![]() In Wolves’ Clothing
-- EXCERPT: I can’t remember if I took an oxy during the flight, so I eat two. They pair nicely with the scotch. It’s good to be home. I should be upstairs sleeping, especially since I didn’t catch a single wink on the flight from Guadalajara. But there’s something I have to finish first. An eight-letter word for gradually losing one’s edge. Slipping. I fill in each box of 27 Down with my black pen and take another sip of scotch. It’s times like these I turn into God. The crossword squares fill up by themselves in a secret blurry code. A few of the answers might even be correct. The black pleather couch makes love to me as I solve 32 Across. A four-letter word for spouse. Neda. She’s leaning on the banister, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweatpants that might have fit me when I was ten. Her eyes, almond-shaped during waking hours, are half open. “You’re home?” she says, pre-dawn gravel in her voice. “Hi, baby,” I say while trying to conceal the nearly empty lowball glass in my hand. “Sorry to wake you. I’ll be up in a sec.” Neda yawns and combs her hand through a shining cascade of black hair. “What time d’you get in?” I scratch my shaved dome, feeling the perspiration forming, and say, “Uh, a little after one maybe.” Neda opens her eyes the rest of the way. “You’ve been here for nearly two hours? Why didn’t—” “Baby, I just needed to unwind a bit before bed.” Neda’s eyes open wider than the manual recommends. “Why must unwinding always involve single malt and a crossword?” she asks. “You know, some men unwind by spooning their beautiful wife. Especially when they haven’t seen her in four days.” I ponder the answer to 36 Across. “Zero!” Neda shouts. The sound knocks the pen from my fingers, and I go, “I didn’t want to wake you.” “And look how that worked out for you,” says Neda. “At least if you’d come up when you got home you wouldn’t be getting yelled at.” I tell her not to be mad, then get up from the couch as gracefully as a man two drinks and twenty milligrams in can. “I knew if I woke you right when I got home, you’d want to talk about the mission.” I realize this is not what God would say. I can tell by Neda’s face. ![]()
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4 Comments
Lisa Brown
10/11/2017 05:24:58 am
I enjoyed reading the excerpt to learn more about your story; congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)
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Janet W.
10/11/2017 08:39:32 am
I love this cover! Sounds like a great read!
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Dale Wilken
10/11/2017 10:25:42 pm
I really liked the excerpt thank you.
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Sarah Hayes
10/16/2017 01:09:37 pm
this looks like a great read
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