I Just Waited

All college relationships that enter senior year can be sorted into three categories. First are the ones destined for marriage. The second are the ones that are destined for a break up, timing is all that matters. The third are the wild cards. They are the marriages where it isn’t clear if the couple is…

A Secret Sharer

I went away to a small college, tucked in the corner of the great state of Massachusetts. Williams College was set up like a gorgeous movie set for a college flick. Not the party flick but the flick where someone goes and discovers his or her real self. Williams was a boring nerd school. I…

They Weren’t Her Only Plans

It wasn’t long after the financial crash. It was my first vendor conference with the subdued business expenditures. Nashville, not Vegas. Two nights, not three. Lower per diem. Far less laughter, but I was happy I had my job still. I had seen her the first day, but not noticed her the first night. Second…

All Routine

I was 28 and into year 5 with my girl. She had moved in a year before we moved down South. We were Yankee neo-carpet baggers in a Southern city that was sucking in capital for manufacturing, engineering and R&D. Something about development for the future that you see in airline magazines promoting some unexplored…

A Delayed Fuse

It was 1987 in Fort Walton Beach, and I was sitting at a beach bar with friends. Last summer of our college career, and we were all 21 so boozing was the main drain on our wallets. Thursday, so it was the wet t-shirt contest. I had a girlfriend who was already working the entry level night…

Pharmaphucks

When I was a child, I loved traveling. First trip to Disney and I fell in love with vacationing. First trip to Europe and I fell in love with hotels. I went to school for hotel management and endured the ribbing from friends. They made fun of me taking classes called Donuts, Settings, Perishables Management,…

What Was I Lifting For

I was always tall. Always a head above classmates. It was my dad’s genes. He had been tall, too, and scooped my mom up as she was a foot shorter than him. When they divorced, he made sure to be a good part time dad. Sports was his way around set custody periods. He had…

I do 95% Already

“I do 95% of the parenting already,” I heard my neighbor explain to my wife in the living room. I had taken a break from reading and slipped into the kitchen to grab a drink. Sheila O’Brien had come over to reveal to my wife that she was filing for divorce and serving her husband…

Chance For Something New

In the late ’90s, I had a boss that was a softer, sensitive dad type. His name was Don, and he was a good looking guy at 45. He was not a manly man, but perfect for the supervisor role. He was gentle, nudged you along and was a stern man when he had to…

Mom’s Divorce

I remember my first Atari. Santa came through that year. You would let me play for hours. I’d play and you’d review contracts. Some nights, Dad would ask you to wait until I was in bed to start working. You’d glare. He and I played Legos with Logan’s Run playing in the background as you worked. He…