Hot as sand fleas sizzling under a magnifying glass, Stu’s face and other exposed body parts burned from the scorching heat of the sun. His dog Riley sat with her paws stretched in front of her furry body plump as a cuddly stuffed animal on a carnival midway shelf, a pink ribbon tied into her […]
Eight hundred dollars for pots and pans? Josh looked up from his phone. They normally cost fifteen. Taylor’s anger bubbled over like an unwatched pot of pasta. Are you crazy? No, just hungry. With both of us not working we can’t even afford to go out for tacos and you’re spending the rent money on […]
Harold noticed the shirt. Who’s on your sweatshirt? Denis thought he heard a voice ringing in his head, words that sounded like echoes in the boxing gym. The two fighters on your shirt, who are they? Denis touched the front of his jersey. Let me see, Harold said. Etched profiles of two men, one on […]
With flushed faces shimmering beneath a green neon beer sign, their argument started early and finished late, with punches, of course. Violence lurked just under the skin of any disagreement in most Scranton bars. Yet, this infusion of emotion fueled neighborhood lore and the working-class legacy, stories told and retold over the years with each […]
MOM, Grandpa’s smoking weed again! When did you turn into such a little rat? You told on me when I was making dance videos and was supposed to be studying, Little Brenda said. You’re 16. You’re 70. Yeah, but I’m retired. Your mother has to work, cook, clean and buy groceries. I watch cartoons at […]
