Worst Moment of Fame Ever

My oldest child was almost twelve when Michael, the local book store owner, hand-sold me a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. “Trust me. It’s going to be huge!” he said. I looked at the thick book and wondered if my daughter would really get through it. But she was my reader, so… Continue reading Worst Moment of Fame Ever

Worst Customers Ever

Being in retail for twelve years was my eye opener to the range of intelligence of the general public. I thought I’d seen and heard it all teaching public school for ten years, but I was, oh, so very wrong. These people made my remedial English 8th graders of yesteryear look like down-right geniuses. The… Continue reading Worst Customers Ever

You Can Take the Girl Out of Iowa . . .

At the end of my ten-week student teaching in Venezuela, one of the teachers said that I could interview to come back to teach at Campo Alegre the following year. She said they were always looking for American teachers. “You can stay with me during the summer,” she said, “until you get your apartment.” The… Continue reading You Can Take the Girl Out of Iowa . . .

Grabby Guy’s Goodness

Brenda was a grad student at Tufts in Boston. She was tired of dating and was thinking of getting her doctorate in nutrition after she got her Master’s degree. Brenda’s two roommates, who were also a couple, told Brenda she needed a night out to go dancing. Brenda got ready and then waited for them… Continue reading Grabby Guy’s Goodness

Parking Lot Pick-up

Ann and her friend, Laura, were bored. It was Saturday night, and they’d been at their all-girls’ college, Holy Names, for a whole week. It was time to find some guys, to find a party. They pulled into Berkeley and headed for Fraternity Row. Laura spotted someone she had dated before and rolled down the… Continue reading Parking Lot Pick-up

Drive-in Movie Blues

Linda would start high school in the fall. She was doing summer stock at the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. The play was Bye Bye Birdie, and she was playing the part of a show girl. Jeff, one of the good-looking stage hands, drove a blue ’66 Cadillac convertible with a white top. Thinking she… Continue reading Drive-in Movie Blues