I Was Watching Television And I Saw

Stephanie,' Valerie Said. 'she's Going To Have A Baby, And She's Getting Married.' My Father Was Confused. He Looked Around The Room. No Joe. No Ranger. His Eyes Locked On Diesel. 'not The Psycho,' He Said. Diesel Blew Out A Sigh. My Father Turned To My Mother. 'get Me The Carving Knife. Make Sure It's Sharp.

I Received Rejection Letters For Ten Years (one On A Napkin, Written In Crayon.) I Had All My Rejection Notices Stored In A Box. When The Box Was Finally Full I Took It To The Curb And Set It On Fire. The Next Day I Went Out And Got A Temp Job.

I Paused For A Light At Hamilton And Twlfth And Noticed The Nissan Was Running Rough At Idle. Two Blocks Later It Backfired And Stalled. I Coaxed It Into The Center Of The City. Ffft, Ffft, Ffft, Kapow! Ffft, Ffft, Ffft, Kapow! A Trans Am Pulled Up Next To Me At A Light. The Trans Am Was Filled With High School Kids. One Of Them Stuck His Head Out Of The Passenger-side Window. "hey Lady," He Said. "sounds Like You Got A Fartmobile." I Flipped Him An Italian Goodwill Gesture And Pulled The Ball Cap Low On My Forehead. (three To Get Deadly)

How Was Your Day?" Morelli Asked Me. "oh, You Know, The Usual. Stole A Truck. Blew Up A Building, And Brought Seven Monkeys Home With Me.

I Don't Want My Readers Slowed Down By Long Passages Of Narrative.