“Manning Up” was published in Chupa Cabra House’s Small Town Futures in October, 2014.

“Manning Up” Opening paragraphs:

Before the trouble started there were lots of different bars in Oklahoma City—Indian bars, gay bars, hillbilly bars. Not anymore. Since the power grid went down, and the New Flu came to town, everybody gets drunk together. Lesbians like me stand next to red necks in dark rooms lit by kerosene lamps and tell the barkeep, “Do it again.” Not exactly social drinking.

The good old boys trade jokes about bulldykes and farmer’s daughters. They bump into me and say, “Excuse me buddy.”

When I come out of the restroom somebody shouts, “Hey mister, you went in the wrong one.” Everybody laughs except for me and my girlfriend Mona.

“Don’t let it bother you,” she says. “Don’t start trouble Chris.”

But trouble is headed my way and there is nothing I can do about it. The loudest redneck in the bar walks over and spits tobacco juice on the floor. He slides his big drunk cowboy eyes up and down Mona’s body and tells her, “You’re the prettiest Injun girl I ever seen.”

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