give or take a few years

Still unaccustomed to the shift in their heights, she looked down into her eyes.

"Hi, Grandma." Smiling, she hugged the 80-year-old lady.

"Oh, I hardly recognize you! How long has it been?"

"Not quite two years -- I was here December of 2006."

They walked to the living room. Not much had changed -- the same furniture, the same carpet, the same houseplants. From the wingback chair by the window, the elder looked her granddaughter over.

"So, how old are you now? 13? 14?"

"Grandma, I'm 23."

of drunk acquaintances

She met him down the street, in a side room.

Over drinks and dip, they caught up: new jobs, new apartments, new lives.

A slight change of location, a shift of plans, and the conversation continued. Hours slid past before her obligations took hold again.

Watching him walk away through the crowd, a voice pulled her attention back to the corner.

"You'd be a lot of fun to fuck."