Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: marriage
Replacement Parts
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” “I’m looking after Bob. Who are you? “I’m Bob’s wife. Bob’s my husband. Why are you here in the ICU? Who let you in?” “Bob did, honey. I met him in the elevator last week and… Continue Reading “Replacement Parts”
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
All your adult life, you’ve been picking out bad boys, guys who charm your mother but have a lot of traffic tickets. Guys who ride motorcycles that aren’t paid for but, because they are smiling all the time, it doesn’t seem like such a… Continue Reading “Matchmaker, Matchmaker”
#14/100: Parting of the Ways
Lately we have become very taken by a reality show called Life Below Zero. The show features several people living in various parts of Alaska, above and below the Arctic Circle. These are people who catch thousands of fish in the summer, hang them… Continue Reading “#14/100: Parting of the Ways”
#10/100: My Favorite Mistake
My favorite mistake is sleeping on the couch wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a Milwaukee Brewers sweatshirt. When I tell people that we’d only known each other a few months when we married 30 years ago, deciding on one Tuesday to get… Continue Reading “#10/100: My Favorite Mistake”
#2/100: White Chairs
“Listen, I asked Derek if he would do a recommitment ceremony for us. It’d be nice. We could even do it here.” We were sitting on a bench at the botanical gardens watching bride after bride hustle by, guests in dresses with odd sashes… Continue Reading “#2/100: White Chairs”
My Husband Quit Drinking and I Lost 12 Lbs
I kid you not, a quirky phrase I love so much I wish I could say it every day. As a 12-year old, sitting in my bedroom doorway in my pajamas, I had a straight shot to the black and white TV in the… Continue Reading “My Husband Quit Drinking and I Lost 12 Lbs”
My Bad Boy
Frye boots, jeans, white shirt, black leather jacket. Attitude. I daresay for most women of my generation I have to say no more. Can you go thirty years on this? Yes, with plenty left over. _____________________ Written in response to a prompt from The… Continue Reading “My Bad Boy”
Goodbye Old Sock
In the dark desk drawer, she found the last long letter she’d written to dear departed Don, folded finely in fifths, saying sad serious things she hadn’t the heart to say out loud.
Happy Anniversary
When you are married 30 years, people clamor for the secret. That’s not true. No one’s asked. You have to be a 115-year Russian guy living in a sod hut on the windblown steppes to make folks curious about your claim to longevity. Yogurt,… Continue Reading “Happy Anniversary”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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