Absolut Boston

Because it's Friday...

And because it's that awesome day before Halloween when I taste test everything I'll be enjoying on Halloween day, I'll break format for this new type of review;

LIQUOR REVIEW!

Today I'll talk about the third in Absolut's city series. (The first two were New York and LA. LA was delicious)

This one is Absolut Boston:

Ignoring the cheap booze in the back of my freezer, know that I do have some distinguishing tastes.

The flavor of this fine beverage is black tea and elderflower, a patriotic reference to the Boston Tea Party of the American Revolution. The bottle design should be awesome for Red Sox fans, it's the Green Monster of Fenway.

The scent is strong, and reminds me of other tea-flavored vodkas. Not necessarily Firefly, because Firefly is usually citrus or fruit flavored as well. But Sweet Carolina is a tea-vodka that is just sweet tea. That is the smell you get from Absolut Boston.

Taste-wise, it's a little more complex than your average tea-vodka. It's much more smooth than Firefly, and has less sweetness. The tea flavor is more of a tea aroma that lingers in the mouth after you drink it. Not bad on the rocks, and an easy shot if you're trying to get some girl drunk (perverts).

As for the recommended beverages they suggest on the bottle, I only tried 3 of the four;

Boston & Ginger Ale (tasty)

Boston & White Grape Juice, Topped off with Ginger Ale (surprisingly awesome)

Boston & Tonic (duh)

Boston & Cola

The vodka and ginger ale combo was good, as to be expected. It's a very herbal flavor, like gin. I love gin.
The white grape juice drink is called an "Absolut Homerun" and I was surprised that the grape juice flavor went well with the tea flavor of the vodka. But go heavier on the vodka than the recipe says, it's much too light.
Vodka tonic... can't really go wrong. Add a lemon instead of a lime, unless you like your tea with limes, I usually don't.
I don't have Coke, or Pepsi products, but if I had to guess, I'd say the Boston & Coke tastes a lot like Red Bull Cola or Cricket Cola. Some sort of gingery soda that isn't as sweet as normal cola. But that's just a guess.

Overall, I give Absolut Boston a 9/10 It will certainly get the job done for me.

Stay saucy everybody, and I'll do the same.

-Steve

Well, It's Been Awhile...

Happy #followfriday everybody!

Whatever. So, I've been kind of lazy in my comic reviewing duties the last couple of weeks (between a weekend in DC and a wedding, who could blame me?). That means I have a fat stack (around 30 comics) that haven't been scrutinized yet!

Rather than bore you to tears with the ravings of a mad man, I'll just stick to the ones that hit me the most over the past two weeks. Deal? Other notables include things like Noir Comics, Blackest Night tie-ins, Ender's Game, and Batman, all of which were enjoyable, but not worth me just explaining what's going on.

DC Comics
Blackest Night #4 - 8/10
Green Lantern #47 - 9/10
Booster Gold #25 - 9/10

Marvel Comics
Invincible Iron Man #19 - 9/10
Mighty Avengers #30 - 5/10
Ultimate Avengers #3 - 7/10
X-Factor #50 - 10/10

Image Comics
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve and Rex Splode - 9/10

Old Trades/Scholastic
Union Jack - 9/10
Amulet: Vol. 1 - 9/10
Amulet: Vol. 2 - 9/10
Five Fists of Science - 9/10

So that's a pretty big list... I'll try to keep my rants short.

The latest Blackest Night issue was great, because we're only halfway in and we now know who the bad guy is. The only question is who is Nekron? Scary. My only complaints are the lines where Barry says to Atom and Mera "you are Superman and Wonder Woman." No, they're not, Barry. They're Atom and Mera. You don't have to draw parallels that don't exist.

Now Green Lantern was amazing. I love the different traits of the Lantern Corps. Larfleeze was the coolest, now we learn that Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns are immune to Black Lantern attacks? What's more, the War of Light is simmering to a halt when Sinestro declares all Green Lanterns allies of the Sinestro Corps. Awesome. Nice work Mr. Johns.

