Slapstick Grandma
She gives her grandchildren a bright, rainbow umbrella. She opens it for those cherubs–a boy and a girl in galoshes–and lets the girl hold it over them both. She follows … Continue reading
You Can Read Over My Shoulder, But You Can’t Come Along
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
In the shuttle bus to the airplane, I break into scraps of conversational Turkish with a group of teenage boys from Kahramanmaraş.…
A Home on the Horizon
It is just that, as it now suddenly occurs to me, this is the first time in my life that I have been really alone at night. My childhood home, … Continue reading
Shoeless Wonder
In the park, I sit with a friend on a blanket. We have taken off our shoes, made ourselves comfortable, catching up on what we’ve done while we were apart. … Continue reading
You Know How To Whistle, Don’t You?
He can whistle like a dog’s squeaking chew toy. A few of the people sitting in the park look up and expect to see a dog. Yet, it is the … Continue reading
The Life Cycle
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
The recreation center is busy, but like in a scene from a film, the crowd parts for a miniscule elderly lady sauntering…
Respect Your Elders
Pantera is the name of a metal band from Texas, and it’s scrawled across his t-shirt. He gruffly approaches the Information Desk. His girlfriend stands at his side with elaborate … Continue reading
In-Flight Optimism
He’s just over 21, I know this because the flight attendant checked his ID, but he still looks like a young boy with his unkempt hair and his red tennis … Continue reading
Show Me State Signs
Traveling, scrawling, but I thought you might like these signs from a road trip through Missouri. Wednesday, we will observe some mid-flight flirting. I watched the whole encounter with a … Continue reading
Rock With You
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
The bus is running and the doors hang open, but not a single passenger climbs in. At other gates people impatiently crowd…
Driving Questions
It’s hard to hear their actual conversation. There’s the kind, booming voice of the bus driver, the questioning tone of the young, blonde boy. The boy wears a Transformers t-shirt … Continue reading
Shake It Up
If we attempt to fix a logic for the travel souvenir, I believe the following generalization might hold: the souvenir reduces the grand, the magnificent, and the beautiful to the … Continue reading
Window Shopping
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
No need to rush to the airport, two business men opt to take a coffee in the lobby of their hotel, where…
Moving Day
Running boxes to a moving truck can be very therapeutic, and can remind one that reading isn’t always the lightest of hobbies. Nonetheless, I can’t quite part with my books, … Continue reading
Mugging
At brunch, the three young girls sit on the left of the table, and their mothers face them on the other side. The girls chat over their pancakes, modeling their … Continue reading
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
Seaside Sobbing
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
At the park, the family waits for their turn on a swing. The huge contraption has two benches that face each other…
Bunnies.
“Hi bunny. Oh! Two! Hi other two bunnies!” Yes, I greeted the bunnies aloud on my evening walk. I smiled as I said it, and felt another presence near by. … Continue reading
Up, then Rocks, then Up
I’ve been remiss. I noticed that in the last few weeks, I’ve been looking less at strangers and more to loved ones and old friends. This is important, of course, … Continue reading
Watch Your Step
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Thank you Lord that I spotted the three little old ladies in their long skirts and head scarves recoiling in horror at…
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