Scott answered a personal ad in the Contra Costa Times for a woman looking for a date. Remember newspapers? They were ink-on-paper affairs that folded in half, but not shiny like a magazine. A magazine was a booklet of ads, stories, and photographs with a theme that was published weekly or monthly. Back to the… Continue reading Escape
Author: Susan
Five Minutes in Philly
(re-run) She was tall and blond. He was taller and had reddish hair. They were both at Rite Aid in Valley Forge. Matthew had come in for his hair gel, LA Look, to maintain his spiked hair. He saw her in aisle 12. “I have trouble finding hair products for men,” he said, testing the… Continue reading Five Minutes in Philly
Rocky Mountain Low
(re-run) He was the good-looking cousin of my best friend. Tall, tan, and bearded, with a killer smile, it was love at first sight. Marcus had moved from Minnesota to Colorado to be near his sister. He asked if I wanted to come out and go backpacking with him. I said yes but that my… Continue reading Rocky Mountain Low
Belly-up Beetle
(re-run) Curtis drove the Volkswagen, 1969 vintage Beetle. Smoking George, his wing man, brought the weed. They’d met their dates at a party. Stacy and Camille went to San Leandro High. Curtis and George went to Castro Valley. Curtis liked Camille. George got Stacy. They all partied at a friend of a friend’s house in… Continue reading Belly-up Beetle
Prom Be Gone
(re-run) It was supposed to be junior prom at Stoughton High, but it got cancelled (thirteen years before the movie Footloose). Patsy wasn’t going steady with anyone, so she wasn’t too upset. At the last minute the school arranged a dance in the high school gym, but with no decorations, no court (no prom queen),… Continue reading Prom Be Gone
Teddy Bear with Back Hair
When I lived in Omaha for eight years in my twenties, I dated almost all the eligible men I met in my age range, at least once — shorter guys, smokers, non-dancers, younger guys, poorer guys (I was a school teacher!) and guys with facial hair. But I NEVER dated a guy with back hair… Continue reading Teddy Bear with Back Hair
Julie Takes a Ride
(re-run) Julie and her friend, Denise, went to the Rusty Pelican on Friday night. It was their go-to hang-out. But lately it had been heavy on girls’ night-out groups and light on eligible men. Would it be the same old, same old kind of night, or would Julie finally meet a datable man? She’d fluffed… Continue reading Julie Takes a Ride
The Eight-stick Day or Colonoscopy from H#$l
(re-run) People over fifty have to have colonoscopies to make sure they don’t have colon cancer, although my chorus friend Travis, who just turned 51, says there’s a less-invasive test nowadays. Not for me. I was due for my ten-year test, so I bought the clean-out meds and took them at the prescribed time. They… Continue reading The Eight-stick Day or Colonoscopy from H#$l
It’s a Jungle Out There
(re-run) I saw a coyote yesterday during my strength and training class at the senior center. There are so many people in the drop-in class that I have to stand right in front of the glass doors, with a view of the hills filled with wild turkeys, birds, and now Wiley Coyote. My back hurts… Continue reading It’s a Jungle Out There
The Chicken Church and Other Tableside Travels
(re-run) I used to travel, back in my twenties before marriage, before kids. Now I stay home with an older sister (who would otherwise be in a nursing home), one normal dog, and one little weirdo dog. But I still get to travel. My friends are in Austria, Indonesia, Hawaii, Tahoe, and Guatemala, as we… Continue reading The Chicken Church and Other Tableside Travels
