Drove to the nursery of women. Didn’t see any. A guy with a hose watered concrete. Where’s all the women? He shrugged. Can I see the manager? The manager walked up. Told him what I wanted: One that don’t need much light. Not a lot of water. He said, ah, gotcha. One that don’t need much maintenance? I nodded. Told him all the others just withered. Lemme see, he said. He walked away. I stood there. Withered, I mumbled. Manager didn’t seem to be coming back. Withered, withered, withered.
John Welsh grew up in Bell and Downey in Southeast Los Angeles County. He majored in journalism at California State University Fresno and, unofficially, minored in creative writing. He worked in print journalism in Southern California for 20 years with stints as a sports writer, news reporter, city editor, features writer, night-rewrite editor and general assignment reporter and, finally, handling a criminal courts beat at his final newspaper outpost. His journalism stops included the Downey Herald American, Madera Tribune, The Fresno Bee, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Glendale News-Press and, lastly, The Press-Enterprise in California’s Inland Empire. He left newspaper work in October 2006 when he took the job as the senior public information specialist for the Riverside County Department of Animal Services where he now uses his writing to promote homeless pets. He lives in Laguna HIlls with his wife, Elena, and Corticcio, a gray, domestic short-haired cat that jumps off walls and chirps in Morse Code about his need for more sliced turkey.
–Art by Peter Lamata