Category: Book

“We’re so close to phase three,” Avi announced as he passed a tiny 3lb weight to Mitch. With Graveyard Smash in just a few weeks, Avi spent most of his time at Monument Wrestling Academy to keep up with the demand for personal training. Mitch met him there for physical therapy to make his life…

Although Mitch had an aversion to taking care of himself, his decision to pursue therapy proved to be a good outlier. The session after Vermont was productive, even if he spent it word vomiting about the future and its uncertainties. Of course, most of the advice dispensed by Ann was a rephrasing of the questions…

Time passed in a way that seldom made sense when psychoactive substances were involved. A loud clunk interrupted the revelry, and the culprit was an empty wine bottle that collided with the patio; miraculously, it did not shatter. Mitch’s vision cleared enough to see the empty beer cans littered about the edge of the hot…

Armed with towels from the linen closet, they scrambled towards the patio. Jodie made a pitstop at the fridge to grab a 6 pack of beer, while Mitch hooked up his phone to the bluetooth speaker. In an attempt to pick a crowdpleaser, he selected a 90s alternative playlist. Jodie rushed past him and submerged…

After they returned to shore and put the canoe on the sawhorses, Avi asked how Mitch’s arm felt. Mitch rolled his shoulder, and said that it didn’t ache any more than it would have during any other paddle. Back at the house, they found Jodie and Charlie giggly with a bottle killed between the two…

Up until Avi and Charlie returned, Mitch and Jodie mostly kept to themselves. Charlie gushed about how perfect everything was, from the scenery to the weather and temperature, then handed Mitch a totebag filled with bottles of wine from a local vineyard. “For tonight,” she said. “There’s also cider in the fridge, as promised.” Mitch…

Mitch didn’t know when he fell asleep, but given how fitful the night before turned out to be, it wasn’t a shock that he passed out as soon as he went horizontal. Stretching languidly he was unhurried about getting up. Despite the crick in his neck and his chilly nose, he felt refreshed. A few…

Avi made breakfast for Charlie after she woke up, then they got dressed and left for their date. Mitch watched them from the kitchen window, and heard her gasp about how pretty the scenery was while she pointed at the foliage. So far, Avi’s plan appeared to be working, and Mitch privately gave a thumbs…

Mitch lost track of how many times he yawned, but were he to hazard a guess, the count was somewhere in the upper 20s. Taking a pan from off the pot rack, he placed it on a burner and twisted the knob below. After a few clicks came a whiff of gas, and then a…

Around 6pm, the sound of tires crunching over gravel came while headlights pierced through the kitchen windows. Jodie elbowed Mitch, stating the obvious that it “must be them” while pointing in that direction with a kitchen knife that she’d been chopping cucumbers with. Reaching over to switches next to the door, Mitch flicked on the…