Booster Gold is one of those consistently good titles, and we owe it to creative team; Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund. Not only is there a hilarious two-page recap of all the insane stuff that has happened to Booster since Bruce Wayne died, but then, just when everything is going back to normal, disaster strikes again. The issue has a touching ending in which Booster and Dick Grayson become friends, which I love (Booster and Grayson are two of my favorite DC characters). This book reminds of what we should all fight for, what's worth fighting for, and the importance of having someone to confide in. Object of note: Rip Hunter's chalkboard is full of cryptic spoilers for what's coming after Blackest Night. Doomsday has a son...

The end of the World's Most Wanted storyline for Iron Man had a sad, but well conceived ending. Iron Man is ultimately beaten by Norman Osborn, but not before rallying the public against the former Green Goblin. Tony Stark lies in a bed in a persistent vegetative state and the only man with the authority to pull the plug is Thor. Odd how Stark would list Donald Blake with power of attorney in the event of his brain death. I trust Matt Fraction to keep things interesting for us. I doubt we've seen the last of the Golden Avenger.

Mighty Avengers? This sack of crap is probably coming off my pull list. I usually enjoy Dan Slott's work, but I was shaky when he introduced the idea of this "Unspoken" king of the Inhumans (don't go retconning without good reason), but then this?! Scientist Supreme? Are you f---ing kidding me? Dr. Strange, first of all, was not given the Sorcerer Supreme title from Eternity, so I don't know where Slott is getting his info. Secondly, Hank Pym?! Most people would assume I'd say "Tony Stark should have that title!" but no, what about High Evolutionary? What about real scientists like Doom, Tinkerer, Fixer... anyone but Hank "Beat-My-Wife" Pym! The worst part is that I like Hank Pym! Scientist Supreme... that's stupid. What does he protect? The "gossamer veil that divides the Science World and the Anti-science Realm?" Stupid.

Another example of pointless retcons. I love Mark Millar. I love the Ultimates, Wanted, his run on Authority, Civil War, all of it. This story is good too. So far I'm enjoying Ultimate Avengers, but yet again, writers with ego issues disregard other people's work. Well, I'm not sure if this counts as retconning or not. I may be using the word wrong I guess. But what offends me is that both he and Warren Ellis disregard Orson Scott Card's Ultimate Iron Man. They don't mind using all the stupid shit Jeph Loeb did to the Ultimate imprint, but they ignore an origin story written by arguably one of the best science fiction writers of all time? Egotistical jerkwads. Ultimate Tony Stark can't have a brother, his mother died in childbirth because of his rare condition of his body being composed completely of neural cells, and his father was last seen in prison, falsely accused of murdering Zebediah Stane. Writers, do your fucking homework.

X-Factor had quite possibly one of the saddest and best twists on the ending of a story arc of all time. I always said I was impressed by the way Peter David took a throw-away plot device invented by Brian Michael Bendis and turned her into one of the most beloved Marvel characters around. Layla Miller. Her relationship with Madrox has been endlessly entertaining. Thematically speaking, the whole "persecuted mutants" thing takes a backseat to the importance of self-control and the mystery of free will. I won't spoil the ending, just know that is was that. damn. good.

I was sad to hear that Rex Splode had been killed off, but when I saw that Benito Cereno and Bellegarde (the creative team behind Hector Plasm, another GREAT Image comic) were writing Atom Eve and Rex Splode in their early days, I had to get it. I was pleased.

Union Jack. The latest incarnation of the WWII hero versus Nazi vampires in London. Need I say more? Oh, and is was co-written and illustrated by John Cassaday, of Planetary and Astonishing X-Men fame.

Amulet was one of the recommended reads at Velocity Comics so I though I'd give it a shot. It looks like one of those neat animes that we all love so much. Go Miyazaki! Supposedly it's "kid-friendly" because it's put out by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Books. I don't care. You don't need sex, drugs, and curse words to tell a good story. I am firm in my beliefs there. This story is fantastic (in both senses of the word) and the art is terrific. Robots, Elf-Kings, magic, a HOUSE THAT TURNS INTO A ROBOT?! What more do you want? It also tackles big themes, such as the corrupting effect of too much power and the importance of family bonds.

Mark Twain sells the world on the idea of Mutually Assured Peace when Nikola Tesla build a steam-punk robot. Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan summon a demonic entity to sabatoge Twain's efforts. The Five Fists of Science is one wild ride, with nice art that kind of reminds me of Fiona Staples. Matt Fraction is the writer, which means you know it'll be entertaining.

