Excerpt from Chapter 5 of "The Quitter"

I wake up in a state of confusion. I look at the red digital numbered alarm clock but it is blank. I can see some light through the curtains so I know it's daytime. I reach over to turn on a light. Nothing. Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!!!!! They cut off the power!

Sure enough, I jump out of bed and all the power is off. I would like to say this is the first time this has happened but it's not and not by a long shot. I immediately go to the front door. I see a little pink slip from the power company. I also notice that I can see a T.V. set on in the apartment across the way. Yep, they turned the power off.

I take off the pink slip and go back into my apartment. I head to the bathroom to grab my watch. 1:48 P.M. Now I am stuck in a dilemma. I need to get to the temp agency but I need to take care of the power first. Since my phones are all cordless they are out because of the power. I go to my cell phone. My cell phone is one of those phones that you buy in a department store with a pay-as-you-go plan. I had been planning to buy a card to add minutes to the phone. My best guess is that I have about twenty minutes of talk time before I run out. After I get the power problem taken care of I will have to go and buy another phone card.

I call the power company and I sit on hold for seventeen minutes listening to the best of Celene Dion and Michael Bolton before I am connected to a live person. I know I only have a couple of minutes before the cell phone cuts me off. The phone gave me a sinister, five minute warning beep a couple of minutes ago.

"Hello this is Rika please give me your account number?"

"Hi Rika my phone is about to cut off. I need to make a payment on the account before that happens."

"Yes sir, I will be glad to help you but I need to know your account number."

"Shit, sorry, I don't have that."

"That's fine sir. Can I have your social security number?"

I give Rika my social security number.

"Okay.  I show this as being for a residence located at 22 Twain Avenue with Orlando address 32828 is that correct?"

"Yes ma'am. I just need to make a payment before my phone cuts off."

"That's fine sir. I must tell you that there will be a thirty five dollar connection fee for having the power turned back on."

"Yes, yes that's fine."  I say, agitated.  "Can I go ahead and give you my card number before the phone cuts off?"

"Yes sir. I am ready when you are."

I give Rika my debit card number, my expiration date, and my security code from the back. As soon as I finish, I get the one minute warning. I'm going to make it. I'm going to make it! Finally something today is going to go right.

"I'm sorry sir but that card was declined. Do you have another card?"

"What? No, that's not right. I made a deposit yesterday."

"I'm sorry sir but the card number you have given me has come back decl-"

I hear the click and realize that the phone has died. Fuck fuck and double fuck!!!!!!!

Excerpt from Opening Chapter of "Reflections of Colette Street"

"I stare out the window of the airplane. The city, my city, is coming into focus. It's the city that cradled me from birth and swaddled me in its loving, smothering arms. That is up until eight years ago when I, like a prisoner who finally finds the door to the jail cell suddenly wide open, bolted almost literally in the middle of the night.
The last eight years have been spent in mostly glorious, self imposed exile and not coincidentally in pretty much the furthrest reaches of the world from this place that I used to call home. This city. This city is coming closer and closer to me through my little plexi-glass airplane window. It welcomes me with its glimmering orange-yellow lights and the streaming headlights of the cars below that move like ants on the interstate. I adjust my perspective, I can see my face reflected in the little window. When did I get so old?"