The Sunday Reader

The Sunday Reader: Fearscape

The Sunday Reader: Fearscape

The slight shock was what hurt the most.  He felt just a small one, behind his left ear. If he took enough of the yellow pills, the sting might go away.  But when he opened his eyes and looked around, he saw the same thing he'd looked at for the last two years.  White...

The Sunday Reader: Why do I care?

The Sunday Reader: Why do I care?

I remember some years ago, I was waking up on a futon in my grandmother’s house; drool clung to my mouth as allergies had forced my mouth open as I slept in my work clothes. I wasn’t planning on going to work though. I woke up and took a shower. My roommate at the...

The Sunday Reader: San Francisco

The Sunday Reader: San Francisco

The moment you feel the blow -- the weight of his right shoe arc between your thighs and buttocks and strike your pubic bone -- you are looking at a picture book of San Francisco. It leans against a high shelf in the garage. As you are sent inches above the concrete...

The Sunday Reader: Why Do People Smoke?

The Sunday Reader: Why Do People Smoke?

I had been living in Northern Virginia for a few months and met a friend of mine for drinks. We knew each other from Richmond, where I had spent the last half decade or so. We were drinking, smoking and talking about politics, ethics, whatever else, sitting on an...