Rock With You
The bus is running and the doors hang open, but not a single passenger climbs in. At other gates people impatiently crowd the doors, but at #3, everyone waits on … Continue reading
Hustle Up
And when you die will it have mattered a damn whether you ever lived or not? -W. Somerset Maugham. Christmas Holiday.
A Seat of One’s Own
A boy and his little brother–each armed with a sack of groceries–board the bus and rush to pile onto a single vacant seat. The younger boy’s brown eyes flash as … Continue reading
Business Man or Poor Man
Two Australian girls reacted with alarm that their protein bars hadn’t melted in the heat. Outside the Dubrovnik airport, waiting on a bus to the city center, the girls stared … Continue reading
Staring Contest
From the back of her head she seemed too young to be mother of those two children. The mother pulled her daughter close and studied some food residue on the … Continue reading
Do-Re-Mi S.O.S.
As bus merged onto the highway, leaving no chance for unhappy passengers to disembark, a group of Slovakian college students old enough to know better broke into song. The driver … Continue reading
Carpe Diem, Handsome Farmer
He had been handsome when younger; he remained handsome, but had reached an age where people gazed at him like his days were numbered. He shuffled down the narrow hallway … Continue reading
The Lost Tourist as Herself
Mothers walking with daughters needed time to assess whether to engage strangers, especially strangers who smiled too much and managed to turn up lost just past the auto repair shops … Continue reading
Reasons to Skip Rome
Italy he associated with grown-up matters, such as the fathering of children, and he secretly feared it, with the same instinctive fear he had of strong sunlight, the scent of … Continue reading
Punctual
She was forty-five minutes early for her train–the young woman who kept looking at the arrival screen above her and straining to listen to the loudspeaker’s announcements. Bahnsteig Eins, Bahnsteig … Continue reading
The Photog’s Fury
The bus began its journey thanks to several male passengers who got out to push the slow rolling mass out of its parking stall. After that, things went fairly smoothly. … Continue reading
M’s Party Trick
M. is a shy Peter Pan. Reddish-brown hair, chestnut eyes, trim in the macho-black button-up shirts of his fellow Turkish waiters, he stands with his hands behind his back while … Continue reading
I Miss Istanbul. And, and, and…
Basically, like nine-tenths of humanity, I always wanted to be somewhere else, usually in the place I have just fled from. -Thomas Bernhard. Wittgenstein’s Nephew.
Christmas Homework
Today’s post is a reprise of one of the most popular stories this year. If you are enjoying the blog, do consider sharing it with friends and family members. It … Continue reading
Totally Not Making This Up
The salesman gazes and grins at a tourist sitting alone in the outdoor café. Her chair points toward his shop. To investigate him, she looks across the center line of … Continue reading
Nothing to See Here
The little boy sat with his legs folded under him and labored carefully in his notebook, writing plays for Arsenal, his favorite soccer club. A chilly Serbian woman and her … Continue reading
Personal Space
At mid-morning, the U-Bahn platform was nearly abandoned. The young woman with ceaseless layers walked to her usual waiting place and stopped. From this point, her transfers to other subway … Continue reading
The Shared Eyebrow and the Runaway Tablet
He has a blue jogging suit and winter coat, she wears leggings as pants with a ski jacket. They stand close while waiting for the plane. She tries to hand … Continue reading
So, Thank You.
Flirting with the narrator was a sure way into the story. He must have known this, though certainly half her age. He approached at the bus stop not long after … Continue reading
Window Shopping
No need to rush to the airport, two business men opt to take a coffee in the lobby of their hotel, where all of the signs are in English and … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 