In my childhood, I’d become so distressed I’d vomit. My mother would hold back my hair, uttering soothing words. "I'm going to die!" I'd sob. "No you're not, sweetie. You're just sick," she'd tell me, and I'd happily believe her ( Read more... )

We engaged in sleepy morning sex followed by a homemade breakfast of eggs and bacon. Coffee simmered in a nearby pot. As we ate, the tornado siren wailed outside despite an azure sky sweeping miles around.

"I wonder why it’s ringing?" I mused, glancing outside and then turning to look at him.

He shrugged and took a sip of coffee.

"It's probably the ( Read more... )

I watched them every day from my back-row desk. Two girls wearing gold necklaces, each carrying half a heart. Best friends.

When they fought, the blonde-haired one snatched the jewelry from her enemy. With great ceremony, she’d clasp the chain around my neck, smiling.

I shivered with joy, feeling love dangling precariously above the pulse of my ( Read more... )

How can I fit my belongings into such a small car? My mind balks when trying to scribble a list. Clothes and books, Dad’s ashes, rumpled stuffed animals, posters unraveling across brand-new walls are all I need to feel comfortable.

I am compact as my car, marveling at how much I can fit into my memory. “Remember when Aunt Gladys made me a ketchup- ( Read more... )

We sat cross-legged on the lawn, our textbooks across our laps. Trying to make small talk, he turned and glanced at me.

“Have you seen the Distillers?” he asked. “They’re good.”

I shook my head. “I’m not a big football fan. I’ve just seen them on television…never gone to an actual game. You’d think being Bill Cowher’s cousin would guarantee us ( Read more... )

“Henry Clay’s buried in this cemetery,” he remarks, tires crunching over fallen leaves and gravel.

I nod. “The Great Compromiser.” A giggle escapes.

“I didn’t know people outside of Kentucky knew Henry Clay!” he answers, surprised.

In high school, my friend and I designed a Henry Clay action doll. On a date with Barbie Doll, Clay drawls, “Well, Barbie ( Read more... )

"Erin, do you remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon where a person is wandering through a yard, he steps on a rake and it smacks him in the face? He wanders through the yard. Everywhere he turns, he continues stepping on stray rakes and he gets hurt.”

"Yes..." I nodded.

"That’s what being in a relationship with you is like. Whenever I thought things were ( Read more... )

Misery loves company; emotions enjoy ice cream; break-ups require both. Last night, as we swung our legs and ate, my friends said, "Don't call him. Wait for him to call you."

And he did.

He called today to tell me that he wrecked his motorcycle when a deer jumped in front of him last night. His body took quite the beating and his motorcycle fared ( Read more... )