Small spaces between emergencies

by Alison Moore

Small Spaces between Emergencies explores the ways people find the strength to plunge back into life after pain and trauma. In "Turnaround," Ed, who has fled from life's responsibilities, arranges to meet Jonas, the young son he has not seen in six years. Although they meet at the Greyhound terminal like strangers, Ed and Jonas emerge triumphant from their past, teaching each other the patience and self-assurance to trust their respective roles as father and son. In "Leaving by the Window," Matty and her father drive from state to state, traveling through the landscape of memories that make up her father's life. To escape his quixotic tales of the past, she runs away, seeking her own adventures. When her father comes to retrieve her, she tells him her stories, but leaves out the pain and humiliation she endured. As they realize that there are stories they cannot share, both reach a new level of understanding and acceptance. These stories capture the process of rediscovery that is the e