Small stories, carefully considered.

Dea

  • Invisible Ink
    There are moments that time slows down and the universe asks you to think very very carefully about what you say next. When I was younger I just tossed off clever ripostes – I never thought about the landing only the launching
  • That Empty Space
    Yeah, I really- I really miss her. There’s nobody. Nobody like her.”
  • On a Friend, Unmade
    Dear Sophia: I have a private client, a lovely woman who travels a lot for business. It’s always fun when I pick her up and we chitchat. “Oh” she said last year “you are living at the marina? You must meet my friend David.” I have a friend that I met through a social initiative.… Read more: On a Friend, Unmade
  • The Introvert Seat
    Dear Sophia: It used to be that no matter who they were or where you picked them up, riders would always walk around the car to be in the seat diagonally opposite from the driver. This means you can make eye contact in the rear view mirror. Before the lockdowns I would occasionally get someone… Read more: The Introvert Seat
  • The Snacks are Great
    So, I fired up the Spotify, got the Wiggles on and played the Hokey Pokey really loud. Everyone in the intersection, including me, stopped what we were doing and did the hokey pokey. With masks and smiling eyes. I got in my car and drove on to pick up other riders.
  • Fiction Writer
    “Leave it to me” I said flooring it “I’m basically a traffic superhero”. I was bragging – it was a dark, rainy Monday and no one was around anyway.
  • Some guys are just charming as hell
    This one fellow gets into the car early Sunday morning. Very flirty, very cute. Chatting me up, I imagine just for the sport of it. Just because he can. Practice even. Let’s call him Sonny.
  • 2 Degrees
    Of the process I went through analysing all the different countries I could possibly move to. About my spreadsheet and the quality of life analysis that I spent quite a lot of time researching like a big weirdo nerd.
  • Nothing happens in Oamaru
    He said “Ask me about my wildest night out” I did and then “In Oamaru?” My voice rising slightly at the end.
  • Getting clarity – Part 1 – Go Ask Alice
    “Still going” she said “I need to do a quick change and head out again – and like a movie star starts zhuzzing herself in the back seat. She had long, blonde hair and she was wearing a headband. Her name was Alice.
  • A Tinder Date
    Dear Sophia: I picked up a nice fellow today from the Sylvia Park dining lane. He got in the car, and we started chatting. It was about a fifteen-minute ride to the destination. We rode for a few minutes and exchanged pleasantries. He’s a graphic designer. He asked me what I do and I answered… Read more: A Tinder Date
  • The Whole Truth
    Dear Sophia: I thought he wanted the whole woman, but he was only after a piece. Love, Lilo

More stories here…