Whew... That's all for now. Have a happy Halloween!

-Steve

It's Superman!

Guten tag!

I finished that book I was reading, It's Superman! by Tom De Haven last week (give me a break, I'm slow), so I thought I'd do a little book review. I'll try to do it with as few spoilers as possible, but if you find you'd like to read it for yourself, I'll use a different text color so you can skip over those parts where I reveal a detail or two, deal?

And by the way, if you're fortunate enough to know me, I'd be more than happy to lend this book to you. I love talking about books with people.

I. Absolutely. Loved. This. Book.

Yeah, that about sums it up. This novel is half bildungsroman, half intriguing, romantic detective story. We follow four main characters; Clark Kent, who some of you may know as SUPERMAN, Willi Berg, the photographer, Lois Lane, the ace reporter, and Lex Luthor, alderman of New York City.

The story goes that Willi Berg, Lois Lane's boyfriend and photographer, finds himself in a situation where he is on the run from the law and travels around the country until, in a small farm town in Kansas, he meets a boy named Clark Kent, who has some very unique abilities. Clark, feeling out of place and alone, joins Willi on the lam and through his coming of age, he forms the values and reinforces the morals he learned from his parents to become the iconic hero we know and love. It's Superman.

I enjoy De Haven's use of the present tense throughout because it keeps the reader in the action and makes the characters, who are already iconic, near godly figures, more real and personable. Most people don't know a "Superman" or a "Lex Luthor" because they are archetypes, ideals. By keeping the reader so close to the action, they become real people with real problems and emotions that pull the reader into a sympathetic passion for them. I found myself rooting for Lex Luthor at some points!

Since I know if anyone reads this, they're probably comic dorks like me and had the same thoughts that I had; did he stick to the story? The answer is a little more complicated than that. Yes and no. Is Superman an alien? Maybe. Does he live his early years in Smallville, Kansas? Yes. Does he move to Metropolis? No. Does he love Lois Lane? Of course.
The details De Haven chooses to keep in line with Siegel and Shuster's origin story (or any of the many retcons over the years) are carefully chosen. Early in the novel, De Haven establishes that this is just one more version of the story (much like people consider Smallville to be an alternate version of Superman's origins), but the details that he changes about the origins of the man of steel are intentional, and are meant to create a more realistic personality.

De Haven's style is both witty and intense. There's a great deal of ironic descriptions for the comic nerds, metaphors that really stir the emotions. He uses very strong contextual details to remain consistent and give the reader a strong sense of time and setting. He's very good, and I mean very good at utilizing free indirect discourse to maximum effect. When narration carries over into a character's thoughts, it reveals a great deal about the character and their state of mind in the moment. The rich vocabulary makes this a hearty read. I frequently describe the emotional content conveyed in his language as "being a lot like eating meat and potatoes." It's filling.

Here's one line I think captures a lot of what I'm saying, it's one of my favorites;

...the shot was the loudest sound Clark had ever heard, ever. It was a cannon, it was a plane crash, it was a planet blowing up.

It's just good. The nerd in me is happy because of the indirect hint at Clark's origin, the reader in me sees the shift from narration to Clark's own thoughts, and the teenage kid in me knows how Clark feels.

The characterization throughout the novel is strong as well. Each character's dialogue is unique to the character, even if they have a similar attitude or mannerism as another character, the differences are clear. Each character has a history that shaped their opinions and personalities up to the point in the novel that we meet them.

The plot has some strong moments of suspense, as well as dramatically ironic suspense, if that makes sense. In some instances, the audience knows how a tense situation is going to turn out, even if the characters don't. And in some cases the reader will be surprised at what happens. There's a lot of conflict going on and it's very interesting to guess and see how it's going to get resolved, or not get resolved if that's the case.

On my scale, the book is a 10/10. It's touching and inspiring. If I had to name something I didn't like about it? I probably couldn't. Even if I found myself getting all nerdy and saying "That's not in continuity with the comics!" I would be pleasantly surprised at how well it still fit, or in some cases, how much better it is than the comic origin. Plus, it's like I said before, there's a disclaimer for comic continuity dorks.

