“Mom, I think it would be better if you didn’t come Thursday.” I had the phone pinched between my shoulder and my ear, because both my hands were inside a […]
The first thing I noticed was the quiet. Forty laying hens are never quiet at two in the afternoon. There’s always one bragging about an egg, and three more arguing […]
My son-in-law slid a sheet of notebook paper across the kitchen table. There was one number on it, circled twice. $800. “That’s rent, utilities, and your share of the groceries,” […]
The Treasure Behind the Candy “Grandma, look! Somebody left a treasure!” Ellie was holding her hand up to me in the candy aisle of the Walmart on Route 50. Her […]
Two Washes The memorial card was damp from the morning dew on the pavement. I picked it up near the payment machine at the entrance to my car wash. Small. […]
“Direct cremation. Basic container. Ninety-five dollars.” The funeral director slid the paper across the desk toward me. He did it gently, the way he’d probably done it a thousand times. […]
Whatever Bev’s Making “Bev, I’m going to be honest with you.” Chad didn’t sit down. He stood in the doorway of the little back office at Gus’s Diner with his […]
“Actually, Jen, could you step out for this one? It’s just blood family. You understand. You’re only married in.” My sister-in-law said it with a smile. Loud enough for the […]
The email came three days after I saw my husband cry for the first time in fifty-one years. I want to tell you about the crying first, because you need […]
My daughter-in-law served nineteen people on her good china that Thanksgiving. She handed me a paper plate. “Sorry, Joan,” she said, loud enough for the whole table to hear. “You […]