I didn’t feel any older today, but I was. The fading yellowed calendar hung from a bent nail on the wall, flipped to the month of July. The red circle around the number nine, like a bullseye, drew ... [+]

I still have the scar. It's about three inches long, a quarter of an inch wide. Under the thin veneer of the translucent epidermis, the dirt-engrained flesh is visible underneath. I touch it with my ... [+]