I get my hair cut,
what little I have left, about every ten days. I’m sort of particular, in that
I get a modified flattop. Instead of looking like the top of an aircraft
carrier, I like it rounded on the sides almost in a crew cut fashion.
Kim, the owner, or
Sue do my hair and have been doing so for at least two years, probably longer.
We’re friendly. We say hi, participate in small talk. Probably the same as you
do with your barber or hair dresser.
I watch Kim’s
hands fly using an electric razor as well as with a scissors. Her expression is
serious. Frowning, squinting, snipping. Once she begins cutting, there isn’t
much said by either of us. I recognize, as she does, that her business is made
in volume, not in the cut. So, I let her work and I’m sure she appreciates
that.
Towards the end of
my most recent visit, I remarked to her that her hands are so skilled. That
caused her to blush. She stopped for a moment and pointed to a scar on her
wrist. She said that when she was younger and still living in Korea, she was
working in a factory and had an accident where she nearly lost her entire arm.
She was only nineteen or twenty, but her doctor would not cut off her arm
unless he had to.
She went on to say
that the doctor had to insert a wire to serve as a tendon so she could flex her
two middle fingers. It was touch and go and for a time, neither she nor her
doctor were sure whether or not the surgery would be successful. Even at that,
she had to endure two more surgeries. The only thing remaining from that
accident is the small scar on her wrist and one on her shoulder that I never
saw or knew existed.
Almost as an
aside, she explained in embarrassment that some people notice her scar and
wonder if she had tried to do harm to herself. She said, “Why would I do that?
I have a wonderful life!”
Finally, she said
that at age twenty-one, she came to the United States to begin a new life. She
didn’t know anyone and didn’t have a job. She was terrified, but it was
something she had wanted to do. She left her family behind to start brand new. Today,
she married and now owns her barbershop.
The remarkable
thing to me is that for about two years, I’ve been getting my hair cut by her
or one of her associates and I never knew her story. I never knew her
background. In fact, I can’t recall ever noticing the scar on her wrist. And
the only way I found out anything about her was when I complemented how skilled
her hands were.
I Took the Time to
extend myself, to complement her, and she responded.
You know, we move
through our lives moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, and I wonder how
many other stories there are. People we come into contact with, smile at, small
talk with, transact with, and move on. We don’t get to know them even on a
semi-personal level, certainly not on an intimate level.
I see kids in the
hallway who I say hello or good morning to. I have teachers and staff members
who I work with in my building. Many I know some things about. Others, well,
not so much. Those same kids, those same adults I work with, I wonder what
stories they have. What their secrets are. What their stories are. What their
worries, their hopes, their dreams are. As one superintendent used to ask me
when I saw him, “What keeps you up at night?” My conversation with Kim, my
barber, caused me to wonder that about the kids I see and the adults I work
with.
And it occurred to
me that I don’t know them as well as I should, not the kids and not the adults.
Perhaps, they don’t know me either. That’s on me, not them. My bad.
Perhaps, our bad.
I’m wondering if
we might extend ourselves a little. It could begin with a complement or a
comment. We might uncover a wonderful, sometimes a tragic, story. We might find
something amazing and interesting that might warm our heart. We might discover
that there is a similarity, a sameness between the two of us. We might
encounter a revelation that causes us to appreciate that unknown clerk, that
unknown mail carrier, that unknown kid sitting in the back of the room, walking
the hallway, sitting in the cafeteria by him or herself. The person whose
mailbox is next to mine, yours. Only if we Take the Time. If only. Something to
think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
My new book, Spiral Into Darkness launches on Thursday, January 17 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Currently, it is Available for Preorder!
Use the promo code: PREORDER2018 to receive a 15% discount at http://www.blackrosewriting.com/suspense…/spiralintodarkness
The cover
description reads as follows:
He blends in. He
is successful, intelligent and methodical. He also has a list and has murdered
eight on it so far. There is no pattern. There are no clues. There are no
leads. Two adopted boys, struggling in their own world, have no idea they are
the next targets. Neither does their family. And neither does local law
enforcement.
There have been several reviews already:
“I had this book
for one day and already finished it. From the first pages, it draws you in.
Great story about a madman going around and killing people for no reason, or so
we think. Another great page turner.” Brent
F., Librarian
“Look for strong
writing and a great deal of suspense in this well-crafted thriller.” Joan Livingston, author of the Isabel Long
mystery series
“Powerful! The
best to date. Masterful use of imagery and the ability to manipulate the
reader's emotion! An outstanding read!” T
Storke
“Another excellent
read – this author doesn’t disappoint. Fast-paced, intrigue and unexpected
twists.” S. King
My book, Caught in a Web was named as a PenCraft Literary Award Winner for
Thriller Fiction! I was nominated by a reviewer and received notification
in the last week or so. It is also on the list for “one of the best crime
thriller books of the year!” by Best
Thrillers. I am both proud and humbled.
Thanks to all who
have read Caught in a Web. If you
are interested in a copy on either Kindle
or in Paperback, you can find it on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
or on Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
If you do read Caught in a Web, Spiral Into Darkness, or any of my other books, please leave a
rating and a review. I would appreciate it. Thanks for this consideration!
Caught in a Web:
The bodies of high
school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin and
fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the Milwaukee
Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El Salvador.
Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is cutting in
on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has an ulterior
motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had killed his
cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKF7696
Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year
old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI
agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead!
They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists
that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped
and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger
and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no
leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
A 14 year old boy
knows the end is coming. What he doesn’t know is when, where or by whom.
Without that knowledge, neither he nor the FBI can protect him or his family.
The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year
old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become
interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three
of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in
jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis
Connect with me on Social Media:
Twitter at
@jrlewisauthor
Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author