This had to be a challenging book to write, but it was a delight to read.

-Steve

Another Short Fiction Piece

Back again!

Here's a little short story draft I wrote for my Fiction Workshop this weekend. I'm not very pleased with it. Particularly the ending. (By the way, I am editing all these fiction and poetry drafts and I plan to repost revised ones, so your comments actually do go a long way) Sorry again about the crappy formatting (anyone know how to fix it?):

“Tracy! Open the damned door!”
Derek slammed his fist against the apartment door. His backwards Lakers cap pressed sweat to his forehead and his breath smelled of Southern Comfort.
Tracy was sitting on the bed in her bright blue skirt, her blonde wig and half-cape with tears rolling down her slender cheeks.
“Tracy! Please, let’s talk about this, okay?” Derek gave up on knocking and slumped with his back against the door. “Can we just talk, Trace?”
Tracy was no fool. She couldn’t open the door and let her neighors see that Blue Bonnet, the gorgeous superhero, was living in an efficiency and dating some average looking guy with love handles and a five o’clock shadow. She knew letting Derek sit outside in the yellow wallpapered hallway would help her cool off a bit. She also knew he had been cheating on her.
Derek had stopped calling out to Tracy. He was answering text messages with a curt not now or I’ll call you later and after her seven minute wardrobe change, he was relieved when she finally opened the door. Tracy, now in tight fitting jeans and a Syracuse sweatshirt watched Derek stand and tuck his cellphone away.
“Thank God… Look Tra--” She slapped him.
“Are you still texting her, dammit?” Her face contorted and her eyes welled up again.
“No. No! I don’t even-- look, there’s no her, okay?” He massaged his red cheek and cleared his throat. “Can I come in? Please?”
Tracy answered by opening the door a little wider to let him pass. She crossed her arms while he walked past the mirrored closet and the bathroom. He made his way to bed at the far end of the one room apartment. He quickly realized she probably didn’t want him there, pulled a chair from the round breakfast table under the odd art deco hanging lamps and sat there instead. She sat back on the bed.
“Trace, I didn’t sleep with anyone.”
“I don’t believe you.” She frowned. Her round face and soft, upturned nose didn’t suit anger or jealousy.
“I didn’t!” Derek waved a hand palm up at her. “I don’t even know where you got the idea that I did!”
“Oh please! Quit denying it!” She squinted at him. “I just saw you two together at Lucio’s!”
“Tracy, that was my cousin! From Belifax? She’s visiting from school.”
“What a crock! You expect me to--”
“Well it’s true! I would’ve introduced you if you weren’t in costume. It didn’t help when you threw that table at me and told everyone I was a pedophile!”
Tracy rolled her eyes. “Well I couldn’t let anyone figure out my secret identity if they knew we were dating! Sorry, I just-- it’s all I could come up with…”
“Yeah, well while you were waiting here I was getting drilled by cops until Sam showed them her ID.”
“I said I was sorry, but that girl is not your cousin!” She pointed at her face and said, “Do you think I’m that stupid?”
“No! I…” Derek buried his face in his hands. He looked at Tracy. Her big blue eyes glaring back at him underneath the light brows now scrunched in sadness and resentment. Four months and he still couldn’t muster those three words he knew she wanted to hear. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I guess you didn’t. Get out.” She pointed hard at the door. “Get out and stay out. I don’t ever wanna see you again.”
Derek skulked out without saying goodbye.
Tracy burst into tears and plunged her face into a pillow. It still smelled like him; a strange combination of spearmint and that mentholated Nivea aftershave he used. She threw the pillow at the refridgerator. Derek didn’t deserve a second chance. She’d been suspicious ever since he told her she looked better as a blonde. He was vocally disappointed when he found out about the wig.


