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Flown East“I so very much wanted to be a hot pilot in my father’s eyes, but it had been too long since I’d flown. My old sure-handed precision was shot, my control sloppy. I don’t think he thought a thing of it. I don’t believe that it would have occurred to him that a woman could do any better.” | When Sue-Ellen’s father took control of the aircraft, it would be his last time. Mirrors“Oh, it was a jungle. The mini hot dogs barked at me. The baby shrimp cried to be held. When the chicken finger beckoned me over, I finally gave in. Everything about the crispy sliver of white meat was delicious: the oil it was fried in, the breading it was covered in, and the ranch dressing I dipped it in.” | The joy, Jethro says, was fleeting. He sped to the bathroom. My Mother is a Dominatrix“My mother is a dominatrix by trade. She spanks the bare bottoms of men. I have never seen her in action, but I have heard stories. And I have listened to the slapping of their fatty flesh.” | As an adult, Heather has decided it’s not worth it to tell anyone about her mother anymore; people always look at her differently. Addicted to Pleasure“I do solemnly swear that I had an addiction. This I must confess. Eighth grade. Ninth grade. Tenth grade. Eleventh grade. I was addicted to masturbating. I’m a girl. I just knew that I must have been a complete freak of nature.” | But in spite of her feelings of shame, Darian continued into her 20s, and has even gotten away with it at work. No Different from Anyone Else“During my first week teaching second grade on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, Moses Running Bear, age 7, told me that he wanted to kill himself, his mother, and me.” | Though they became close, Leslie was about to make one colossal mistake. The Burdens of Being 4“The boy plunked down next to my tool bag, eyeing it ferociously. If I’ve seen that look before, I’ve seen it 100 times.” | The dishwasher mechanic and 4-year-old in Spider-Man underwear were about to discover an unlikely bond. Mother Principals“Ivana’s large, sparkling eyes complemented her thin cheekbones, yet I sensed despair. She seemed to be hanging on by a thread.” | As Ms. Billbe discovered, sometimes the best principals must play the role of parent, too. Days Like ThisHaving jumped through the flaming hoops of written and oral examinations, he was investigated by the gun-and-badge who interviewed neighbors, friends, and high school administrators. They must have vouched for his character; all that remained was medical clearance. The StalkerWe are not talking about crazy here. That’s kid stuff. The woman who stalks your husband relentlessly for four years, attempt to devastate your home, marriage, and life, then plans to commit suicide on your front porch is pad-the-white-walls, lock-her-up, certifiably psychotic. With Marks Like the ContinentsThey ate dinner at a table lit by a lantern. Helen lifted the lids of each of the serving bowls to show what they were having for dinner. There was no beef, so the cow had survived. However, there was chicken. One less chicken would roost under Helen’s table that night.  |
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