He was temping at a website, one of those online radio stations that you could customize based on music you already liked. It... more

When the weatherman warns the roads will become impassable, your mother sends your father out for supplies. Your mother tucks the money... more

Frank wanted a "heart of the hide" glove ever since he was in the PeeWees, but the dad of all knowledge said nothing doing, a... more

"Becca, you're in charge," Mom said, craning her neck around the driver's side burgundy vinyl headrest. "I'm picking you kids up in... more

The phone rings. You can a) get out of the hot tub, b) tell Graciela to get it, or 3) send Roberto. Answering the phone, however, would... more

There he was in the dugout crying.

All the guys were on the field. They were slugging it out because... more

As soon as Joey Steinbach's foot sprung from second base and he made the turn, there was no unplugging it. He'd decided back on first... more

It is not for nothing that baseball has existed since 1846 and now encompasses 30... more

I stop at a 7-Eleven for a pack of gum. I give the cashier a twenty.

"You don't have any ones?" the cashier... more

So, my step-sister Alice. She divorces her husband of ten years. Bart. High school sweethearts. Sad, sad, sad. Claims he beat her.... more

His caps lock button broke and he could only type in capital letters. He spent a notable portion of his money on... more

1.

so there's this girl, as there always is, except she's a movie star, which figures, since this is me,... more

1. Sweet Sixteen:

She is thinking of her father at the breakfast table, reading the paper. Can almost hear him... more

1. Janie

When I was sixteen, my dad's new wife and her daughter, Mary Ann, moved in, so I had to get out. I found a... more

At some point, the people in their thirties and forties decided to go one of two ways: dog fighting, or dog grooming. It was a simple... more

On the way home, Jill pulls through Dairy Queen and orders a burger and a butterscotch sundae. Her boyfriend orders the same thing, three... more

Shopping

I was sitting at the kitchen table, it was morning, the light was pale and fine, he was messing about, making something... more

In less than an hour, the ferry was at half-speed, the wind had died and the magnificent flora of Cane Island was in full view. They... more

Elias was a banker, so we left with more than most. $1,600 to spend at the outfitters—three yoke of oxen, 2000 pounds of food,... more

Meine Liebe

It got to where I couldn't stop talking about him, though our relationship had to be secret — there was no other... more

In God's Country

Camping in the northern part of the state, two guys and a girl woke to the sound of what they thought was a... more

The boy mastered the alphabet, but the other boys were playing soccer. The boy mastered... more

It's Christmas Eve, our birthday's less than an hour away, and, per Tannen family tradition, it's Davie's and my first night... more

The winter I turned twenty-seven, I followed a woman who said she might love me to a small town in Northwest Pennsylvania, a go-between... more

He could not look at the dog's eyes, light brown, like the sky before it started to rain. "Come on," Vassil said. The dog slowly followed him... more