It’s COVID
I parked a six pack of beer and a box of chocolate chip cookies behind a gray checkout divider while the tar-colored conveyor belt swept forward. The belt stopped and started, my goods stuck behind a fender bender of produce, … Continued
My Wife, Purgatory Guru
A few slim pamphlets taken from a display rack in our church’s narthex lit the fire. My wife, a Protestant convert, curiosity piqued, stashed a few in her purse. In the midst of a conversation about kitchen renovations, I didn’t … Continued
Confirmation Call
My phone started ringing just as I had a mind-melding code breakthrough, and I couldn’t pick up. If I’d recognized the number, maybe it would have been different, but after a quick glance, I turned right back to the screen. … Continued
Santa Service
Five minutes to midnight on Christmas Eve. After downing half a dozen spiked eggnogs, I woke up from a nice doze and yawned, my mouth wider than a pelican’s beak chugging a menhaden. I was groggy, but hey, it was … Continued
Candy Meal
The grocery clerk dragged one bag after another across the barcode reader. With each beep, the display jumped the total upwards. Three dollars more, five dollars, a buck ninety-nine. Despite all of my promises, I knew I’d overdone it again. … Continued