by Suzanne WeertsApr 28A Body is Just a Body is Just a Body“You deserve this Suzanne,” he whispers in my ear, “Relax.” The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff below the balcony where I...
by Suzanne WeertsApr 14Sentry of the SweetsMy cousin Kathleen is getting married at the Boston Harbor Hotel. My family has never been to Boston. Mom starts looking for inexpensive...
by Suzanne WeertsMar 17Blackberry StainsI see her running across the expanse of our front lawn, which is only 20 yards but memory makes it 200 and it all feels like slow motion.
by Suzanne WeertsNov 4, 2021A Horse Walks Up To A BarJane Goodall, the British primatologist who studied chimpanzees in Tanzania was feeding a horse at the counter in a cafe by my house.
by Suzanne WeertsOct 7, 2021The Not So Salad DaysI am standing in my father’s kitchen. It’s the kitchen of my childhood, though the lime green cabinets from the 70’s have been stripped...
by Suzanne WeertsJul 21, 2021The TicketThere I am in the United Airlines terminal when I realize: a ticket is not a plan. An airline ticket is not the golden ticket to success.
by Suzanne WeertsApr 29, 2021Lady In Red (Or rather, lady in a regrettably old, pilled, black sweater)I didn’t know he’d been in the restroom building up his courage. I figured he was eating a hidden stash of beef jerky.
by Suzanne WeertsJan 29, 2021Whirlwind of Money“Come on ladies! Don’t go! Take a chance! You could be winners!”
by Suzanne WeertsApr 2, 2020COMMITMENTShane is a bad boy. I'm not supposed to associate with bad boys.
by Suzanne WeertsMar 30, 2020Padding the NestOur birds have flown home for the time being, their disappointment palpable, but they are counting on us for comfort and continuity.
by Suzanne WeertsMar 5, 2020The Sounds of SilenceWhen Rumi said, “Listen to silence. It has so much to say,” I’m guessing he didn’t have tinnitus.
by Suzanne WeertsFeb 20, 2020UndercoverMy understanding of the birds and the bees existed under a thick blanket of secrecy in the house of my childhood. When I was ten or so, I...
by Suzanne WeertsJan 23, 2020Cleaning UpMy house is a mere shell of it’s happiest self now that the Christmas decorations are gone. Early in December each box I bring out of...
by Suzanne WeertsJan 9, 2020I Don't Do DrugsI am 100% certain I'm going to die in this shit-hole motel above a dive bar with the remnants of a pot-infused chocolate bar in my hand...
by Suzanne WeertsDec 19, 2019White ElephantEven if that Santa held no specific memories for me, he had once been held by my mother.
by Suzanne WeertsNov 20, 2019The OvershareI got this voicemail from my dad. “Hi Suzanne, there’s this important Anniversary I need to tell you about, please call me back.”
by Suzanne WeertsNov 14, 2019Silver FishAunt Joanne’s stories were peppered with the names of famous people who’d graced her path and the fabulous places she’d been.
by Suzanne WeertsOct 31, 2019Murder HouseWhen I am out watching the kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, I'll be on the lookout for the ghost of Mabel Monohan.
by Suzanne WeertsOct 10, 2019Moving Minus Emotion“Mom,” he says, “I thought you’d be more emotional.” “Well, I’m feeling pretty good about all this,” I reply, “My job is done."
by Suzanne WeertsAug 22, 2019The FaxMy father has never been one for face-to-face communication, but he always did know how to make a statement.
by Suzanne WeertsAug 18, 2019Sand Castles and Reclaimed KickboardsWe attempted to surf the sand like Aladdin on magic carpets before taking our new kick-boards out to the foaming blue ocean.
by Suzanne WeertsJul 18, 2019The GambleMy stomach turned as the wheel spun, the ball bouncing over blurred black and red numbers, this money he was risking was two month’s rent.
by Suzanne WeertsMay 30, 2019Adventurous One, Who Might You Become?Truth is, I wasn’t always the best mother. In some ways it is amazing he and I made it out alive.
by Suzanne WeertsMay 16, 2019Motorcycle Diary“God saved you once, I don’t know that you’ll get another chance.” But I let the screen door slam behind me, invincible.
by Suzanne WeertsApr 25, 2019In Naive AgreementMom loved the idea that, if I married Finn, I might not only get married in the Catholic church, but she’d also have Catholic grandchildren.