Tracy, or in this case, Blue Bonnet, who had just yesterday had her costume dry-cleaned, stood on the brim of the haggard rooftop of a recently condemned apartment building. Saturday night patrol.
She felt much better without her cheating boyfriend around. Beating up crooks and muggers is therapuetic.
Tonight she was wearing a smoky eye-shadow and her skirt was hiked up just a little higher. She practiced her heroic poses. Her half-cape flapped in the wind that carried a scent of smoke. Knuckles pressed to her hips, she smiled. Maybe a wink? Pouty lips? Toothy grin?
Her expression changed to surprise quickly enough when she heard tires screeching and a horrible metal crunch. She hopped down the side of the building using the noisy iron fire escape and ran in the direction of the crash.
The front end of a blue Nissan was wrapped around a crooked fire hydrant that leaked on the freshly mangled corpse of young man pinned beneath the car. As grotesque a sight as this was, Blue Bonnet was even more shocked when the airbag deflated enough for her to see Derek behind the wheel.
She opened the driver side door. The car reeked of bourbon.
“Derek? Derek!” She grabbed his collar and shook him.
Derek groaned. “Tra--”
“It’s Blue Bonnet.” She sniffed loudly. “And you’ve been drinking. You just… You’ve, you… You’re under arrest. DUI. And manslaughter.”
“Manslaugher?” He opened his eyes. “Oh my God! No! No!”
“Shut up.” She struggled to keep her face straight and her voice low. “You don’t get to feel sorry. Can you move?”
“Tracy…” Derek sobbed. “I… I missed you…”
“I said shut up.” She pulled him from the car.
“Ow!” He struggled to his feet. He saw the damage. “Oh God! Oh my--” Derek turned and threw up on his front tire.
“Derek…”
“Please!” He looked back at her. “Please Trace! I swear I didn’t mean for this!”
“What does it matter n--”
“Let me go…”
Tracy’s head was spinning. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But right now she was Blue Bonnet. Blue Bonnet couldn’t let anyone go. What’s a girl to do?
Her options were cut short when she heard an explosion a few blocks away. There was no one to save at the scene of the accident, but people could be hurt, or God forbid the villianous Lobsterclops get away with another bank robbery.
“Stay here, Derek.”
She did not learn whether he stayed or not, because she did not go back.


The courtroom was bright and noisy on the morning of the 24th. The faint smell of citrus wood cleaner lingered when Tracy, not Blue Bonnet, walked through the big double doors.
Judge Walthers sat a good four feet higher than everyone in the room. Tracy just made sure to sit in the furthest row, and on the opposite side, from the defendant’s table, where Derek was sitting and covering his face with one hand.
Tracy had been pleasantly surprised that morning when she learned that Derek had called the police on himself from his cellphone. Less pleasantly surprised when the charges of his arrest did not include murder or manslaughter. How had he gotten rid of the body? How could anyone clean up the scene of that accident?
Regardless of the details, Tracy crossed her arms and resolved that no matter what history she and Derek shared, she would never forgive him for getting away with murder. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him get away at all.

Thanks for the read. Have a good one.

-Steve

Sunday Goodness

Come one, come everybody!

So I just realized I forgot to do my comic reviews this past week, mostly because all I picked up was Batman and Robin, Criminal, and Justice League: Cry For Justice.

So here it is, better late than never.

Batman and Robin #5 gets 8/10
Criminal #1 gets 9/10
Justice League: Cry For Justice gets 7/10

Mauro Cascioli's gorgeous art keeps me reading an intriguing story but the so-so writing of Robinson's Cry For Justice. I really like Shazam and Supergirl having the hots for each other, being horny teens and all. But it still feels like Hal Jordan and Green Arrow have switched places. Maybe I'm just used to Judd Winick's characterization of GA as a loose cannon, and Geoff Johns' characterization of Jordan as the thrill-seeking cop, but Robinson has them in the complete opposite roles. WTF?

Brubaker scores another hit. I've never read Criminal or Incognito (but now I have to), so I loved Brubaker's thrilling and suspenseful plots having just reading Sleeper and Captain America. So I thought I'd grab the first issue of the new arc, which is awesome. I'm sure I'd have lots more to say and a better understanding if I'd read earlier Eisner Award winning Criminal.

What I really wanna talk about here is Batman. So good. There's a little nod to the Usual Suspects and I love the way the Red Hood is wearing his classic costume. It's like NFL teams wearing their old uniforms this season. Overall, I just really love the Dick Grayson versus Jason Todd dynamic. I thought that the idea of Dick Grayson and Tim Drake partnering up as Batman and Red Robin would climax with Jason Todd turning Damian back to the dark side, and the four of them would fight it out. But this is probably better than that. I like Scarlet, Jason Todd's new partner. And despite Quitely not doing the art for this arc, the aesthetic is held up pretty well by Philip Tan.

