Don’t Mess With
An anxious Austrian college boy wears a Texas t-shirt, tucked in, and one can see his belt up high on his ribs as he sits in a low café chair. … Continue reading
Don’t Quit Your Day Job
Writing was the sole activity of his life, but not his sole happiness. He knew he had to work like everybody else. He could enjoy doing other work. Yes, if … Continue reading
Agency
I dare to unearth the Turkey travel guide in their presence. Yes, it is in English and the four old Turkish men are all trying to communicate with me in … Continue reading
My Carrot-Towel Confusion
He’s among a dozen men with stands to sell fruits and vegetables on the Naschmarkt. We’ve became pals because one day I tried to ask for carrots in Turkish and … Continue reading
The Life of the Spirit…Gosh!
“I wish I could make you see how much fuller the life I offer you is than anything you have a conception of. I wish I could make you see … Continue reading
The Deliberation: To Crock Pot Or Not
They were the third pair that day mulling over the used crock pot at the back of the thrift store. Ultimately, everyone shops the same. A teenaged girl and her … Continue reading
Benim Kızım and Other Cures for Airsickness
The general rustling of reading material charges through the airplane. Everyone shifts in their seat, digs through the belongings that should be stowed under the seat. The whole middle section … Continue reading
Acquiesce (and Check, please)
The young couple sits together on the same side of the booth. The boy tries to teach his completely beautiful girlfriend how to play chess–or not how to play, precisely, … Continue reading
Off-Season
The café is a drafty perch for spying on the nearly vacant city. Crows tap dance on the metal plates over the rooftop terrace. A boy with an accordion embraces … Continue reading
Good, But No Samaritan
On the 92A bus, a gruff Austrian soldier keeps his pack on as he watches intently for his stop. Two elementary-aged boys on board spot an opportunity and sneak up … Continue reading
Gift Cards and Gasoline
I had a suitcase with me and it hampered my movements, for I belong to the class of people who hate carrying anything. –Vladimir. Nabokov. Despair.
Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
As bus merged onto the highway, leaving no chance for unhappy passengers to disembark, a group of Slovakian college students old enough…
Fear in Footwear
There’s something to the Target shoe department. I’ve heard children say, “I wish people would stop having babies so we could stop going to baby showers.” I’ve seen children shuffling … Continue reading
Smile Like You’re Home
Outside the meeting to cover the Dos and Don’ts of volunteering at the asylum seekers center, I feel an urge to dash away. I am always terrified at the thought … Continue reading
Happy
Tomorrow I will read books, eat a care package of Mom’s ginger cookies and have my next birthday. I’ve got a stack of books waiting to be chosen, but I’ll … Continue reading
To See the Small Things
One never took the time to savor the details; one said: another day, but always with the hidden knowledge that each day was unique and final, that there never would … Continue reading
Cat Scratch Traffic
She squints at the stop sign with the groggy look of 6:00 am drivers. Watching for a break in traffic, the woman suddenly comes alive. She jolts. The car rolls … Continue reading
Breathtaking
At the symphony, the tall woman loses focus during Strauss. When she returns from intermission, she seems determined to try again. A row of men who resemble retired diplomats watch … Continue reading
The Fence, The Dog, The Gasp.
There’s a creature sniffing in the bushes, this is clear to the small girl with a set of freshly coiled braids. She tugs at her pink backback on her walk … Continue reading
Table Manners
Is it raining? At an outdoor café in Novi Sad under an expansive web of umbrella-like-awnings, I wait for a slice of pizza. The tent above is tapped like there … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 