Moment's in Life

“Why did his children always ask him to say ‘please’ when he only asked for what was rightfully his, and why should he be asked to say ‘sorry’ for such trivial things as dropping his spoon while eating. He had not intentionally dropped the spoon, and besides, was he not making an effort eating with silverware instead of using his right hand as he was accustomed to? And to top it all, there was this ‘tone modulation’ that his children insisted on. What was the difference in saying, ‘please, give food,’ softly or loudly? It seemed that even when he said ‘please,’ his children were not always pleased.” — from …and the Old Man Cried Moments in Life is a multi-culture collection of 15 stories that coaxes, teases, explores and entices our emotions to examine the inner-self and scrutinize the lives of those who live around us. Of these collective stories, Nursery Land Blues was published in an anthology of short stories titled Storied Crossings, while Through the Eyes of Innocence was a semi-finalist in an Australian global competition. Most of the other stories have been written for Moments in Life and have had no public exposure (other than to friends and family). The book flirts with mystery (The Pawning of Erica’s Children, and A Blind Man’s Justice), and crosses ethnic boundaries in Through the Eyes of Innocence and In Search of an Identity. It touches on women’s issues (The Emancipation of Anjali) and confronts abject poverty (Nursery Land Blues) in India. It focuses on the absorption of American values and the stumbling blocks faced by a segment of the immigrant population in …and the Old Man Cried. It also relates to personal relationships in America (A Marriage of Convenience), and stretches our imagination towards the nature of mankind (Samantha of my Dreams and An Affair). Homeless personifies profiling in the U.S. after 9/11 while A Day at Miranda High highlights yet another aspect of current affairs. Social issues relating to psychological imbalance is related in Sarah’s Story and the coming out of the closet of a gay heterosexual couple is personified in United. The stories cross over to the depiction of horror via The Silence of the Living Dead, and to the supernatural with I Have Come to Get You.