The first time I almost wasn’t here happened when I was about 4 years old. It was a warm but not hot day and I was riding in my daddy’s big white truck. I sat beside Deddy, as I called him, back in the days before booster seats and even seat belts were required, leaving just enough room for him to maneuver the stick shift without being in the way.
a stranger's advice
She was nearly a year from her 50th birthday, but her brown Samoan skin was smooth like her hair, coiffed just so. A low pompadour was slicked into place with gel. I walked into the clinic exam room to find her face was clenched like she was silently counting down the seconds until she would get up and leave because she didn’t want to be there in the first place.