Dan Shiffman

Dan Shiffman is a secondary English teacher at the International School of Hamburg.  He previously taught in Uzbekistan,  Japan and the US. His creative work has appeared in  The Chariton Review,  Hobart, Literary Orphans, and Abstract Magazine. Dan also recently published College Bound: The Pursuit of Education in American-Jewish Literature (SUNY Press).

GLAD YOU’RE HERE by Dan Shiffman

You are the one who goes back for the remaining Christmas presents  while the rest of the family hugs in puffy coats by the doorway. The straps on the duffel bags pulled from the trunk of the car are rough and chilled. When you come inside, everyone is already seated around the fireplace or in the kitchen. They ask a smiling question or two, then the conversation floats  to the other side of the room. The dog—it’s a golden retriever; it used to be a Schnauzer—stretches and walks over looking for attention and reassurance. You pour a glass of Coke,…

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