Scott Skinner

“That's life” by Scott Skinner

It was after a long exhale during a hot shower that Bob Bennett put his forehead to the glass and thought, "Maybe marriage is accepting that you should just stay together because you're probably not going to be happy regardless of who you're with."Poor Bob Bennet had reached that point that men do in middle-age where he wasn't happy doing anything. Even on Christmas morning that year, in his $1.4million home, drinking his favorite coffee in front of the beautifully decorated 9ft tall Douglas fur, watching his wife and two children cycle thro...

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“The way we handled it” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #105

"Whistle fart."  "What?"  "Yea. I thought I had to go, so I sat on the toilet and tried, but instead of anything coming out, it was just whistling."  "What?" "Yea, like a mellow breeze." "Why are you telling me this?"  My wife doesn't like my jokes. She used to when we were younger, and she was trying to lock me down, but now it's not the same.  Humor takes vulnerability; I'm out here talking about how my butt shoots air - really going for the laugh - and she doesn't even crack a smile. Maybe my humor's too blue, but...

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“Logistics” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #104

Sean texted her, then told Courtney, "I texted her." "What did you say?"  "Are you coming tonight?"  "Why didn't you do it in the group chat?"  "There's more pressure in the group chat, right?"  "It's just a text message."  "I know, but she's weird like that."  "And she hasn't responded?"  "Not yet."  Sean was talking about his mom, who lived alone. His mom who told people she didn't live alone because she had a cat. His mom, who he hadn't been around since father's day when he woke up and discovered t...

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“Figging crazy ” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #103

It's the morning. "I'm sorry," Samantha tells Figaro for the third time, "I didn't mean for it to happen this way. I thought we could make it work. I did all the right things." She hadn't. Most people never do. Most people don't understand what it takes to keep a promise. They don't get that you have to be active every day, giving a portion of your life, a part of yourself, to keep the thing alive. Nothing comes easy, Samantha. Why can't you see that? Most people treat their plants like a cup of coffee. They kill one cup,...

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“My first muse” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #102

Of the thirty-four summers of my life, that one was the most revealing and the one that comes back to me most often, because it was then that I realized that the subject is more important than the picture. I am a photographer. My job is to capture moments worth remembering. The older I get, the more I think about this Diane Arbus quote, "Lately, I've been struck with how I really love what you can't see in a photograph." I have the pictures I took of Mr. Gorey that summer hidden in a folder within a folder within a folder on my des...

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“Big girl ” by Scott Skinner

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #101

CW: body shaming, mental health, body image issues The mirror's size, shape, clarity; the lighting in the room, the color of the paint on the walls, the surfaces in the reflection, whatever was behind me; none of that mattered. Those things weren’t the problem. The problem was the fat girl in the mirror’s reflection. The problem was me.  My dad is Wayne, my brother is Wayne Jr., and my mother died of breast cancer when I was thirteen. We’ve always been the big family. Not like, “there’s a lot of people in that family” big, but like, “wo...

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“46 Million ” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #100

It’s the fourth Thursday of November, a day to come together as a family and eat a dead bird, a holiday because America says so.Diane’s seventy and dyes her thinning hair gold. She swims three times a week in a lap pool at a gym she pays eighty dollars a month to attend and is in better health than many other septuagenarians that she knows. When her hair is wet, it looks like lacquer on stained pine wood. When it’s dry, it’s the same color as her golden retriever’s fur. She lives alone with a dog named Chomper. When people ask Diane what kin...

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“You won't like me” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #98

My whole life, I’ve been a quitter. The years I’ve lived are rich with mistakes that cause me to gag whenever they flash, and they flash often. Despite my numerous attempts to numb them, the memories of my mistakes are unrelenting. They continually stab my psyche and have left me tattered and helpless. But, of course, I am to blame. I did the things that turned into memories that haunt me no matter how far removed I am from them. I forget the good times, not the bad, and try to forgive others, but I can’t forgive myself. I used to tell my fa...

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“Landscaping ” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #97

“I’m telling you, something’s wrong. How long are you willing to wait before we call the cops?” “We’re not calling the cops.” “She’s my daughter, babe. Don’t you understand that?” “Greg, she’s our daughter.” “You’re acting like she’s not. You’re acting like you don’t even care!” “She’s on a date.”“She was! She was on a date. One that was supposed to end at 11 pm! But look where we are now,” Greg takes two steps away from the window towards his marble-topped nightstand. He taps his iPhone, then continues, “11:22 pm! A...

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“Transitional Object” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #96

My mother’s dead. She died several days ago. I’m inside her three-bedroom house, which still smells like the perfume she wore. I’m in my childhood bedroom, sitting on my old twin-size mattress, eyeballing the vivid texture of her gray carpet. I’m here because I’m tasked with choosing which of her possessions are worth keeping and which to throw away. Her perfume is woody, mossy, floral, powdery; it lingers in the foyer and in every room. I smell her. I see her footprints on the carpet like animal tracks on the snow. This house and the things...

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“The Mulberry Memory” by Scott Skinner

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #95

Content warning: addiction, drug use, violence, sexual abuse, child abuse   Danny’s been a good boy for a long time. He’s cut back on red meat, only buys organic, and never drinks soda. He exercises regularly, presses his clothes, takes two showers a day, and shows up on time for everything. His coworkers know him as a reliable team player who cleans the coffee machine. Danny treats himself and others with respect; he smiles and holds office, elevator, building, and car doors. He’s patient. He talks to people in every department, even t...

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“Not again” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #94

We were in my BMW 5 series. Ashley was wearing a henley T-shirt that was missing its bottom half. It was sparkling white and wouldn’t have been long enough to cover my six-year-old’s belly. Even though I’d seen her stomach countless times before, it was all I could look at. It was tanned and smooth; freckle-less and hairless. It was the stomach of a young person in her prime that exercised and ate well. It was flat like you see on Instagram.My mom left me the BMW and $250,000 in her Last Will and Testament. She died from a brain aneurysm two...

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“Something to do” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #93

-The Toilet- My mind traps so much stress that it gives me the runs. It’s called anxiety diarrhea. I’ve had it happen before an interview; I’ve had it happen on my birthday; I’ve had it happen before sex. When I’m put in a situation where I might be judged, it just squirts out of me. Today it’s happening because of Meiling’s party. She’s a co-worker who only knows my emotional state through the emojis I place on our Slack messages. The company’s remote now, which I prefer, but there are still people like Meiling pressing the issue....

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“Doesn't take much ” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #92

TW: mental health California has fifty-three species of mosquitoes living in the state. In the East Bay, in the summer months, the mosquitoes bite quite often. They float around at eye level, looking for an opportunity to strike, and if they’re not feeding, they’re hiding, watching you. It’s interesting to observe them; you learn that mosquitoes can die from their mistakes just like anything else.   George watched one while he was in bed, lying on his side. The mosquito was one of the big ones; its legs and siphon were so long that it l...

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“ Users’ needs” by Scott Skinner

Submitted to Contest #91

My name is Muggs, and I’m a librarian. I work in the Walnut Creek library, which is in downtown Walnut Creek, near Civic Park. It’s within walking distance of the Walnut Creek BART Station, and we get visitors from all over the East Bay. The library, which opened in July 2010, was funded through a public-private partnership and cost $34M. It’s a 42,00 square-foot building with a children’s wing and garden, a business and career center, a technology center, a 16-seat conference room, and a 150-seat meeting room named The Oak View. There ...

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