Ezine Archive

As always, Joe made himself busy around the set.
He arrived with the crew and helped in any way he could, ferrying gear, holding doors open, guarding coveted parking spaces.
When catering showed up, he pitched in to arrange the breakfast buffet.
No other actors appeared before their call times.
Only Joe.
The grips, light and sound folk, assistant directors [...]

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The blaring sound leapt under Jerry’s skin and strangled him awake in an instant.
His eyes popped open in terror and for a darkened moment he forgot where he was.
“Oh, Jeeze,” he exclaimed in sudden realization—“the freekin’ alarm.”
He slammed his wrist on the snooze button and flopped back on the bed.
Nine minutes later the blare cried [...]

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The sun cast a sweeping glint over the crests of quiet morning waves.  It was 6 A.M. in Montego Bay.  Caribbean waters lapped the beach with rhythmic gentility.  “Flap, woosh. Flap, woosh.”
Armed with snorkels and masks, we took to the water.  Laird liked to wear fins.  I chose to swim without them, part of my [...]

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Bob rocked back and forth three times in his wheelchair before coming to his feet.
He grabbed the walker with his left arm—the “good one”—and began the 30-foot journey down the sidewalk in front of his house.
I marveled at how much he had improved.
He finally began to walk on his own.
He placed most of his weight [...]

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Sam and Susie huddled over morning coffee at their kitchen table.
“I’ve been doing some research,” Susie said.
“Research on what, Suze?” he answered.
“Research on the whole food and diet thing. Even after all we’ve learned in the past week, something didn’t sit right with me.”
“Really?” Sam smiled at her. “Did you figure out what [...]

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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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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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