by Suzanne WeertsMar 7, 2019You Don't Bring Me Flowers“If they don’t bring you flowers when you’re dating them, then they definitely won’t when you marry them."
by Suzanne WeertsFeb 21, 2019On Giving My Maxx I’d never been fired before. I was a good student. I worked hard. And there I was, looking for a payphone under the Grand Opening sign.
by Suzanne WeertsJan 31, 2019America's Next Top Black and Decker Hand ModelWith all that experience holding power tools, I never learned the cardinal rule to unplug them before touching their sharp mechanisms.
by Suzanne WeertsOct 25, 2018The Acorn AssassinWhen I was eleven, I almost killed all of the children in my neighborhood.
by Suzanne WeertsSep 20, 2018Musings on Massages, Make-up and Manicures“Why would you pay someone to clip your nails?” my mother questioned when I told her about my first manicure.
by Suzanne Weerts (as shared at Story Salon onAug 30, 2018The Domino EffectI literally missed the train by one croissant from the breakfast buffet stuffed in my purse, one glance back and a hand heart directed at...
by Suzanne WeertsJun 22, 2018Guns and GravelHidden in the drawer alongside spicy mothballs, my father had a gun! Was he a secret agent or something?
by Suzanne WeertsMay 27, 2018The Unbearable Bear Paw ResortI’ll go. To keep the peace, I’m going to go. But I am angry at the cavalier way the decision is handed down.
by Suzanne WeertsApr 19, 2018To Tattoo or Not To Tattoo? (That is the Question)My daughter wants us to get matching tattoos. It is sweet, really, that a twenty year-old wants to have a body part that looks the same...
by Suzanne WeertsJan 26, 2018Tom GirlEvery time I got up to bat, the coach would say, “Let it hit you!” so I could get on base before I struck out.
by Suzanne WeertsDec 10, 2017Counting Blessings: A Letter to My MotherI taught myself to count my blessings as I drifted off to sleep, the way you counted yours even when your challenges seemed insurmountable.
by Suzanne WeertsNov 30, 2017Encyclopedia A'sThe Encyclopedia salesmen all did something that forever changed the trajectory of my academic knowledge.
by Suzanne WeertsOct 19, 2017Little Miss Innocent Sugar MeI wish I’d been able to crawl out of my skin and be anywhere but in that conference room.
by Suzanne WeertsOct 19, 2017Medicine ManAmani, the medicine man’s home was part shack part tree house. He sat on a wooden rocking chair under a guava tree, clearly stoned.
by Suzanne WeertsSep 28, 2017Bye Bye BroadwayChita Rivera was a fiery Latina woman and I was a freckle faced fourteen year-old fantasist who had yet to sing a single one of my songs.
by Suzanne WeertsAug 28, 2017The First Time Ever I Saw Your FaceBill says every time her hears Roberta Flack on the radio his eyes well with tears as he remembers the girl in green at the dinner party.
by Suzanne WeertsAug 3, 2017T-ShirtI can’t say that I fully appreciated the insanity of giving your daughter such a billboard to wear across her slowly developing chest.
by Suzanne WeertsJun 22, 2017Cotton BallerPlease choose me. Please choose me. PLEASE CHOOSE ME! I frantically screamed over and over in my head.
by Suzanne WeertsMay 18, 2017ComplexityI quickly became quite the connoisseur, easily identifying the nuanced notes of difference between Tickle Pink and Sun Peach Pink...
by Suzanne WeertsFeb 25, 2017June LakeIt doesn’t matter where you go or what you have. What matters is who you have beside you.
by Suzanne WeertsFeb 2, 2017Deliberations of a Distracted DemocratAfter time, I noticed that thinking critically began to mean being critical. On the bright side, I now have a soft spot for George W Bush.
by Suzanne WeertsJan 19, 2017Good Girl Gone Somewhat Bad“That’ll teach you to break the rules young lady.” What it taught me was to hide things more effectively.
by Suzanne WeertsDec 9, 2016The Blue BalloonI want to have faith that this woman who is indelibly tied to my soul has not entirely disappeared in that single, simple gasp.
by Suzanne WeertsDec 5, 2016The Price of Love and Toilet PaperThe boy knelt before the girl on the bow of the ship, sweating in his tuxedo, the Long Beach cityscape a sparkling backdrop for the...
by Suzanne WeertsNov 10, 2016The Cow and The BirdsI peel open my eyes to see the sun block by birds diving right at me, surrounding me in a crazy Alfred Hitchcockian cacophony of wings.