Outskirts Press, INC.

We all come from families, and our families differ greatly in the way they transmit values and aspirations from one generation to the next. The four novellas in this volume explore the divergent impact of hereditary traits, and parental guidance, love, conflicts, and failures on the next generation, with a variety of outcomes, some expected, and some quite unexpected.

Cliff took a jar of honey from the cupboard and mixed a spoonful into one of the cups. He carried the two cups to the kitchen table where he and Lauren sat opposite one another. Cliff continued his inquiries, “So, what are you doing following your boss’s wife around?”
            Lauren explained, “He says things are not right at home. He thinks she’s having an affair with some guy.”
            Cliff smiled knowingly. “I doubt that very much.”
            Lauren was a little surprised. “Why do you say that?”
            Without any judgment or condemnation, Cliff replied, “She belongs to your club.”
            Lauren was taken aback and put her cup down on the saucer. “How would you know that?”
            With quiet confidence, Cliff replied, “I have an instinct for these things.”
            That was not enough for Lauren. “Dad, my boss is paying me to investigate his wife. I can’t go to him with just one of your instincts and tell him his wife is gay.”
            Cliff remained relaxed. “I don’t know about that. Wasn’t I the one who told you to stop putzing around with that pansy guy you were mixed up with, and get a real woman?”
            “Sure, but as I already told you, now my latest real woman has apparently gone back to her ex-husband.”