Tactful (and Tattooed)
When they climb into the airport shuttle, she is in the middle of a story, her husband half-listening and half-overseeing the driver loading their suitcases. They have reached the age … Continue reading
Way Far Away
He is tiny in Timberland boots. He holds the orange plastic bat over his shoulder, as his father shows him. When Dad tosses the light, white plastic ball the little … Continue reading
Shoulder to Shoulder
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
On the winding road down the Croatian coast, a couple gazes toward the turquoise sea one usually only glimpses in movies. She…
The Day We Flew a Kite, Read Books, Hid Under the Lilacs…
I spent the day with my oldest niece. We flew the butterfly kite she got for Easter. Both of us kept breaking into the tune from Mary Poppins, “Let’s go … Continue reading
The 400th Post: Something So Perfect.
The fact that I am publishing the 400th blog post is totally amazing to me. This all started as a way to sort through notes from my travels. Since then, … Continue reading
There’s No Crying in the Vienna Airport
I’m crying in the airport. Just returning from a trip, feeling a bit overwhelmed with heartbreak and worry, it is nice to be back in familiar Vienna. I know how … Continue reading
Just See Me. This is Enough.
The boy and his little sister rush ahead. They hide at the end of the moving sidewalk, waiting for their father. Mom is already waiting nearby. She isn’t happy that … Continue reading
Carried on the Wind
They wait at the crosswalk outside of the Echt Günstig, a pair of twenty-something women in t-shirts and skinny jeans. The woman with the very dark, very curly hair watches … Continue reading
Health and Wellness
The old man winks at a woman on a stationary bike, the kind where one can sit upright with the pedals before them. He is pushing seventy, or pulling eighty. … Continue reading
Giddy Arrivals
The young girls break free from the distracted travelers entering the main terminal. They spot their father straightaway, call “Daddy, daddy!” and rush to him by cutting around various legs … Continue reading
Older and Wiser (and Eating Cake!)
The treadmills hum quietly and the pair of ladies speak loudly. Their grey hair bounces, they swing their elbows. When one says, “All right, here we go,” they turn up … Continue reading
Men
It is a Turkish barber shop in Vienna. A lean, dark-eyed man smokes a cigarette, even as the barber lathers his face for a shave. The barber works around the … Continue reading
Clock Watching
The shuttle heading north is supposed to leave the airport at 8:05 pm. The elderly pair in the front seat wait. The driver leaves the door open and the shuttle … Continue reading
Fishing With the Straßenbahn-Netz
A man sweeps the sidewalk in front of the hotel, casting gravel into a diminishing snowbank just past the curb. He wears a purple sweater over a white shirt, navy … Continue reading
The Well-Behaved
The baby has more hair than most of Economy Class. Her mother totes the tot in a carrier over her front, like a nervous tourist who carries their backpack over … 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
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
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
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