Meg Duncan

Standing at Dairy Queen waiting on the Butterfingers Blizzard I’d been thinking about all day, a woman approached me.  “You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”  We went through previous employers, past residences, and where my kids go to school with no connections. Logan was sure he met her by the gaming section…

“I don’t hold hands. I don’t kiss in public. And don’t call me honey.” We discussed a romantic relationship like a business deal as I curled up on the couch in my downtown Hannibal apartment. He sat on what had been deemed “his couch” over the last seven years I had called him my best…

Mom used to tell me to wash the living room windows. I’d usually just stare out of them and daydream while slowly moving my hand in circles.  I was a singer in the city – wandering the streets with a voice and a guitar. I had no idea how to play the guitar but I…

Dropping a quarter into the slot, I dialed a familiar number. “Walmart pharmacy, how can I help you?” “Can I speak to Ron?” A few moments passed as I tapped my foot against the cafeteria wall. When Dad’s voice came on the line, I started in immediately. “I need your help, I’m stranded at school.”…

It wasn’t a silent night. There was great pain as she birthed hope into the world. No epidurals or any sterilized tables or tools were in that stable. She must’ve cried out. She must’ve been afraid. Surely the animals got on her nerves while she gritted her teeth and gripped her husband’s hand. “Joseph. I’m…

It was a hot Sunday afternoon a few summers ago. My windows down, praise music blaring, and I was rolling around town with a few hours to myself. A good day was ahead. Until I noticed lights in my rearview mirror.   Idling on the side of the road, I tried to think of a good…

I was standing about three people back from the line at Walmart when a quick tug on my shirt caught my attention. She was excited to tell me her name is Hannah, and it’s almost her birthday. She is having a pink cake for her birthday, which seemed to be a trend with the curly-haired…

No matter how many people came to Granny’s house for dinner, there was always a two-to-one person ratio when it came to dessert. The staples were strawberry rhubarb pie, German chocolate cake, pistachio salad (or potassium salad as Granny called it) and the light and fluffy wonder that she called cherry cheesecake—the only thing, by…

I stood on the platform, suited up in gear to safely attach me to a zipline. I was about to soar above the treetops instead of falling to my death.  I had prepared for this moment in the months leading to our Dominican Republic trip. Scape Park is an adventure park with nine interactive ziplines,…

“Can you spare a square?” It was mid-movie, and I sat there wishing I hadn’t drank all that Mountain Dew. I finally found a lull in the plot, got up, and said, “excuse me!” and “so sorry!” to about 15 pairs of knees. Moments later, I sat in relief, and I heard a little cough…

I stared at her in the mirror. She looked lifeless, a little bleak. She had no certainty of the future. She couldn’t tell me who I am. She could just reflect what was already there. Blond hair. Hazel eyes. Pants size depending on the French fries-to-stretchyness ratio of the material. Height depending on the angle…

I recently ran into a 20-something friend at Walmart. As she told me about her career aspirations and a possible move to another state, her cart called out to me: two bottles of wine, a frozen dinner for one, and a bag of party Snickers, which I know she fearlessly displays on her coffee table.…

Her name was Ellie. I recently met her in the bathroom at lunch. She was in the stall beside me talking to her mom, who was coaxing her through the potty process. “Mom,” Ellie whisper-yelled as little kids do. “What is that noise?” Her mom tried to wave her off a few times in that…

I often write about marital trials, but I am writing about a marital phenomenon this week. Experienced by many, talked about by few. Between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., a sleepy fog hangs over the bed. We transform into uninhibited, sometimes violent, often drooling and always snoring people of the night. As the…

Twenty minutes before closing time, we were down to one waitress (me). A group of 30 adults breezed through the door like nobody’s business. One guy approached me as I shined the counter. “Are you open?” he asked. “For another 20 minutes,” I replied. “Yep, they’re open!” He turned to the group and waved them…

Standing behind the cash register, my co-worker looked at me with burning eyes. “Do you really believe there’s a man up in the sky who loves me?” he asked. He was one of my favorites to work with. I was in my early 20s, and he was in one of the groups I usually ran…

Google is mad at me. I don’t even know what I did, except that I asked directions to a place less than two blocks away. I was just making sure I had the right street. Instead of a map popping up, Google was short with me. “Turn left on Veterans and right on Hospital Drive.…

I sucked in a breath three years ago and submitted my first ever column to our local newspaper. I was just offered a regular Friday spot, and it was a dream come true. Long before I was married or had kids of my own, I ran across my mom’s books written by Erma Bombeck. Her…

Cooking around a campfire, listening to music and just being still with the people I love. It was a perfect moment amid an imperfect life. I got up after assembling another shish-kebab and looked around wondering how I ever got things so twisted. My mind has wandered back and forth lately between now and then.…