P. A. M. A. FILES: “Florsheim Shoes!” Part 1
It’s six-thirty in the morning. The air is misty with a crispness that is typical of an early Fall day in California. The morning air is redolent with the aromas of coffee, bacon, eggs, and toast wafting from the school Mess Hall. A few Robins perched on trees call a greeting to one another joyously. …
A Strange Turn of Events” Part 9
My Adventures and short brush with Fame in Community Theatre continues.. Okay back to the Tartuffe rehearsal… At the first rehearsal, I was introduced to the rest of the cast and I couldn’t have been asked to work with a nicer group of people. It consisted of four adults and three college students. The adults…
4th Grade Facts O’ Life Part 3
Trouble reared its head like the Serpent in our little Garden of Eden in the guise of a fourth-grade classmate named Bill Burg. Bill was about my height but he was a lot thinner and he had olive skin, dark brown eyes, and perfectly straight white teeth; I hated him on sight. Ok, not really.…
“King of Pain!”
It all started with a pain in the ass. I had turned thirty years old and abruptly my body began to experience troubling aging sensations. Twenty-year-old friends started teasing me about my arrival to “Middle Age” – to which I responded with my middle finger. “I ain’t that old,” I grumbled. Yet my body begged…
“Gettin’ Pantsed in College”
Corduroy Pants? No Thank You, I prefer wearing denim jeans. Even today I can’t bear to look at a pair of corduroys without feeling a stab of anxiety and despair. My guilty secret, my private shame is an untold story until now. Being older gives a man a sense of perspective and perhaps a bit…
Sunday Night Family Barbecue
Charlie, do you want to help me barbecue today?” “Yeah! Can I?” “Sure. We can work as a team. We can take turns watching the steak grill.” On Sunday’s, The Old Man was in fine form. There was nothing he loved more than working the family barbecue. In our neighborhood, he was known as the…
“We Got it Back Last Night”
A Short Story by Laura L. Summer, 1981. “Administrative Assistant to Director” was title of the position for which I applied. When all was done I was hired and became close friend, confidante, meeting scheduler, party planner, and liaison for Abbie Engstrom, the Director of a 15 board member commission of social services. The youngest member,…
Don’t Call Me By My Name
A Short Story Written By Laura L. Readying myself for the workday on March 1, 2007 I opened up a voicemail that was left earlier that morning. “Hello Laura ..this is Jackie, Mel’s mother . I just wanted you to know that we lost Mel yesterday… (breaks down and cries; then contains herself). I don’t…
“A Stupid Bike Story!”
It was a stupid lookin’ bike. Really Weird. The bike was painted in an ugly metallic green color giving it an appearance of a grasshopper – if a bug could transform itself into a bicycle – this would have been the result. Obviously, this flawed contraption was not made in America. The kid called it…
“Workin,’ Baby!”
Ex Nihilo, Nihil Fit (Work Is Still a Four Letter Word~W. Shakespeare) “All we need is proof of your schooling and we can finalize the hiring process,” said the beaming HR Director of CasaPobre Resort and Spa.I reached down and presented Ms.Cabot with a large framed diploma. It resembled a large serving tray that one…