Ben, a pale redhead, was Doug’s best friend. They both studied to become mechanics, they liked to drink beer, and they liked to drive fast. The next day at lunch Doug told the story of what he and Ben had done the night before. “Ben was driving up Broadway last night, and all of a … More Ambassador Chapter 16

It was Saturday afternoon when I switched on the television. I turned the knob to change the channel and watched as black smoke billowed from a train. I sat down on the floor in front of the TV. The train stopped.  Soldiers opened the doors and forced walking corpses out of the train. The ground … More Ambassador Chapter 11

Mother put the ketchup on the table for our supper of hamburgers, baked beans and potatoes. The clock said 5:44 pm. I picked up the gallon of milk, and began to pour it into my glass. Father walked in the back door and slammed his lunchbox down into the corner of the table. “Derrick is … More Ambassador Chapter 10

Nana Hardy lived next door to the graveyard; its stonewall boundary spilled rocks onto her property creating steps to enter the other side. This entrance was too tempting for us to ignore.  Margie, Johnny and I climbed up the steps into a century-old world. The faded white tombstones filled the cemetery in rows.  “Look. How … More Ambassador Chapter 7

Later that evening, we watched, “It’s the great pumpkin Charlie Brown.” Halloween was next week. What a great holiday. Dressing up and going door-to-door and getting candy. It was every kid’s dream. The next day when I arrived in Mrs. Whitlock’s classroom, I noticed a bunch of kids over by Dave. He was making Snoopy … More Ambassador Chapter 6

I’ve read this parable a million times, but today, something jumped off the page at me. The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins 25 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their … More Buying oil at midnight?

A few days later at school, I noticed that stinky Charles was not in front of me in line. He was absent from school that day. That afternoon, before the buses arrived, Mrs. Whitlock canceled our scheduled ‘boring reading book time’ to talk about Charles. “You may have noticed that Charles is not in school … More Ambassador Chapter 5

I pulled out the on/off switch of the black and white television and waited for it to warm up. I turned the knob to change the channel so that we could watch “Dark Shadows.” The creepy theme music began, so Margie, Johnny and I all sat down in front of the television. We watched as … More Ambassador Chapter 4

I walked towards my fifth grade classroom in 1970-something, where an elderly woman stood in the doorway. She wore an old-fashioned dress which hung almost to her ankles. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Bridget Hardy.” “Are you related to Jim Hardy?” Her pale blue eyes widened behind her cat-eye glasses. “He’s my uncle, but we … More Ambassador Chapter 3

Summer turned into autumn, and the months turned into years.  Margie and I were watching Gigantor cartoons on the large black-and-white television after school. At 5:45 pm, we heard the footsteps at the back entrance. Father was home from work. “I can’t believe that bastard Larry, my boss,” Father’s voice thundered. “What happened?” Mother asked. … More Ambassador Chapter 2

Many offensive actions are a slap in the face to the employees. Here are a few from several people over the years: Employee is told repeatedly, “I’ve got my eye on you,” in threatening tones, day after day. Verbal abuse, including swearing, demeaning, and rude comments against employee. When reported to management, nothing is done … More Do you really care about your employees?

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