Mary, Phyllis, Dave and I were having burgers in the secluded both in Big Al’s burger joint. We always went there after Dave had dragged us to the latest Anne Aragon movie. Dave had it bad. The rest of us humored him. Oh, we liked Anne Aragon but we weren’t fanatic fans like him.

We were a strange group. High school boys and girls are not supposed to be friends without romantic entanglements. We were. We had not been friends since kindergarten, only since third grade. To be honest my friendship with them had at times been vital to me and I’m not exaggerating. They had been a firm rock and a port in storm, to mix metaphors, when my life had been too crazy, which it had been all too often the last six years.

Bob waited for me after Drama Club. He had two tickets to the premiere of the new Secret Sissy Spy film. Actually it was Secret Sissy Spy 3. Technically that film had had its Hollywood premiere already but this was the national cinema premiere. He had won the tickets in a call-in radio show.

“Why don’t you go there with your girlfriend?” and then I remembered that his latest girlfriend was history. Bob had quite a lot of history. Rather ironic since he got Ds in that subject.

“No, I just want to see an action movie with a friend that appreciates action movies.”

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade

Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without.

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade

Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without.

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade

Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without.

Alco’s Self Storage:
“Man, I am so sore from moving all those heavy boxes and that piano.” Rustie looks at Ivy as he sweeps up the last of the trash in the second locker.

Rustie didn’t know that when someone bought a storage locker, they had to throw away all the trash in the locker as well. It was a good thing the storage unit manager had a wheel barrel they could use to haul all the trash to the dumpster.

Two Days Before Christmas Eve:
Charlotte finishes wrapping the Christmas gifts she bought for her brother’s. Her older brother was spending Christmas with his long-term girlfriend. His girlfriend didn’t get along with their parents and she couldn’t blame her.

As for Jamie, she barely saw her. When she was home, Jamie wasn’t and when Jamie was home, she was asleep, which was fine. Christmas was coming up and Jamie had Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after.

The Banberries

A musical journey

by SUZIE DALKIN

Sam Simpson was a bit of a nonentity. Nowhere near top of the class or the bottom. Not the life and soul of the party – not that he ever got invited. Not a sportsman and not tall, short, fat or ginger, he was just inconspicuous, and terribly shy. And, while his classmates at his all-boys school were growing up and out, he seemed to be lagging behind. Inconspicuously.