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What Hid in the Tobacco ShedAs he lay there, late in the morning, staring up at the ceiling, he heard a car come up the road and turn off into the farm’s dirt driveway. He threw off his covers and went to the window, looked down, and was thrilled to see a big, black Ford pull up beside the tobacco shed. The Unspoken DistanceShe knows their rhythms, but she wants to reach out to them, to ask them please will they tell her they love her will they be her friends. She wonders how they came from the same house, the same neighborhood, and why it seems hard to touch or comfort one another. Summer ClingShe’d told her mother when it first started. His roaming hands. The nights he sneaked into her room - almost every night now. He said if her mother knew she’d be sent away, and he was right, because here she was, suitcase banging closed, being told to not make a sound. Time ShadowGramma Maris was already a young widow with two small children at the time of the Great Depression. But time and again, she’d shake her head and murmur the cryptic words: “We should have helped them. We should have done something.” Uncle JerryShe was sipping coffee and reading the paper to kill time before her doctor’s appointment. In the national news section she saw the headline, “70-Year-Old Arrested for Child Pornography,” followed by her uncle’s name, age, occupation, and hometown. Horrified, she read on. ObedienceShe will tell you that she is no longer ill, even though her naturally olive skin is gray as ashes, her once shining chestnut hair is sparse and thinning, and her movie-star teeth are darkening with their regular bath of stomach acid. She will tell you that she’s fine. A Corpse in UkraineGreat-grandfather was unsure if his showmanship/salesmanship would transplant smoothly into American soil. So when Singer first offered free passage to the States, he demurred. Didn’t close the door, but didn’t jump at the offer. Then he killed a man with his bare hands. Knowing When to FoldThis is not just about a boy who did badly in school. This is about a son who took such a wrong turn they may have lost him forever. The two older kids, now nearing 30, have worked hard and created superior lives for themselves. Ben is another story. EventuallyHis dad is deeply prejudiced. Throughout the years, he’s heard negative comments concerning not just gays but also blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans. This was a guy who liked Ellen – until she came out. Fearing it would be even worse with a gay son, he lied. Nothing to Worry AboutShe’d heard cancer whispered about, but was unfamiliar with its symptoms and treatment. When Rebecca’s friend called after they removed the breast, she said she didn’t believe her. She did not learn until 10 days before Rebecca’s death that Rebecca was going to die.  |
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