ARABESQUE Iโd read somewhere that turbulence isnโt dangerous. In fact, only two people have died because of turbulence in the last three decades. In those same decades, I had marveled, and sometimes raged, at Lucasโ ability to stay asleep through thunder storms and wailing babies alike. As for me, I had never slept more than … Continue reading Arabesque
Good Samaritan
Chicken Island
Dear Lucca Family,
The pristine white envelope gleams under the pile of unopened mail like a relic buried in trash. I run my fingers over the bold calligraphy inscription. The Lucca Family. Itโs been a long time since Iโve thought of us as a family. Four years, three months, and four days, to be precise. I break the … Continue reading Dear Lucca Family,
Fragment (an excerpt)
Something awful and irreversible has happened in Manhattan, I am certain of it. I've just come from downtown where everything and everyone is covered in ash and now it seems to have followed me across the bridge to Brooklyn. The fine grey dust hangs in the air, landing on the parked cars and the tree … Continue reading Fragment (an excerpt)
Next Tuesday
The woman next to Ben leaned in as the pilot announced their descent into JFK. โI still look for the towers every time,โ she said. โDonโt think Iโll ever get used to those empty spaces.โ Ben grabbed the Polaroid picture that fell from his laptop case, staring at the picture of Justin and him, with … Continue reading Next Tuesday
Doris
He knocks twice before entering Doris' room, having learned the hard way not to surprise his mother. Last week, heโd walked in during her sponge bath and still could not get that image out of his mind. Doris always kept herself thin, except for that time when sheโd tried to quit her Virginia Slims. But, … Continue reading Doris
Chasing Sunsets in Steamboat Springs
I stare at the waterfall in front of me, my bare feet in the pond where last winter's melted snow lands. I've reached the upper Fish Creek fall, deep in Northwest Colorado's Routt National Forest. When I set out on the hike, I meant to get only halfway up. I spent the first twenty minutes … Continue reading Chasing Sunsets in Steamboat Springs
Next Tuesday – Part 4
It was the first time Ben had told anyone about the morning of 9/11. Though there was initial relief at the unburdening, he realized the confession could not ease his guilt any more than leaving New York had. Every night, he had dreams about Justin walking into the lobby of the towers that morning. More … Continue reading Next Tuesday – Part 4
Next Tuesday – Part 3
The receptionist gave him a look when he walked in the next morning โ afternoon, if you wanted to get technical about it. After running into Layla and Noah, heโd called an old friend and spent the evening at her place drinking cosmopolitans; not his choice of drink but they did their job. His father … Continue reading Next Tuesday – Part 3


