I was walking home from school when Gary, a kid from my third grade class, fell in beside me and started chatting.I’d never spoken with him before, and I had no idea why he was talking to me, but I enjoyed it. Here was someone, who I did not know, who was interested in me – it was a new experience and it felt good. We said goodbye at his house which was about halfway to mine. He walked with me again the next day; and the day after that. On the third day, he asked me if I wanted to come into his house and play. I called my mother and she said it was okay.He was the first friend I’d made on my own without my parents arranging it. Of course, Gary had done all the work. He initiated...

A few years ago I was surfing the internet when I discovered a contest asking amateurs to make TV commercials for a famous ketchup brand.The prize was several thousand dollars and the commercial would run on television. Instantly I had an idea for a romantic comedy in which ketchup brought two young lovers together. Romance was on my mind; I had recently started dating someone.Then I read the rules. The deadline was three days away.I had to get a videographer, a video editor, an actor, an actress, and a place to shoot the video. Plus, I had to write a 30-second script. We had to rehearse, shoot, edit, then...

I saw six people huddled on the sidewalk in front of me; through their legs I saw what looked like a body on the ground.I rushed over and saw a man with a bloody gash on his head; he appeared to be unconscious. I checked him out using my Boy Scout First-Aid training. His clothes were filthy and tattered, and he smelled bad, but a quick examination showed that his wound was not very deep.I was a 19-year-old college kid, and had just moved into my first apartment. “What happened? I asked the crowd.“He’s a drunk; I’m calling the police!” responded one.I couldn’t believe the callous response. “This man is hurt,” I cried. He doesn’t need the police – he needs help!”I...

“Who wants to give their oral report first?” asked Mrs. Davi, my sixth grade teacher.The dreaded day had finally arrived when each of us would have to stand in front of the room and speak to the class.The butterflies in my stomach were flapping a tornado.Not a single hand went up.In fact, there was no movement in the room at all. There wasn’t a desk creaking under the shifting weight of a single body, no paper rustling, no pencils scratching, not even a cough.Nothing.The room had never been quieter. Every kid was sitting as still as a statue. The anxiety in the classroom was palpable.“If someone doesn’t volunteer, then I will start picking you at random.”Every student...

“I did not marry you to be married to a bartender!” I should have paid more attention to the truth of her words, they clearly stated that she did not love me for who I am.In retrospect, it was the most obvious red flag she ever waved, but I was young, naive and in love, and the real meaning went right over my head.“I’m not a bartender; I’m a writer,” I replied defensively.“You’re not a writer; you’re not published.”It was a sucker punch. She knew I was writing eight hours a day, five days a week, and had for years. She knew I had completed dozens of short stories and two novels. She also knew I had a stack of rejection letters to show for each.My wife of three years was...