The Gas Station
   There were two in his town.  Before his sister died, they would always go to the expensive one.  “That,” his father would say, “is what keeps this family running.”  He would then pat the hood of the car twice, always twice.

The Cigars
   The fish came in a tiny plastic bag from the General Store for 60 cents.  He found a mason jar in his basement, and it lived there for three days, until his father tapped his cigar ashes into it.  He buried it in a matchbox. 

The Dock
   You had to walk a little over two miles to find it.  It hung over dirty green water, empty alphabet soup cans and such floating back and forth,  Even so, it was common to dangle your legs off the end, kicking trash away from your bare feet with a boyfriend or something like that. 

News
   When his friend stopped coming to school, he wasn’t allowed to read the papers for a week.

Eavesdrop
   On the phone, 16: “Oh, you’re a dream.” 

Hiding

   There was a stair that had hinges leading up to the attic.  If it was lifted up, you would find a slice of fruitcake wrapped in plastic wrap, a pencil sharpened down to a nub, a love letter from 5th grade, and a honey-flavoured chapstick.  It also had a receipt that had a drawing of a face scribbled on the back.

Regret 
   “I was afraid of rainstorms for quite some time.  Then, one day, I decided to face my fear, and go out during a particularly intense thunderstorm, while my parents were on a shopping trip.  I accidently locked myself out of the house, and I had to wait in the downpour until they pulled up an hour later.”