Blog
Above us all
He created a podcast, and soon after recruited a sidekick to play along.
He talked louder than anyone in the office. His sentences were purposefully contaminated with English buzzwords. And his standing desk had nothing to do with health.
A “feedback” or “checknout” triggered eye rolls from everyone.
I never imagined this
I planted myself in the chair and braced for what was next.
One large, warm bundle was placed in my lap, followed by another, smaller warm bundle. I could only hear the sound of their breaths. Drool was everywhere.
And for the first time in my life I wasn’t afraid to let others see me cry.
Her maiden voyage
Everyone else was clamouring for overhead space. She looked old enough to go straight to heaven on this flight.
She fidgeted with the window shade, mumbling under her breath to herself, or maybe her dead husband or even to God. I asked if I could help.
Impatient with herself she said, “I can’t get it to open—how will I get any fresh air?”
The missed appointment
I had volunteered plenty before. But I had been warned this time it could be harder.
I’d help get patients settled and assist in their treatment, sometimes even applying the moxa myself. Most of the patients were just happy that they could get outside, only for a few hours. By that point, most were just waiting.
I called the name of the next patient. The look on everyone’s faces conveyed the news.
What if he knew?
They elected Jim as senior class president, holding us hostage to his gummy bear smile for a full year.
Jim was inseparable from his Jeep. I encountered Jim and his Jeep after school in the parking lot. His bumper sticker read “I don’t brake for queers, liberals, or niggers.”
I wondered, would he stop?
Try again tomorrow
It was 5 AM and there was already a line. In their dark, boxy leather jackets, they took heavy drags of Startky.
Inside, the foreign police at Olšanské náměstí was chaotic—like we were all fighting to get to the outer deck of the Titanic. No one spoke the same language.
The officer raised her voice at me and threw my passport at the door.
On the way to meet Elvis
My cousin joked about choking on the fireball.
I started gasping for air. Aunt Judy stopped the car in nowhere Tennessee. Mom pulled at my guts with superhuman strength until everything came flying out.
I got a chocolate shake for the soreness.
According to His word
They showed up in their white shirts and familiar badges. They were looking for my sister.
Grandma died. Kim stopped going to church. But according to the elders, she had to return. Otherwise, Grandma wasn’t going to heaven.
Dad told them what would happen if they ever came back.
The living dead
He didn’t seem to be breathing. The dispatcher asked us to try shaking him.
He sprang up as if he hadn’t been dead. “Don’t you have 500 crowns?” were his first words.
We continued walking.
She deserved better
She was irresistible with her one blue eye. She had to be rescued.
But Gracie grew quickly. She started hopping the fence. Dad demanded I take her back to the shelter.
Through tears and gentle strokes I asked her to forgive me.