“They shave little thieves so they’ll learn what shame feels like!” My mother-in-law’s voice carried through the apartment while I held my three-year-old daughter against my chest. Emma was completely […]
I calmly untied the white apron. Evelyn’s smile disappeared. I placed the apron neatly on the table. “Yes,” I said. “Actually, I do.” Daniel’s father was still talking through the […]
The Telling Season My grandmother kept her recipes in a wooden box the color of old honey. It was not a large box. It held perhaps forty cards, some handwritten […]
My father skipped my wedding eight years ago, and for a long time I believed that was the worst thing he would ever do to me. I was wrong about […]
Growing up in my father’s house meant following rules about practically everything. Which schools were acceptable. Which families we associated with. Even which fork belonged beside which plate. And apparently, […]
The Final Clause The summons arrived on a Tuesday, three weeks and two days after Curtis walked me to the security desk and watched from the landing while two men […]
The Birthday Dinner His name was Enzo. I did not know that yet. I only knew that a man in his late seventies, wearing a white chef’s jacket with sauce […]
My daughter-in-law handed me a laminated schedule on the first morning I woke up in her house, and that was when I understood that I had not been invited to […]
My name is Daniel Mercer, and I was the son who stayed. I say it that way because in my family there were two kinds of children, the ones who […]
My mother stood in front of the wreckage of my television, pointed her finger at my face, and told me I was being dramatic over some stupid TV. Sunday dinner […]