Always a bridesmaid

September 6, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 18 Comments

What were you thinking? Were you even thinking? I don’t know. I guess I thought that if I treated him like he treated me, he’d see. If I blew off dates, or didn’t call him back, he’d miss me, realize he wanted to be with me. That if I talked down to him in front … Continue reading Always a bridesmaid

Puddle jumper

September 4, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 16 Comments

I thought opting out of tedious TSA lines, crying babies and the assault on my nose from unkempt bodies, would save both money and my sanity. I didn’t factor in that every other traveler might have the same plan. Half a city of fellow motorists jammed the interstate, all of us seemingly headed toward the … Continue reading Puddle jumper

No direction

September 3, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 22 Comments

An abandoned shopping cart, the store name nearly obliterated by time and weather, laid on its side in the ditch. A random motorist might notice it, but none stopped to claim it. Its current owner, watching the rain wash away the daily detritus from its wire frame, would have fought anyone who touched it. He … Continue reading No direction

Runaway

August 29, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 16 Comments

When I was a child I took a tattered baby blanket and spread it out on my bed. On top, I placed my favorite stuffed toy, some picture books, and a plastic bag of Goldfish crackers. Pulling up the four corners, I tied the bundle into a knot, threw my makeshift hobo bag over my … Continue reading Runaway

Archaeological dig

August 29, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 20 Comments

The graveyard was a source of embarrassment, and no amount of pleading to move it had helped. The solution was to pretend it didn’t exist. Her greatest fear was that one of her grandchildren would wander into it and get hurt. So when young A.J. strode through the living room wearing one of his grandpa’s … Continue reading Archaeological dig

End of the line?

August 22, 2012January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 10 Comments

I was so smug. I produced a male heir, a solitary namesake for two families. He was perfect with his golden hazel eyes, corn silk hair, and gossamer skin. Then his body betrayed him. A burn vandalized his angelic face. An angry red scar spread from his sweet strawberry lips to his peach fuzz ear. … Continue reading End of the line?