19 Comments
May 27·edited May 28Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

Hola Víctor, me pareció muy interesante la historia y las preguntas. Considero que también he peleado guerras aunque internamente y sobre la segunda pregunta, considero que cuando una persona rompe con el Status Quo se Vuelve el "odiado".

Por otra parte, me hubiera gustado escuchar el tono de voz con el que escribiste la historia. Ah también me encantaría leer la historia de Ruth Tarver en capítulos. Gracias!

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Gracias, Mónica. Tienes mucho razón, y me da gusto que estás lista para Ruth Tarver. :) Ella todavía esta con Enrique del Norte, y vamos a ver!

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May 24Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

As I've told you before, Victor, I always read your pieces several times and each reading delivers new insight. You have really pared this one down to where each line is necessary, nothing extraneous to wade through.

Interesting clue that the sidewalk *too* lay broken in places.

My favorite line is the one that reveals that the military man was not expecting an answer: "That's okay. Here's the money."

Well done as usual, Victor.

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Yes, I try to pare it down, at least sometimes, and I tend to leave things open for interpretation. Like the *too". I know that a lot of people aren't comfortable without explanations and answers, but I'm looking to provoke thought. That's something I personally value a lot, and I think it's great that people come to their own conclusions. Makes the world go around.

Looks like I'm also into contradictions because here I am explaining... :)

Actually, more of a chat because I'm here with my morning coffee imagining you are sitting at the table, too. Thanks for reading and for your lovely comment, Jim.

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May 24Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

Your work is thought-provoking indeed. And yes, a chat. I'm sitting at the patio table with laptop and coffee mug, faithful dog at my side. It's a good day.

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Thanks Jim. My dogs (three of them) are here with me, too. Although they go in and out of the house. It's a beautiful day here in central Mexico.

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May 21Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

My heart sank as well with "found belonging in her phone". I've been reading Jonathan Haidt's After Babel stack, so I'm perhaps overly sensitized to the question of youth and phones.

In any event - Yes! Please serialize! And I think that a video reading would be fun too!

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That line just popped out. Sometimes I see someone and wonder what they'd look like without their phone :) I'll check out the stack you mentioned. Thanks for reading, and your comment, Mike.

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May 22Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

Sometimes I see someone sitting quietly in a waiting room or on the bus or in a restaurant WITHOUT a phone and wonder what's wrong with them... I myself don't have a phone and often feel conspicuous standing in line somewhere, connected only to my surroundings. It has come to that.

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May 21Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

hateful creature and the one who kills it? who's who?...

I like (again) the heaviness of each word in your texts, Victor.

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Thank you Zoe. I appreciate your comment. Indeed, who is who, as you say. Something to think about.

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May 21Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

I appreciate the koans, especially that they're not presented with solutions, so we get to sit with them. But I also appreciate that the boy and girl stop and consider them rather than dismiss them. Maybe that's what breaks the sidewalk?

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Yes, I love to think about questions, especially koans, as you say. Glad you enjoy to sit with them too, Peter. Thanks for reading.

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May 21Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

"Finding belonging on her phone" -makes tragic sense to me. I look forward to meeting Ruth Tarver.

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Thanks Sharron. Yes, Ruth is in hiding right now with my friend/reader. We'll see how it goes. The truth is that after a while I get so close to something I can't tell any more. Many thanks for checking out this piece!

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May 22Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

I experience the same. After the tenth revision, the tenth paring back, I'm often uncertain if my stories will make sense to anyone else but me. I say, "That's enough," and just post it. Then go back in and revise some more. I have to say though, revision is my favorite part of the writing process. ha ha ha

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Me, too. Although I do usually put something aside for at least a few days before I come back to edit. Gives me a little space.

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May 21Liked by Victor D. Sandiego

"All of them" - makes sense to me.

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A tragic sort of sense, indeed. Thanks for reading, James. Appreciate it, friend.

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