STORIES
If our lives are a book, the cars we drive define the chapters.
These are stories featuring cars, trucks, and even RVs that played a role in the lives of the people who owned or drove them. Many are set in Fort Stockton, Texas and involve a cast of characters in and around the dusty southwest Texas town. A lot of the stories are shared around the table at The Grounds for Divorce, where the ‘regulars’ meet.
Pull up a chair and let Lucinda pour you a hot cuppa joe and enjoy.
-
FROM THE BACK OF THE BERMUDA, 8/11/2024
Well things are settling down here in Fort Stockton after a pretty crazy summer. Colleagues I used to teach with are getting ready to head back to class and resume the mantle of educating the masses. They ask me if I miss it this time of year. They look at me disbelievingly when I say ‘no’. They’ll find out…
-
FOOSIN’ AROUND IN A CADDY DROP TOP
Got up early this morning and went into the backyard before it got ridiculously hot. Decided to trim my bush. The rumors were right, it does make my deck look bigger. After the yard work it was time to have a seat with a hot cup of Folgers and look back at some of the…
-
SNOWBOUND
Chance Collinsworth and Rusty Hammer have always had one thing in common: they both believed in fate. And well they should, as they both have proof of its existence. The whole idea of fate is one a lot of folks struggle with. Chance used to share with folks the Shakespeare quote, “Our wills and fates do so…
-
THROWBACK
Dr. Jane Malcoim-Davies, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen writes the following: “The codpiece was a curious but common feature of men’s dress in the 16th century, placed provocatively at the groin yet rarely attracting comments in contemporary sources. The word ‘codd’ had for centuries meant a purse, a pouch or padding. But it…
-
SUMMER ’53, PART VI: The Lady of the Lake
“I thought I might find you out here,” Joel said to no one specifically. He looked at Matt and finished, “She loves the water. Especially on her daddy’s new boat.” Becky just laughed. Matt didn’t know if a fight was about to break out, or what. He figured Joel could probably take him, being in better shape. But Matt was…
-
SUMMER ’53, PART V: Partnerships
“Joel and I have known each other since we were kids.” Becky was attempting to give Matt an answer for every question in a way that would make sense to him. “Our entire lives. Our fathers have been partners for longer than we’ve been alive. His mom is like a substitute for the one I lost. You must know what…
-
SUMMER ’53, PART IV: Rocket Runabout
Matt waited for the phone to ring, the soft voice on the other end telling him to meet her at the Dairy Twin, or that she was on her way over to pick him up in the Skylark. When not hanging around the kitchen so he could be the first to grab the phone, he wandered…
-
FROM THE BACK OF THE BERMUDA, 8/4/2024
Well, it’s been a week here in Fort Stockton. In the 100s most days, but it’s a dry heat. Everywhere but my buttcheeks. New Guy got a new tattoo and was showing it off at the Grounds for Divorce. It says, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” I’m thinking about getting the same one, just a…
-
1959 PLYMOUTH CAN O’ WORMS
Oh Jeez. All I wanted was to have a cup of Folgers, enjoy the drive down to the Grounds for Divorce in the Fairlane 500 before it got too damn hot to leave the house, and maybe commiserate with whomever else was sitting at the big roundtable for a while before getting back to work…
-
DOG & PONY SHOW
The guy had a sense of humor. I remember walking through the living room when they had parties, on the way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Dad was always kind of quiet early in the evening. I don’t know if it took him a while to get warmed up, or maybe a few beers helped fuel…