Writing In Invisible Ink

“Hi,” the man said, extending his hand. “My name is Robert. But you can call me Bob.”  “Hi Bob,” I said, taking the man’s hand. “My name’s Stephen.” “You’re the new couple’s son.”  “That’s right.”  “How are they fitting in?”  “So far, so...

Flair

A while back, the 50’s themed restaurant in my town sponsored a contest – be the best dressed child in Eisenhower era fashions and win a free ice cream sundae for a month. My wife was all over it. “We’re gonna win,” she said. “Just watch.”   I’m sure you...

The Rescue of Life

“Why did grandma and grandpa have to move here?” my daughter asked as we drove out of the parking lot of my parents’ new assisted living facility.  “Mom and dad can no longer live by themselves,” I said. “Why not?”  “They’re old and need lots of help....

Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned

A couple of days ago, my wife texted me an article about a restaurant in California that hired a fake “priest” to hear the confessions of their waitstaff in order to uncover suspected wrongdoings by their workers. They got busted and were fined $140,000 to punish them...

I Prefer Humans

  My cart loaded with eggs for the food pantry, I made my way to the checkout area where, to my dismay, I found only two flesh and blood cashiers while the rest of my fellow shoppers were using the self-checkout gizmos. I hate those things.  The lines for the...

A Matter of Taste

“My chicken tastes weird,” my wife said.  “Could it be the marinade?” I asked.  “No. Taste it and see.” So, I did. The chicken was bad.  Sighing, I looked for waitress, but she was nowhere to be found. Another waitress happened to be walking down the...

Kissed By a Ghost

I was working out in my old college gym with my friend Eliza, surreptitiously glancing at the shapely backside she’d honed from running five miles a day. Hey, I’m only human.  “Want to go for a jog after this?” she said while powering through some bicep...

Juicy

“Daddy,” Natalie said from the back of the car – which seems to be the place all our deep conversations start – “How do you make a baby?”  “How do you think it gets there?” I countered. So much for a quiet ride home.  “Kissing? Through your...

People Can Surprise You

A couple of months back, one of my co-workers stuck her head into my office and said, “There’s a guy downstairs wearing a skull mask walking around videotaping people.”  “What?” I replied.  “He’s scaring the shit out of everyone.”  “Aren’t the police...

Frankly, my dear….

“Daddy,” my daughter said, from the backseat of the car. “Something’s bothering me.”  “What is it, honey?”  “The lady at church said most people go to – can I say a bad word?”  “Go ahead.”  “H-E-L-L.”  “She said most people are going to...