5 stories
The Chess Club Checkmate
Patricia dominates the senior center chess club. When a new player challenges her throne, the competition becomes something far more intimate.
The Dance Teacher's Recital
Miss Dorothy has taught dance in Philadelphia for forty years. When a student's grandfather stays to watch class, she discovers some routines need a partner.
The Driving Instructor's Detour
Carolyn has taught nervous drivers for twenty years. When a recently widowed man needs to learn at sixty, the lessons take them somewhere neither expected.
The Nurse's Night Shift
Twenty years in the ER, and Brenda thinks she's seen everything. Then a wounded cop arrives who refuses treatment from anyone but her, and the night shift gets personal.
Philadelphia Tailor
She tailors traditional clothes for West Philly's Somali community—a thick ebony widow whose stitches are legendary. When he needs wedding attire, she measures him personally. Some fittings are very private.