Caresses (a short story)

It was late. Too late to catch a tram. And too cold really to be waiting at some stop for the night bus. But considering his failing motor skills due to excessive alcohol use he decided not to walk.

At the next stop she got on, a few years after he last saw her. She noticed him right after showing the driver her bus card and walked towards him as fast as was ladylike.

Before she properly sat her hand had found his. She looked deeply into his expectant eyes and said: 'I am glad to have found the man of my dreams again.'

He suggested that they get off together at his stop but she told him she couldn't for reasons that do not matter here.

That is why he informed her of the existence of a literary magazine in which a haiku dedicated to her could be found:

Breathe quietly love

hear how the touch of my breath 

your breath caresses

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Want to read (more of) my short stories? My author page: Terrence Weijnschenk at Amazon

We don't want privacy, we want Netflix

Isn't it funny that people who worry a lot about their privacy often state their opinion on social media? Most of the time the location-setting on their smartphone is set to 'on' and it's not uncommon that they are the same people who oppose wearing face masks.

If there's one place where your privacy is not safe but in the hands of clever salespeople, it's on social media. Private companies and government agencies can easily check on your whereabouts just because you are too lazy to go to 'settings' and turn location 'off'. 

If there's one thing that throws off privacy intruding face recognition camera's, it's wearing a face mask.

Besides that: it's virtually impossible to keep all your data private. Even without using the internet, in our western countries there are about 300 people, agencies and companies that have access to your very private private data. Really. 

The cold hard truth is: we do not care about our privacy. We want Netflix.

We don't care about the privacy of other people. We want good deals on Amazon.

Want to read (more of) my short stories? My author page: Terrence Weijnschenk at Amazon

Is this normal?

Early December 2020 a man was pulled over by police on a dark road. They would not give him a reason. He drove on and stopped at a gas station, where there would be light and other people. He feared for his life as the officers approached him with guns drawn. In the United States of America this situation is considered 'normal'. There's something wrong with that premisse.

Click here for the full story and social media responses.

What do you think? What if you were the man in the car? What if you were one of the police officers?

Could this happen in your part of the world?

There are many more cases where (white) police officers draw their guns on unarmed (black) people. Now, some may argue US cops are more likely to shoot white people. In total numbers, that's correct. Adjusted by population? Not nearly.

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Want to read (more of) my short stories? My author page: Terrence Weijnschenk at Amazon