not. I always turn it on, no matter what." Then Erica said just what I wa...
"I have a delivery for a 'Mr. Eric Grant'?" A delivery? "Uh, sure. That's me. Come on up." I buzzed through disembodied delivery man, and curiously awaited him until five knocks on my apartment door announced his arrival. Opening it, I was surprised by the sight of two dozen long-stem red roses and a velvety red gift box with a gold bow and ribbon. "What...
This is a sweet little story that I wrote for Valentine's Day. Enjoy. **** Frigid rain falls steadily from a leaden sky as the train pulls into Union Station in Portland. Even the dreary weather cannot keep Tigger from bouncing up and down on the edge of his seat. It's a habit he's had all his life. As a child his mother teased him that he was bouncier tha...
This story may contain graphic and dark material that some readers may not agree with. If you are squeamish, please press the back button and dodge this story... The direction I went with this chapter is very, very different from any other chapter I've written so far. I never went with such a subtle approach before and I kinda like it. As always, tell me...