Goodbye Pip
It was just another late Spring afternoon, the warm May breeze had our neighborhood’s flowers dancing and our minds on thoughts of a summer filled with a lot of nothing. The four of us were walking home from the pool when Holly said we were being followed. We looked back and saw an obviously lost, […]
The Ice Pick
As my body vibrated with pain, Amy gripped my hand. I was so racked and twisted by pain that it must have looked like a scene out of The Exorcist. The one where Linda Blair levitates off the table as the evil spirit practically tears her apart. Amy later told me she was certain […]
Sex and Chocolate
2:45 AM. Damnit. I lie still and listen to Amy’s gentle breathing, and wonder if I can get out of bed without waking her. This medicine has me getting up at least once a night and I’ve succeeded in waking her in the middle of the last 12 nights. Maybe if I get out of […]
“Are You Scared?” Part 1 of Phil and Rannie’s Story
The bedside pump softly gurgles as it pushes oxygen through fresh water. White noise, it’s rain softly falling on a tin roof or the gentle whoosh of seawater on a sandy shore. Just the accompaniment for a dying man. Phil draws a breath through the clear tube and reaches to his nose, adjusts the tubes […]
The Grittiest Gold Medal of London
I loved watching the summer Olympics and its mix of ancient warrior sports tied with the relatively modern touches from cycling, tennis, diving and gymnastics. In the 16 days of competition there was so much exceptional athleticism on display it’s tough to pick a favorite, but I will. My vote for the grittiest display of […]
Hot Stones or Deep Tissue?
A friend of mine recently gave me one heck of a present, a massage. So I made my reservation and at the appointed time I introduced myself to a lovely young woman and proceeded to get undressed. She offered me the choice of deep tissue or hot stones and naturally I answered “Yes please!” After […]
Goliath
“Who the hell’s talking to you , ya goh-dang moe-rahn!?” The words thundered out of his mouth on a vitriolic spray of spit, his bloodshot eyes burning into mine. My heart rate exploded and the bile immediately rose into my throat. This Goliath of a man had at least 100 pounds on me and towered […]
A Walk with the Widow
The dog and I often get up just before the sun. I really don’t mind. I enjoy being outside at that time of the day. Man-made sounds are scarce and natural ones are abundant. As the sun peeks over the horizon, Jupiter and Pegasus take their leave and gently fade away. The scents of summer […]
Doughnuts for Chapel Hill
Months ago I convinced Marilyn Markel, the director of the cooking school at A Southern Season to host me for a demonstration class. Amy and I decided to celebrate our 25th at the same time so we turned it into a long weekend, sans kids. I surprised her by trading favors with a friend and he […]
“Chef, what if you don’t have an Iron?”
New Orleans in August is damn hot and the air-conditioner in this 40 year-old building was struggling. There were 45 of us crammed into a class room designed for 30. Eager, arrogant, excited and cocky but most of all we were sweaty. The first day of culinary school at Delgado Community College, dressed in our […]