“Hey Andrew,” Jeremy began. “You know, when you said you had exams to study for, I thought you meant you were going to study for them after our little outing.” Andrew rolled his eyes. Sarvanez knew that they were friends, or at least, they knew each other already. It was she and Esperanza who were new to the group. “One of the people here,” said Andrew, as he opened the door to the apartment building, “could give us...

Sarvanez shifted in her chair. The corset pinched into her waist and it was every bit as uncomfortable as it looked. How do the women here wear these every single day? She thought to herself, feeling irritated. Still, in being a good visitor, she had agreed to wear one, along with a dress of hundreds-or what felt like hundreds- of layers of petticoats underneath beautiful yellow taffeta. She was still surprised she had be...

Like most ideas, it seemed a good one at the time. And when my bubbling daughter Claire enthused, “Great! Go for it, mum,” the decision was made.But now I was having second thoughts.Nothing unusual about that, really. In the twenty-five years since I made that unforgettable decision, I have been in the habit of dithering. Indecisive should be my middle name.As I placed my shopping packages on the shelf and hitched onto a...

Minutes after her fiance’ stormed away, pouting over not getting his way during their time alone, she decided to test how a certain other man would act in a similar situation. Gwen Kaplan stood in the doorway of the familiar hospital room, studying the man who had so disrupted her once well-ordered life. Mark Cahill lay stretched out in bed with his eyes closed, using earphones to listen to a recording of, “A Farewell to...

She had two lovers: the fiance’ she’d loved for years and wanted to marry, and this new man, the one she couldn’t stop seeing... Gwen Kaplan sat in one of the small, doorless cubicles that lined the back wall of the lobby of her all-female dorm. It might be 1970, but these so-called ‘beau parlors were the only sanctioned spot for what the school conduct manual still referred to as, “entertaining gentleman callers.” As she...

It occurred to Mark Cahill that things could be one hell of a lot worse. He was out of his room at the nearby Manhattan veterans’ hospital, sitting in a coffee shop on Lexington Avenue and staring across the cluttered table of a two-person booth into the soft, brown eyes of a very attractive student nurse. At the moment, she seemed to be saying something about school. He’d nod at times, even mumble to show interest, while...

Not for the first time, he wondered if he was destined to become just another aimless, wounded war “hero” in an era when wars and heroes were no longer in fashion. "What’s dat stuff on your face? What is it?" Mark Cahill tried to pretend he was still asleep but the high-pitched young voice was penetrating and persistent. He had already endured two rough connecting flights and even rougher landings. Now this, and it wasn’t...

“Here we are,” Miles said stopping in front of an apartment building. I was still taping as I got out. “You can help unload if you put that thing down,” Miles said sounding like a dad. “You wish, I can still help,” I said as I reached into the back of the car to pull bags out one by one. “There I helped,” I said once I had all of the bags out. I turned around in a circle taping the sky and everything that was above us. I...

“We’re going shopping and by my parents today,” Tara said coming to the table the next morning. I looked up from my food and dropped my fork but grabbed it before anyone could tell how scared I was by the thought of leaving the house. “I don’t feel good,” I lied as I picked at my pancakes with my head down. “Fine, you don’t need to those then,” Miles said taking my plate and headed to the sink. I sat back in my chair with...

A soft breeze flowing through the boughs of the deciduous trees, racing its way across empty fields of grass and slow moving streams and ponds, carrying on it the music of the night. Crickets chirped in the shadows, working together to create a symphony. With the birds gone and streetlights on everywhere, moths hummed and buzzed everywhere, trying to reach the mysterious glowing objects. The stars overhead shined bright,...

Blurb: She felt excited, nervous, maybe even a little scared. Most of all, her mind kept spinning trying to figure out just how she’d ever gotten herself into this room, at this moment and, most of all, with this man. ### In Mark Cahill’s considered opinion, things could have been one hell of a lot worse. He was out of his room at the nearby Manhattan veterans’ hospital, sitting in a coffee shop on Lexington Avenue and st...

“Ann, are you telling us our straight-arrow, nice-Jewish-girl-from-Queens, Gwen, took some guy she was fooling around with on her ward to the park where they did, God only knows what?” "Is this stuff animal, vegetable, or mineral?" Ann was cautiously examining several unidentified objects under the wilted lettuce leaves on her salad. "Yes," said Gwen while methodically stirring her yoghurt. "Yes, what?" Ann’s voice held a...

Mark stood and offered his hand. She smiled and accepted the help. In one gentle, fluid motion, he lifted her from the chair and then into his arms. The kiss that followed was long, natural, and perfect.  After her confessional the night before, Ann would never again mentioned her high school experience. The next morning, on their short walk to work, she didn’t even bring up Gwen kissing Mark or the Diet-Rite bet on wheth...

"And while you're making out with this ‘Nam vet, I'm stuck on the urology ward with a bunch of old farts who can't pee, and jive doctors who keep hustling me." Still stunned by the patient’s unexpected kiss, Gwen Kaplan leaned against the wall outside his room as her addled mind raced with unanswered questions. How had it happened? She wasn't sure.Had she, somehow, encouraged him? She didn't think so.Should she tell her h...

Hannah looked out the window of her high rise New York apartment over to Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty was delicately lit as it stood gracefully in place, protecting citizens. The haze of the cool night drifted around the grand lady giving her a hue that only suited her. But her flame shone brightly and could be seen for miles. Hannah just loved how the view gave her a sense of security. Somewhat. Hannah was fresh...