Awkward

By Eddie D. Moore

Arno heard the scraping of a blade against a whetstone while he toiled replacing wooden shingles. The old farmer, Mr. Kensett, had been sitting on the front porch sharpening his knife ever since his daughter had come outside and introduced herself. She had given Arno an appraising look with a smile that made Arno blush and the old farmer narrow his eyes. He resisted the urge to remove his shirt for fear that Lomi, the farmer’s daughter, might make another appearance. He did not want the farmer to grow suspicious or think that something uncouth might pass between him and the girl. It would not be the first time that he had been run off of a farm without being paid.

With the last broken shingle replaced, he climbed down the ladder. Lomi rushed out the front door just as he placed a foot on the ground. She carried a single cup and walked past her father without a glance. When she offered the cup, Arno glanced at her father and noted his irritation. He took the cup with a nod and quickly moved to stand directly in front of Mr. Kensett.

“I believe that completes the list you gave me this morning.”

Mr. Kensett put down his whetstone, wiped the dust from the blade on his pants and walked with Arno to inspect the day’s work. “You have an eye for detail. I would say it was worth every coin.”

Arno accepted the day’s wages with a hand shake and turned to go. Lomi ran from the front porch to Arno’s side and grabbed hold of his arm. Continue reading →

By Christian Laforet

The girl picked up the boy in her parents car. It was a cream coloured Dynasty with a deep red interior (classy). Their destination was Jackson Park. Being fairly anti-social people, the boy and girl had decided the best way to spend New Year’s Eve was together, away from the crowds (This was probably more for the boy’s benefit, but hey, whatever worked).

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They’d known each other since grade school, and had even dated for a time back then. It wasn’t serious though and had quietly transitioned into just being friends. Back then they were in the same class and lived very close to each other; just a quick two block jaunt up the street (or down it, depending on who you asked) away. Riding bikes, going for walks, or just hanging out in the girl’s garage were staples of their activities.

Things changed when they hit high school though. The girl decided to go to the same school as her brothers before her, while the boy felt it would be better to follow most of his grade school chums and go to the closer option. They still talked on the phone… a lot, but the physical presence was gone. Continue reading →