The witching hour was approaching and the bottles were upside down in the chilling buckets. Sometime during the night, Carl and I decided that my life with Beth had been planned. He finally convinced Cindy that he had to go to work in the morning. He gently nudged Cindy to the door. I stayed out of it. I hoped Beth would call off tomorrow, I mean today. He got Cindy to the door and twenty minutes later, got her in the car...

I doubted Mason and I would have ever gotten together if he hadn't beaten me at trivia night. Trivia nights at the bar were something I looked forward to since I'd retired early several years ago. I'd spent countless hours of my life reading and figured I should try to apply that knowledge somehow. At fifty-eight, I enjoyed competing against the younger, cockier players who showed up at the bar on Thursday nights. Mason w...

Collin Remembering I always looked forward to Cindy’s summer party. That’s where I met Beth. When I walked into the basement, she was standing by the foot of the stairs. I had to peek down the white blouse she was wearing, very nice. The rest of her outfit consisted of a form-fitting pair of pants and short heels. I thought to myself, the guy she’s with must be a gorilla. A girl this cute could not be alone. I went to the...

Have you ever had the feeling someone was looking at you? Well, that’s how I woke up Thursday morning. My Sweetheart was watching me. When I pried one eye open, she smiled. “Good morning, Baby. How did you sleep?” She knew she almost gave me a heart attack the night before. “I did very good,” I yawned. “Are you ready for your coffee?” “Yes, please,” her smile is like sunshine. I returned with the coffee, Loretta was sitti...

As dusk fell, the shadows deepened in my car. Morgan sat in the passenger seat, and when I glanced over at her, I found she was watching me, a smile playing upon her glossed lips. She seemed perfectly at ease in the silence between us, whereas I was gripping the steering wheel with sweaty palms. Not for the first time that evening, I asked myself what the fuck I was doing. Morgan was eighteen, my daughter's age, yet they...

When I woke up on Sunday, I didn’t smell the coffee. I thought we forgot to set the timer. I thought I set it for nine, but it was only seven-fifteen when I looked at the clock. I growled at the coffee pot and headed back to bed. Loretta was coming out of the bathroom. “Is it time to get up, Baby?” She asked through a yawn and stretching. “Sweetie, it’s seven-fifteen, and even the coffee pot is still asleep,” so much for...

I spotted her walking alone on the side of the rural road, but as I drew closer in the truck, she didn't stick her thumb out for a ride. Her long red hair cascaded down her back, and the shorts she wore revealed a lot of leg. I tried not to stare, but one thing was clear: the girl wasn't from around here. She was limping a little when I slowed the truck to a crawl beside her. The wedge sandals she had on definitely weren'...

An hour after my parents went to bed on Christmas night, I crept down the hall past their closed door and then took the stairs, my steps swift and almost silent. I wore a pink babydoll nightie, which was way too skimpy for the end of December, but I knew I'd be getting hot soon enough. I was home for winter break during my junior year of college. In just a few months, I'd turn twenty-one, so I was plenty old enough to kno...

On the way home from work the next day, I phoned Frank. I asked him if he and Alice were free on Friday the thirteenth. It will be our six-month anniversary, and I wanted to have a little party for Loretta. I hoped to have him and then ask Travis and Annie. I would ask Annie at the party. Frank said he would tell Alice. He was sure nothing would keep them from being there. I phoned the Crystal Goblet next. I explained it...

Jack was always good for his word. At five-thirty he pulled up in front of Loretta’s apartment. Loretta was upstairs filling up the empty tubs we brought with us. Jack and I carefully carried the chest of drawers down to his truck. He had borrowed some moving blankets to cushion from damage. We loaded the tubs, loaded them up, and headed for my place. Jack stayed after his truck and my car was unloaded. Not surprisingly,...

As we sat and finished the beer, I was thankful I had taken the tubs to the car. Loretta had zapped my strength. I hoped by the time we got to my, our, apartment I would regain some strength. Thank God for elevators. We were leaving, and Loretta turned and looked back into her apartment. She looked a bit sad. She was giving, well selling, almost everything she had worked so hard for. When we got into the car I turned to L...