Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette

The Old Soldier is having a bowl of hot Ramen Noodle Soup.  I diced up a piece of green pepper and a piece of garlic and dropped that into the boiling water.  And when the noodles were ready, I dropped a few pieces of tomato on top.  I have a plastic bottle of Pepsi Wild Cherry to complete the meal.

For eating cheaply, you can’t beat it with a stick!

*****

The Old Soldier is in great spirits.  Mom is out of the hospital and back home with my older sister.  My brother Lloyd is in town from California and he and I got to spend time together.  Lloyd drove me in his nice rented car to see my brother Tony, who lives in a personal care facility and rehabilitation center and who I have not seen in months even though he’s only a half an hour walk away from me.

[Yes, the Old Soldier has some big-time issues.  When I was a young man I spent some time in a psychiatric hospital.  The place where Tony lives makes me anxious.  There's always the chance they might keep me.  I found that writing fiction helped me to deal with my issues.  That and beer.]

I found out that for some of my student loans I am eligible for forbearance and deferment and I came to an understanding with SallieMae about the rest.

I found a way to pay for my Medicare premiums and next month I become eligible for a military pension.  Oh, I’m still poor; but I won’t be as poor.  And for the pass week the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette has averaged 90 hits every day.

Keep reading and keep writing that flash fiction.