My question is, since when does Jason Todd have red hair? Is this a retcon? Does anyone know? I'm not very hip to the days when he was Robin and I don't remember it coming up ever before, but I don't know how I feel about it. I do like that Todd is worried about zits and balding and the gray hair he has from the Pit of Lazarus. I just usually have a vendetta against ill-advised and rampant retconning. Some writers can get away with it, others can't. The point being, in my opinion, that no writer should ever follow though with a retcon unless either at least one other writer agrees/approves of it or they plan to go back and fix it. That said, I still don't even think this is a retcon and it doesn't really bother me since it's such a small detail and it really adds to Jason Todd's resentment of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.

Well there you have it. Have a good week. Be productive, be positive and all those other things Sinorice Moss says on Twitter.

-Steve

Creative Procrastinating

Hello again,

So one of the reasons I was not so productive this week, as you may already know if you follow me on Twitter, was because someone started a Photoshop war with me over some interpretations of popular quarterbacks.

Even though she won the war with her superior skill, I think I held up a pretty strong campaign. What do you think?

All fear the Dark Knight: Bat-Manning!

Practicing his ball-carrying skills (on a woman) is Crimson DynamOchocinco!

Do you have the Willpower to come out of retirement? He does, he's the Ex-Greenbay Lantern!

If only the ball where made of high-grade steel... MagnetOchocinco!

Last and never least, the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Manning; It's a bird! It's a Super Bowl victory! No, it's Super-Manning!

I never claimed to be a wiz with Photoshop.

-Steve

(On a side note, sorry the formatting on all my fiction pieces sucks, Blogspot doesn't like it when you indent. Comment on fiction works and let me know if you'd prefer a direct emailed, properly formatted version)

Some Stuff I Wrote

TGIMFF Everybody!

SO this has been a busy week for the ol' Box of Words, now I've got two little things I wrote (a short story and a poem) that I would appreciate some feedback on. (By the by, that's "Thank God It's Mutha Fuckin' Friday!")

Here's a poem I had to write for a prompt. I had to take a news article and poeticize it. Rather than comb the Richmond local news for another mugging, murder, or misdemeanor, I went with this:

“Shooting in Savannah”

Seven shots rang out
In the steaming Georgia sun.
A credit to Southern hospitality;
The victims aided by everyone.

The shooter’s motives were unclear;
He and his 9mm were never charged.
But his jacket flapped in the Summer wind.
Why the hell are you wearing a jacket
In Summer?

A Krispy Kreme truck
Waylayed by violence.
A “Hot Now” candlelit vigil
Went on in silence.

“Three… no, four doughnuts were hit.”
Are you fucking serious?
This is a sad, sad day
In the history
Of Savannah.

A cute little poem about a true little story from Savannah's local news stations. Frightening.

And here's a short story I'm working on, not in my usual style, but I can't figure out how to end the damn thing. I have some ideas in mind, and part of me wants to cut it off early, but here it is:

It was warm on a late October afternoon when Caroline hit 90 miles per hour on the interstate that she realized, oh my God, I’m in love with my best friend’s fiance!

It wasn’t like she hadn’t known the attraction was there, of course. She had her eye on Chris ever since Alisha started sleeping with him three years ago to the month. The way that his smile left that one awkward dimple on his left cheek always made it look like he was smirking in her direction. Alisha could do better, I mean, who couldn’t? His hair always looked like he rolled out of bed and then spat in it to keep the cowlicks down, even though he swore he combed it compulsively.

Yet here she was, speeding out of the city on the way to Chris and Alisha’s house - yes, they live together now - prompted by a phone call from Chris, suggesting that they “ought to sit down for a chat.”

Caroline was ready. She was ready to spill her guts to him whether he wanted it or not. She’d say things like, “God, how could she do that to you? After all these years?” or maybe, “You know I’d never do that to any guy!” But she was jumping the gun. I don’t know that this is about Alisha…

She whizzed past all the big SUVs in her tiny blue Honda, fiddling with the volume on her CD player. When All is Said and Done came on. Last song of the album. She listened intently to the lyrics for a moment,

Only love is on the page, when your days are oveeer!

