February 2012
0 posts
I'll Take It
God, this is embarrassing. I’m so sorry about this. I guess I’ve always shown this place during the day—it gets such great natural light. I didn’t even notice about the light bulbs. Or maybe the power’s off. No, why would it be off? God, I don’t know. This sucks.
I don’t know man, I feel bad. I guess I can at least describe it to you. And, you know what, brilliant, we have our cell phones...
January 2012
2 posts
Confession
He said he once had sex in the confessional. Not when the priest was there, of course, but off hours, so to speak. I wasn’t sure how this had come up in the conversation. I was just at their table to get their order. But he was managing to tell me and the giggling older woman with him everything terrible he’d ever done.
“Mother, weren’t you so upset?” he said to the woman. “When you found...
July 2011
1 post
Boys in Blue
Tell the boys in blue I won’t go easy. I’m just gonna have one more drink, and then, bam! I’m gonna take care of some shit.
You listening to me? Joshy, stop coloring for one goddamn second. You’re outta the lines. No, I’m not gonna buy you any more crayons. Not until you stop eating them. Be quiet for one second. Joshy. Joshy. I’m trying to tell you something here—something important.
I...
May 2011
4 posts
Sweethearts
If he was pleased I came over and bandaged him up and listened to him moan, he didn’t show it. He was lucky I got off work early that night and felt good enough to come see him, because if I was tired or if it was real late I was going home to get in bed and watch TV. But instead I came over to his place and found him on the ground outside his trailer, all bloodied and passed out.
“Ron, Ron,” I...
1 tag
Albert
Marian and I came home from our bars and traded cocktail napkins like playing cards. Hers was drawn by a thin girl who thought she was a Satanist. It was a drawing of a fantasy creature. “A lemur person,” the girl had said, and signed it, “-Rabid.”
Mine was a cartoon drawing and a few sentences in bad French. I worked at a French bar and everyone tried to speak French. It...
Home
After I poured myself another glass of wine, she sat beside me and said I looked depressed and really should move out of New York City. I wanted to burst into tears and cry on her shoulder and say, Yes, yes, you’re right. But instead I sipped my wine and said nothing. Then she beat me at a game of cards.
1 tag
Snowflake
When you move to a new neighborhood in New York City, figuring out your new laundromat usually happens at night, when you are still living amongst boxes and new people and cats and suddenly you realize you forgot you promised to cover the morning shift for your lush boss, and all of your clothes are dirty.
Where is the nearest laundromat? I ask my new Japanese roommate Tomoku. She looks confused...