Freight Stories No. 8, which includes my story “Atomic,” has just gone live.
“Atomic,” set right on the cusp of the 80s, was really fun to write. Among other things, it includes an homage of sorts to the sandwich shop/game room in Athens, GA where I spent much of the summer of 1979.
And yeah, I listened to Blondie’s Eat to the Beat while I wrote it.
A snippet:
The cold, lacy foam that retreats along the sides of the pitcher every time he refills anyone’s mug has burnished the afternoon, but not even that is enough to make her completely forget her question — how can any one person have so many quarters? He pulls them out of the front pocket of his jeans with a conjurer’s flourish. And she keeps playing, all the while knowing— this generosity is suspect. She looks at the long braid snaking down his back. It’s almost impossible to imagine a person standing in front of a mirror every morning, taking the time to braid all that gray hair. Almost impossible to imagine anyone professing love for Jane Fonda. Can he really not know? About Jane Fonda’s gleaming spandex and flashy aerobics?
Katherine L. Hester 