Only love is on the page, when you’re six feet undeeer!

Only looove is…

She was only thirty-three. I’m still young dammit! She pressed her finger to her eyebrow, first out of stress, then because it occurred to her, did I pluck these today? Her attention was off the road and off the song while she twisted the rear-view and examined her face. No supermodel, but what could I do now? Caroline felt stupid for thinking Chris was her last shot at happiness. She slapped the mirror and spied a state trooper to her left.

Thank God! She’d slowed down to 70.

It wasn’t fair. She’d been a good friend. When Alisha crashed at her apartment that weekend in tears when Chris was away to see the big game. “It was a one time thing! I swear I still love him!” Caroline kept the secret, if not for Alisha then for Chris. He’d been burned before and who knows how he would have reacted?

Besides, Chris and Caroline Abilene sounds so much better than Chris and Alisha Abilene! She pursed her thin pink lips and then stretched them out against her teeth. All this practicing for the passionate kiss she was going to plant on him - whether he wanted it or not - and she almost missed the exit! She braked sharply and merged over onto the exit ramp.

Just two more blocks. All of her rehearsing and planning gave way to her stomach swimming and the trembling in her hands. She pulled up to the perfect little driveway on the perfect little cul de sac and parked in front of the mailbox with the calligraphy “The Abilenes” on the side. Alisha had her make it for Chris’s birthday last year.

Caroline nearly ran to the front door, but caught herself and thought, way too dramatic. Chris was already waiting with the door open and the screen unlocked for her. She let herself in.

He sat at the kitchen table to the left once she got inside with his elbow on the table and his forehead in his palm. There was a Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen comic open on the table in front of him. What a dork.

“Hey you.” She said.

“Hi. I saw you pull up.” He didn’t look up at her.

She walked in, cautiously took the seat across from him and put her hand on his. “What’s wrong hon?”

“Nothing I guess.” He slapped the comic shut. “I dunno why I even called…” He stood up and walked toward the antique-looking white plastic coffee-maker.

“Well,” Caroline put her elbows on the table. She pressed her now free hand to her face, cuticles first. It smelled like smoke. Chris must’ve fallen off that wagon, “you called because you needed a friend. Here I am. Talk.”

Chris didn’t say anything. He took his New York Giants mug out of the cabinet, poured some coffee and sat back down.

“Look, you can tell me anything. I’ve known you just as long as Alisha.” Stupid! Let him bring her up!

“I know, I know.” He poured a bit of suger into his mug, followed by a spoonful of the stick butter that sat out on the table. Why does he think that tastes good? “It’s just that you and Ali are friends too, you know? Some stuff I just can’t say.”

“Then why’d you call?”

“Just lonely I guess.” He took a sip. “Ali is out of town visiting a friend in Charlotte. This place is nice, but it’s not like when I lived in the city and I could just go out and hang with people.”

Caroline faked a laugh. “Well, hanging out is what I do!” Awkward. “You got a cup of that for me, too?”

“Oh geez!” He got up quickly and smiled his big goofy smile. “Sorry! You want creamer? Ali buys the stuff but you know me.”

“Please.”

Chris prepared the cuppa. Just the way I like it.

Caroline picked up the comic while he sat down. “So why Jimmy Olsen? I thought Superman was the hero?”

“Ha, yeah. I like Jimmy. He’s like me sorta.”

“You don’t think you’re Superman?”

He winced. “No way.”

Caroline sips her coffee. “Why did you really call me?”

“Can you keep a secret?” His eyes meet hers, but only for a moment.

If you only knew. “Of course, dear.”

“Well, I may or may not have cheated on Alisha this weekend…” He hung his head down watched swirls form in his coffee.

Oh my! she thought, but what she said was, “Go on.”

“I just… I feel like I should tell her, but I dunno.”

“Do you think she’d tell you if she had done the same?” He’s mine.

“I’d like to think she would--”

“But you don’t--”

“I think she knows me well enough to know how much something like that would hurt to find out. For me, at least”

Caroline set the comic back on the table.

Thanks if you're reading me. Have a good weekend.

-Steve