Tag Archives: fiction

I followed Cooper around like a motherless child. He became my dream. The truth of it was I had no dream beyond being paired. His family introduced me to a manner of living that was novel in my experience. His … Continue reading →

Cooper and I lived on the top floor of an old, two story, hip roofed, building. When the wind blew hard from the east in the winter, snow drifted in on the sills and the windows frosted over on the … Continue reading →

Meanwhile, in Marathon Key Buccaneer Billy had hired another deck hand for the short term. Cooper was finishing undergraduate work at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. He came to work for Billy to earn enough money to survive … Continue reading →

I spent the summer working on the fuel dock in the early mornings, sanding and varnishing brightwork for the remainder of the day. I did not return to college. Instead, I signed on to deliver a pleasure trawler to Marathon Key … Continue reading →

My father, Ambrose, Richard, and even Noah, watched me load my bags into the back of Frankie’s Coupe DeVille. Frankie was older than the yard. He began his career when my grandfather built the business and stayed when my father … Continue reading →

Although my family no longer owned the boatyard, my father retained an interest in it. I didn’t understand how we lost the yard and the money; yet, my father crossed the street every day to the yard and acted as … Continue reading →

Ambrose taught me how to sail, giving me the joy of competence. I was happy sailing. When the boat was heeled over, with her rails about to dip into the bay, I soared; high on elemental freedom and free hash. I … Continue reading →

He was a beautiful young man. His hair grew in black ringlets down to his collar in the back. He wore gold rimmed spectacles. That’s what he called them, spectacles. He was blind without them. Alice Elizabeth was in the … Continue reading →

I was good friends with a drunken sailor who had a Volkswagen Beetle that he called Hitler’s Revenge. He appeared at the door with a bucket. I was reading in an old wingback chair. I pretended he wasn’t there. He … Continue reading →

They’d turned it back to simmer, showered and had dinner at the marina restaurant; redfish and oysters. Dixie Chicken did them in. He told her he hired her because the lyrics were the first thing that came to mind when she … Continue reading →