One thing was for damn sure: he was done being Darrell. What a lame name, people should think about the names they gave their children. Darrell made you think of cold baloney sandwiches and bus drivers. “Steve,” on the other hand, had kind of a Johnny Depp flair suggestive of runways and classy bars and private jets, Cuban cigars: pleasures indulged in by people like presidents and princes and big-ass artists. People like Gisela, Leonardo, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé.
People like him.
People, that is, like he could’ve been. If it hadn’t been for all those losers …
Bio:
Judith Pond has published fiction and poetry in numerous Canadian literary magazines. Oberon Press has published her fiction in the Coming Attractions collection and has released four collections of her poetry: An Early Day, Dance of Death, Lovers and Other Monsters, and A Shape of Breath. Her first novel, The Signs of No, is forthcoming with the University of Calgary’s Brave and Brilliant literary fiction series. She coaches writers and teaches creative writing in Calgary and is currently at work on a second novel.