From the day
Perspective: The Teenager · Tactile
I sat on the porch thumbing through my new deck of Rook cards, the thick, waxy cardstock snapping crisp against my calloused palms. Ma came out shaking the morning paper, her face pale as she read about the fatal tornadoes in three states, where Louisiana towns were said to be wiped out and many dead or injured, with heavy losses in Nebraska and Northern Texas too. I tried to act as if the news didn't rattle my wool cap, whistling "Shine On, Harvest Moon" while adjusting the stiff starch of my high collar. It would be simply bully to skip my chores and find a chump to swindle at cards down by the creek, far away from all that grim talk of storms and wreckage.