4 Short Stories by Nancy Wiltbank Johnson

Picture taken around the time she wrote these stories. 

Here are some of my favorite pieces written by my mom. 

1.  "In Search of Condoms"Just because the word "condom" is in the title don't get your hopes up. This story is not about sex. It's about grocery stores.  My husband and I were on vacation in Spanish Fork, Utah, which is a much bigger town than you might think. It actually has two supermarkets that are open all night. I know. I am now an expert on late night shopping in Spanish Fork, Utah...[read more]
2.  "Junkyard Kids"Maxina was my best friend in junior high. She often came to my house but I'd never been to her's. Although we both lived in the outskirts of our small Texas town we were from different worlds. I lived in a nice middle-class neighborhood. Her run-down neighborhood was behind the Bronco Drive-in Theater, infamous for its rated X offerings. Maxina said she could watch the movies from her backyard but she had to wait until her parents were too drunk to notice...[read more]
   
3. "Only a blur"In front of the ornate door of a great museum, perhaps the Louvre, I am surrounded by a pressing crowd, all breathlessly awaiting the turn and click of the key that will allow our entry. Inside, we have been told, is beauty, greatness, monuments of human genius, maybe even a touch of the divine. Click. The weight of the anxious mob throws the door open. We pour inside. Everyone knows treasure is here somewhere. I must hurry if I am to get to it first. And first I must be....[read more]
4. "A Blue Chaise Lounge" The bus lurches to life with a hiss of steam and pulls out of the parking lot. I stare out the window and make my decision: I'm not coming back to school on Monday. That's easy. I'll convince Mom that I should do home school. That won't be easy. I'll tell her it's just for the rest of this year. Next year will be okay because I'll be in ninth grade at the high school. People aren't as petty at high school as they are at junior high. Is it healthy for a parent to send her child to an institution where she gets harassed in the hall simply because she doesn't wear perfect clothes? The whole thing is my mother's fault. I'd never tell her, though. [read more]