My father had a best friend at his office. This friend was a big Irish Catholic guy named John who was married to a Navaho woman, and they had thirteen children. So many kids on one small income amounted to a lot of homegrown bowl haircuts, clothes bought in bulk and kids that looked so alike that I could not tell them apart except by height. Every once in a while, I was dropped off at their house for some kind of bonding experience. This didn’t happen very often, maybe once a year, and w... read more

A flutter of shadows and light startled Victor from his thoughts. Chaos erupted in the structure and Victor froze where he was. The fire was fanned by the attack, sparks were everywhere and Victor felt scratches on his arms and face. It was the pain that woke him from his paralysis. He lunged forward and grabbed at the mass of fury. The creature escaped through the hole in the ceiling but before it left it released three tail feathers. And Victor knew in that moment what his Cherokee na... read more

In my second year of high school I met this boy, Victor, at the movie theater where I worked. He had just moved with his parents into the area and quickly got a job as an usher. He was taller then me and had that rebel thing going for him. He also lived a block from the theater which all the other movie whores like me, Becky, Stacia, James and Bino, who worked in the theater, quickly christened our new break room. (Prior to that we just used our cars in the parking lot behind the theater)... read more