Driving with the Top Down

March 2, 2018February 27, 2018 / roughwighting / 76 Comments

In honor of my mom’s 94th birthday on February 28, I’m dedicating this post to her,

I am here again, traveling along the same flat road, watching the tall green maples and oaks turn to scrubby, smaller bush and pine. What is it about my primordial need to return to the ocean – the Atlantic Ocean – every year?

As I breathe in the hot humid New Jersey air, a mixture of dirt, gas, grass, asphalt and salt water, I wonder if it’s just a childhood memory that needs to be rewritten and retold yearly. After all, as a child . . .

“Why is he traveling so closely behind you? How fast are you going?” my mother interrupts my slow, careful thoughts. Continue reading →

A Whole New World

February 23, 2018February 23, 2018 / roughwighting / 106 Comments

A whole new world.

I’m standing in line waiting for a towel, of all things.

At our vacation spot, I’m holding my towel card at the Activity Desk, but four other people are ahead of me, and they all seem to be ready to rent chairs, kayaks, and surf boards. I may have a long wait ahead of me.

But one of the clerks behind the desk motions toward me in excitement. Since I’m four people behind the desk, I’m not sure what he’s pointing out. I smile, raise my finger to my new straw hat, and mouth “Thanks.”

He shakes his head no and points lower. Then he moves his head from side to side while holding his hands over his ears. Whaaa? Continue reading →

The Joke’s on Them

February 16, 2018February 18, 2018 / roughwighting / 122 Comments

When the older man enters the soda shop, Nev ignores him and continues wiping down the counter. The usual customers are teenagers right after school. But it’s 5:30 now, and Nev just wants to finish up his chores and get home.

“Coca Cola, son,” the man says. He must be over 40, and wears a business hat and fedora, carrying a briefcase. Nev fills the glass and takes it over to the bar stool.

They share some incidentals. The man works in the city and takes the train to work every day. The high schooler relates that his mom works two jobs; his dad hasn’t been around since he was 2, so he pitches in when he can.

“That you I see smoking with the Zoot suiters some days near the train station?” the man asks. Continue reading →

Worst Valentine’s Gift EVER

February 9, 2018February 8, 2018 / roughwighting / 123 Comments

When Dirk handed it to her, Joyce didn’t know whether to scream or cry.

“Happy Valentine’s,” he said, with a sweet smile on his face.

They’d only been dating two months, but both of them had felt a strong connection, a sense that this romance could lead to something more than kisses and cozy strolls along the Charles River.

But now, this: a soft warm fuzzy gray scarf. Joyce held it out with her index finger and thumb. Continue reading →

Doughnut Karma

January 26, 2018February 7, 2018 / roughwighting / 152 Comments

doughnuts, blogging, “I’m telling you, these are the best doughnuts in town,” my Florida friend claims.

“You know I don’t like doughnuts,” I whine. We haven’t seen each other in several years. Once roomies in college, now decades later Sue lives in FL and I live a thousand miles away. Finally, I find a break from work to visit her for three days. And she wants me to drive with her to a new doughnut shop.

The day is stormy and cool, not what I expect from a Florida winter break. Sue drives slowly and rather erratically in her SUV.

“Um, are driving rules different here?” I ask, putting my foot on the imaginary break as she pulls a hard right into a parking lot. Continue reading →