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Conversations

My wife tells me Randall called. She reminds me I met him and his wife, Gloria, at her class reunion a couple years ago. Randall claimed he called to say Gloria died, but mentioned it almost in passing, then went on about his bad back, getting shots in his eyes, how he misses playing golf, his daughter not letting him see his grandkids. My wife says she finally hung up. I tell her that seems harsh, that maybe he needed some sympathy. “I heard at the reunion that Randall was abusing Gloria,” my wife says. “And now he still is.”

David Henson and his wife live in Illinois. His work has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and previously has appeared in Five Minutes. Twitter: @annalou8


Prediction

Parole