I used to see the older man whenever I went swimming at my neighbourhood Y. Often, he was in the pool before I arrived, in the slow lane near the women’s locker room, on his back, kicking, arms at his side. I’d smile and say hello as I walked from the locker room to the other side of the pool. The etched-in frown on his face was always there, no matter what. Sometimes, he’d nod. Never smiled or offered any verbal acknowledgement. On the day I first met him, a middle-aged man and I were the only ones swimming in the medium lane, so we were able to split it. I swam on the left side and he on the right until the old man arrived. Wearing black trunks and a black swim cap, the old man jumped in and announced, “We’ll have to circle.” We weren’t happy to have…
Stella Cromwell was a once-in-a-generation housekeeper. The calmness that came with keeping house – from dusting vintage wine bottles down in a cellar to…
In high school, I would have this recurring dream. It would start with my mom and I driving on the freeway– which is strange…
I was halfway to the nine-foot end of the pool at my neighborhood Y when a middle-aged man in the adjacent slow lane, quickly…
Ramesh Babu was a classical singer. With acknowledged achievements, this Padma awardee had turned 60. One day after returning from a performance, he changed…
Author: Janisse Ray Copyright: 2022 Pages: 209 Price: $19.99 (paperback) There’s something unique about the lifelong inhabitants of America’s South, hard for outsiders to…
Author: David W. Berner San Francisco. The Shortish Project. Copyright: 2023 Price: $16.00 (paperback) This story revolves around three main characters with writer Seamus…
Just as Leah was almost finished with a tax return, her cell phone rang. She looked at the number. “Hi, Judy.” “Scott and I…
Cracks grew deep in the barren, parched soil; baked hard like a wrinkled old face. Hot and dusty – the sort of dust that…
Author: Andrey Kurkov Translated by: Boris Dralyuk Publisher: Deep Vellum Publishing (Dallas, Texas) Author copyright 2018 First Deep Vellum Edition 2022. Price: $15.95 (paperback)…
