http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/ Reckless fun and wanton disregard en-US Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:39:46 -0400 http://www.typepad.com/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/ding-dong.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/ding-dong.html Kevin answered the door, pissed per usual. “Thanksgiving’s at four, right? And usually you show up at two. But Christ, Hal, this year, it’s not even noon.” “More like one-thirty.” (My mother was savage. I had to get out.) “Don’t listen to him.” Patrice accepted my giant orange chrysanthemums, which Kevin’s mother, Rebecca would arrange in some one-of-kind vase. “Do you want a sandwich?” Patrice asked. “There’s beer in the fridge.” [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] So I grabbed a beer and settled in the TV room to watch the game.... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:39:46 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/mind-what-you-say.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/mind-what-you-say.html After the girls’ birthday, and Kevin’s visit the following dawn, he stayed away. Jeanne was grateful. But even though Patrice and Annabelle continued to include her and Colette in their everyday life, Jeanne suffered terrible loneliness. A solitary dread approximately six degrees less than the desperate, addled loneliness of those who phoned 911 in the dead of night seized her sleep every other hour. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] Technically, loneliness was not an emergency. When people called, “needing to talk,” she was supposed to tell them to hang up. But... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:54:19 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/demons.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/demons.html At work that night, after Kevin held her and kissed her, Jeanne’s fears sprang to demonic life. She would do anything for him: betray her best friend, abandon her child… Wait—abandon Colette? How could she? The unthinkable had been thought. Her desire for Kevin was insane. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] Jeanne was settled in Lawrence, though. Soon she would receive her 911 accreditation. Her supervisor no longer slept in the lounge chair by the cinderblock kitchen. Jeanne could push a button and within minutes her surly, obese superior would arrive,... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:13:39 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/in-walked-hal.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/in-walked-hal.html The cavity was minuscule, deep, and hard to reach. Even with magnifying glasses, I could barely see it, because the woman’s teeth were too big for her mouth, which produced saliva like I’ve never seen. She kept glaring and wincing and jerking her head around. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] When I stopped and suggested she rinse, the assistant pulled me aside, asking if she should get Kevin. “Why? I know what I’m doing.” Before I resumed drilling, though, I tried to lighten things up and compliment the patient’s moon tattoo,... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:16:16 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/no-teasing.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/07/no-teasing.html Annabelle and Colette each invited four playmates. They chose freeze dance, freeze dance, and more freeze dance as the main game. And for lunch hamburgers with lots of ketchup. Kevin’s mother Rebecca arrived before the party with two pink leotards, matching tutus, and magic wands filled with sparkles. After helping them change into magical fairies, Rebecca told them, “Don’t point your wands at people. Use them only when necessary.” [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] Annabelle and Colette skipped around, so excited that Patrice made them wait in Annabelle’s bedroom, where they... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:25:54 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/she-and-she-agreed.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/she-and-she-agreed.html Jeanne hoped her intimacy with Patrice would inoculate her from ever succumbing to Kevin. Wearing sunglasses, the mothers swayed waist deep in the O’Meara’s swimming pool and watched the toddlers float, water wings on their little arms. Half-hypnotized, Jeanne talked about marrying Paul because his love had seemed friendly and safe. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] At the end he wasn’t so friendly. “After Colette was born he was more about making rules for me,” Jeanne said. “Like, don’t think so much; don’t feel so much. ‘You’ll get farther skimming the... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:52:11 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/in-the-shadows.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/in-the-shadows.html For several weeks, Kevin did wait in the shadows, as promised. Because there was no other way. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] Jeanne adjusted to her new life, working nights at the 911 facility so immediately and thoroughly that after a week the routine felt permanent. She might have always read to Colette after dinner and waited for Giselle the babysitter who arrived at eight p.m. And soon after that, always, she drove past the O’Meara’s house to the secured building. She answered emergency phone calls and studied for her certification,... Nine One One Kathleen Maher Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:27:05 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/crazy-women.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/crazy-women.html When Edward and his family finally arrived, the receptionist said Mrs. Nesbitt would receive them in hour. As always, the family waited at the McDonald’s across the highway. The nursing staff refused to prepare residents before guests arrived, because getting the elderly patients cleaned up, dressed, coiffed, and settled involved strenuous maneuvering. And often the expected visitors failed to show up. Inside the grimy franchise across the highway, Edward’s wife Amy conceded that McDonald’s coffee wasn’t bad. Grant and Diana, who were approaching their teens, hooted. “Really, Mom? You think it’s safe to drink coffee here?” She laughed. “I suppose... Very Short Stories Kathleen Maher Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:14:00 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/free-fall-from-10000-ft.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/free-fall-from-10000-ft.html The sporting goods store in Chicago fired Quinn after three months; not only was he uninterested in fishing and rock climbing but he hung around listening to his iPod and paid no attention to the customers. Quinn’s best friend Winston had dropped out of college downstate to live in a trailer and work on an assembly line. They hadn’t seen each other in months when Winston phoned. “I have two words for you, Quinn: sky diving.” Having joined an aviation club, he whistled. “You gotta try it.” “I do?” “This rich guy Dowling will lend me his C-182 since I... Very Short Stories Kathleen Maher Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:57:00 -0400 http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/a-great-sale-at-saks.html http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/diary_of_a_heretic/2009/06/a-great-sale-at-saks.html Before going to college, Sophie suggested her parents take up jogging. “Run outside together. Wearing bright outfits. Nobody will suspect money’s tight.” But social tricks that worked in Oklahoma only intensified her loneliness in Chicago. The university was huge. Nobody talked to her. Sophie might be invisible. A straight-A student on scholarship, she watched videos in lecture halls. Afterwards the teacher called for questions. Sophie always raised her hand, which went unnoticed. Thank goodness, Sophie’s (paternal) grandmother invited her to dinner. Lucinda hadn’t seen Sophie since she was a baby. The restaurant was so fancy Sophie drew back a second.... Very Short Stories Kathleen Maher Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:35:00 -0400