By the third step out the front door a growing bead of sweat gathered just above his eye.
It began its lazy journey downward, around the eyebrow, through the valleys of the cat’s claw and onto the soft skin of the cheek above the beard line.  By that time, other traveling beads joined it, a [...]

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He dragged his left foot behind him as if weighted down by an iron shoe.  The old man shuffled down the aisle.
In his arms, he carried a clipboard full of papers.  He approached the podium, set down his materials, paused, reached inside the pocket of his jacket and pulled out [...]

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I turned into my parents’ driveway in Maryland and parked the car.  Before I could even step out and close the door, Mom flew out of the backyard, gesturing frantically.
“Your father had a breakdown,” she blurted. “Your brother took him to the hospital.  He’s on the sixth floor.  Go.  Go. You need to go [...]

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“Not my fault,” she said.      “Not my wood,” he answered.
“Joe didn’t do his part,” she added.
“Neither did Pat,” he tacked on.
What’s wrong with this picture
Finger-pointing has evolved from isolated instances to standard fare.
We have grown mentally fat.
I’m sick of it.
I doubt we would ever hear George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abe dishing out blame like [...]

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The boy’s eyes follow me around the room.
His thinly painted lips purse nary a hint of a smile, only a telling, a knowing far beyond his tender years—or maybe he does know, maybe he knows everything, staring out from the portrait with generations of patterns and sufferings pouring through him.

The mother next to him [...]

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“You cannot capture happiness no matter how hard you may chase after it.  Happiness is something that follows you.”The words of the old sage echoed in the young man’s heart, sounding a constant beat like the song that plays over and over without reprieve.
“What does that mean?” he asked himself. “Time to walk,” he continued, [...]

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I greeted her in the hallway with a gentle squeeze, that kind of hi-I’m-happy-to-see-you-and-have-no-idea-what-to-say embrace, as if words mattered anyway.
“You know?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’ve been praying for you everyday.”
She forced a smile and nodded before she turned into the salon.
When I made the appointment, they asked me at the front desk if I [...]

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“The last year of hard work has finally paid off,” he said. “Your delivery, presence, modulation—all of it work.  I’m proud of you.”
I beamed.
 
“Of course,” he continued. ”This is only regional theatre and there’s nothing wrong with that.  Many speakers make excellent money doing regional theatre.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, sensing a set up.
“Well, [...]

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Did you ever read the words "…this is a true story…" and wonder just how "true" it really was? I know I have and since making statements is all too easy, yet pictures say a thousand words, I thought I’d show you a few photos from where The Great Ones story takes place—along with [...]

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Prologue

Torredembarra, Spain, 1964—

The Boy heard the scuffle from his bedroom at the end of the upstairs hallway.

His mother and father screamed at each other, not surprising to him as it happened almost daily, though the routine of it seldom masked the pain that tore at his heart.

As usual, he burrowed his small body into the covers and buried his head beneath his pillow, as far into the recesses as he could hide.
Underneath the anger and the angst lurked that other familiar feeling—fear.

"Will he come for me next?" he thought to himself.

Quietly, he began to hum.

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