Something About Ann

Something About Ann Stories of love and brotherhood.

In the novella, Something About Ann, a black Vietnam veteran and a Vietnamese woman fall in love in Cleveland, Ohio, not knowing they were once combatants. Clarence Bankston returns from the Vietnam War shaken by his experience. After seeing Ann Minh, a Vietnamese, at a party, he is repulsed because she is a reminder of a war he doesn’t want to relive. Once she initiates a conversation, though, they bond, recognizing both have been affected by the conflict.
The peace of mind each seeks, however, eludes them.

In the story, Lucky, a veteran, Raphael “Lucky” Holland, finds his niche as a stick-up artist. His luck runs out when he tries to rob a stranger whose past is darker than Holland’s. In a Sound Decision, Marcus Glover restrains from fighting an antagonizer because of another confrontation that still haunts him.

In the story, The Education of Xavier Warfield, Xavier, a veteran and promising pool hustler, finds the most valuable lessons in life aren’t learned in the pool room when he falls for a lady with a questionable past. With One Exception tells of an encounter that begins on shaky terms between a militant vet, Erving Robinson, and Harland Conrad, a white Vietnam veteran’s but evolves as Robinson helps Conrad fight his demons.

The Gift finds Myron Turner, a recluse and an empath, is confronted by an older empath when he tries to submerge his abilities. Leroy Casper is enjoying The Good Life when his past associations barge into his life shattering the peace he’s established and causing him to make drastic decisions. In The Tell, Elgin learns that a “tell” applies not only to poker but to life—— too late.

Ralph Gaines in The Best Seat In the House, is down on his luck after a lofty law career and only has a reserved seat in a bar as a symbol of respect. When a bully commandeers the seat, the elderly Gaines snaps, simultaneously solving the seat issue and a personal problem. The Last Time I Saw Willie, is a coming of age account of a young middle-class African-American who learns the importance of dedication and persistence when he meets Willie Stinson, an orphan.

A Good Day To Be A Man shows that confrontation is not necessarily the path to manhood. In Slow Songs, Lieutenant Raymond Williams faces his worst fear in Vietnam, and it has nothing to do with his own welfare.