Beth Raines sighed. Looking in the full length mirror, she appraised her 45 year old body. Old, fat and ugly, she thought. The thought was not uncommon. It arrived inside her head the day her husband had left some ten years earlier. Somehow, Beth had decided to blame herself for the divorce even though she was the petitioner. Her self worth left in the back of her ex-husband's car as she had watched it pull out of the drive that last time.
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I have always thought that Betty had a lot of balls to do what she did. Big brass ones. I was at least 20 years younger than Betty and I don't think I had ever exhibited any attraction toward her. She was just another pleasant acquaintance in the workplace. But, like so many of the remarkable women who have graced my life, she knew what she wanted and she had the inner confidence to go for it.
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Chris yawned and moved to the next section of shelving. A big truck had made for a long night, leaving him and the rest of the night stock crew facing up the store after opening.
"Never ending, man," his friend Alan grumbled from the other side of the aisle.
"Feels like it."
"At least the scenery ain't bad."
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The first time I met Mr. Steinberg, I was totally impressed with the way he carried himself. He looked pretty old to me, maybe in his 70's, maybe even older, but I could tell from the way he dressed and spoke and especially with his young physique, that he exuded confidence and self assurance. I don't think he was a body builder by any means, but dressed in casual attire, he stood straight and proud and when he moved around, his agility belied his age, however old he really was.
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Denise lived next door to my family as I grew up in a small city in Australia. She was married to a guy who never grew up, drank a lot and treated her poorly. Their home was littered with his empty beer bottles and her empty dreams.
My Dad would often say she was a pretty woman who deserved a whole lot better in life. Denise was originally a country girl and in Australia that meant there was a certain something about her.
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My name is David Vervier, I'm 19 years old and this is my story...
The last week of high school was a long one for me. It wasn't so much that I was going to miss my friends, despite the fact I had grown up with them all since we were little. My hometown was small, a population of only 2,500 in a good year, and even then you're counting the tourists who came in from all over the west coast to fish and hunt. Don't get me wrong, I like my friends a lot and have had some good times with them.
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When my wife quit working to have our first child, I secured a second job as a doorman/security guard at a high-rise apartment building about a half-hour from our home. The Bayview Towers was six stories high with a total of 60 apartments. The main floor consisted of two business apartments, management office and maintenance facilities. I would work there for about three years.
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This was the first spring day that was both warm and not raining. Just the kind of day I had been waiting for. I live on Flat Avenue which is just a block from the town Cemetery.
I wanted to put flowers on four graves my mother, father, husband and my brother. The family plot is near the center of the cemetery and just off to the circle. So I can park on the road and not have to walk too far on the grass.
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It was the first day of class and Chris was feeling very self conscious. The professor went around the room having everyone introduce themselves. At 39, Chris listened to student after student saying their name, and that they had just gotten out of high school. When it was his turn, Chris stood up, turned to the class and said, "Hi, I'm Chris, and I did not just get out of high school."
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Renee hung up the phone and leaned over the desk, cradling her head in her hand. The day at the office had been bad enough, and this was just the icing on the cake.
Somehow, the computer at the thrift store had picked up a virus. Without it, she couldn't print tags, enter anything into inventory, scan it out when someone purchased something, or keep up with the government paperwork.
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