Georgie hated her relatives. She stared out the bedroom window watching them arrive. It was easy to see everyone since there were no leaves on the trees. Wet and slick they covered the walkway instead. Uncle Tony was first in his sleek black car. The one he talked about all the time that made Mom roll her eyes. He’d scurried out and started for the sidewalk, but when another car rolled up the long driveway, he changed his gait to…
Ensconced in a cocoon of blankets after a late afternoon swim, Vanessa grabbed Brad’s phone to check the time. It was easier than going to search for her own, which they’d discarded somewhere between the door and the bathroom of their honeymoon suite. Vanessa had waited patiently over the past few years as Brad hesitated, still grieving the wife he’d lost eight years ago in a car accident. He was the driver and lone survivor. She ignored the notifications while…
It was only a loose thread, but when Jenny pulled on it, she got more than she expected. She was fed up with the chaos and demands, the lack of gratitude from people when she’d gone out of her way to deal with mundane tasks. Sure, it only took a minute or two of her time, but stacked upon each other day after day, they turned into hours that robbed her from taking care of herself. From breathing. Her own…
I envisioned myself as James Bond, the super spy who drives fancy cars and has all the gadgets to get out of any uncomfortable predicament. Instead, I’m tailing a mother of three. The baby drooling on her shoulder, the middle one whining, the eldest walking circles around them all. After following her for a week, I’m finding it difficult to imagine this rundown woman who hasn’t showered in days is part of the knock-off designer bags ring. I pull my…