Bing

“And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again,” crows Mr. Crosby every single morning this week.

“Is that true?” I asked my mother when I was ten. “Don’t you want us around?” It was a shock. Isn’t everyone happy to be together during the holidays? Are there parents who don’t like their children? Why even have kids if you don’t enjoy their company? It had never occurred to me that I was a burden. I thought we were all in this life together. All for one and one for all.

But we weren’t musketeers, merely humans with myriad assumptions and crazy thinking.

Xmas. It isn’t about presents. It’s about presence.

My heart took up jazz drumming recently, with different time signatures and rhythms. Wasn’t painful, but scary. Also motivated me to publish sooner rather than later. Here’s another taste of the next one in the chute, Shoulds are for Saints: the true life adventures of Suzy Le Speed, set in 1980s Hollyweird:

I finally make it through traffic to my latest day job at Instant Investigations, owned and operated by Bob T. Smith. I’d answered an ad in Dramalogue, a weekly casting rag for performers. “Garner real life experience. Method actors preferred.” I’m not Method, but I’m hungry and need a stable income since the Howling series petered out. It’s only been a week and a half, but I like it so far, tailing wannabe divorcées mainly. He advertised for actors because he figures they’re good liars and quickchange artists. He wasn’t expecting a woman, but I convinced him it was a smart move. Most people don’t pay serious attention to women, let alone consider them a threat. I’ve also had years of stage-combat training, along with fencing and street fighting. I can take care of myself in a dark alley. Plus I already have a gun permit—I learned to shoot for Howling V—so it saves him money.

Dance First …ask questions later: poems & paintings by Shé is now available on Amazon. Note: No need Kindle to read it. Download the free ‘Kindle for Amazon’ app; works with any device.