"The baseboards can always be painted over."The sentence played over and over again in Margaret's head. The real estate agent had muttered it innocently under her breath, but it stuck with he ... [+]
Chicago-born Michael Riordan has taught in the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and most recently in China, where he was a professor of Writing and Film Studies. His wife Mary, a speech pathologist, keeps him young, and ten grandchildren keep him childish. He lives in Arlington, Texas and can be reached on Twitter or mjriordan@mail.com. "Sins and Secrets" is in Short Circuit #06, Short Édition's quarterly review.
He had earned the stamp of "loser" in his father-in-law's eyes. Worse, he was less a man to his wife Jean. When a possum tried to move in a few months after they purchased their little two-bedroom "starter home," the pest people found asbestos in the roof lining and walls. Their starter home was finished, and the young couple were forced to abandon the useless house and recover a little money for the land. Jean and her dad blamed the debacle on Mark for not paying for an adequate inspection. Mark seethed with resentment: How did he get to be in charge of inspections? The couple had better luck