Reno

The death of former United States Attorney General, Janet Reno, brought a memory to mind. When my children were in elementary school in Greensboro, North Carolina, they attended a year-round school that specialized in global studies. The school was experimental, funded by a grant from the federal government, and I suppose for that reason, Janet Reno paid it a visit. Now I typically took my children to and from school and would use a special drop-off driveway. On the day of Reno’s visit, when I went to the school at closing time, I noticed that the cars in front of me bypassed that drive and went on to the main parking lot. I was incensed to see there was a car partially blocking the entrance to the lane. Who does that yoyo think he is, I wondered, getting in...

Accused

The hope of having the seat to myself was dashed when the couple boarded just before the flight attendant closed the airplane door. I got up from my usual aisle position to let them in, the man next to the window, woman beside me. I could immediately tell why they were late boarding—they reeked of cigarette smoke. Great, I thought, as I directed my air vent full-force on my face in an effort to divert the odor. I had noticed the couple while we awaited our flight. The woman fawned over every movement the man made and every word he spoke, while he loudly expressed opinions on a variety of topics as if everyone should benefit from his wisdom. I would have moved to a distant seat except that their voices were so loud it would have been impossible to escape their...