In Transit

The theme of this collection of short stories is transition. This may be from childhood to mature adulthood, or from one stage in life to another. The stories may not always seem to reflect this, but at their core, they do because transitions are not always obvious, even to those being transformed. Wisdom and maturity are only sometimes a reflection of age or achieving chronological milestones. People grow differently, sometimes in one way and not in others; unevenly, partially, and flawed; sometimes slowly, and then all at once. We can be mature in one way and childish in another. And we can revert; the past, present, and future mingle and may pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. No one will want to skip any of the ten short stories. A teen's first experiences at an adult party go well beyond his expectations. A crush on a girl that didn't match a boy's ideal in appearance or behavior. A first kiss-and a realization about one's sexual orientation. A man who never transitioned into maturity. An initial incident that comes to symbolize a romantic relationship. These stories and more are at turns funny and sad, wrenching and poignant. The moments, large and small, described in these stories capture perfectly the agony and ecstasy of being in transition and the beginnings of maturity.