She told him a million times, "Honey if you don't ask, some other guy will." And he knew it was true. It just didn't seem this-minute-true. He thought maybe if someone else did ask that would solve his problems, and maybe if someone didn't, she would stick around. That's what loyal girls do. Stick around. … Continue reading Spending Days and Accruing Months
love
When She Wasn’t Looking
Maria knew she wasn't supposed to wander the neighborhood, but one bright and sunny spring day, while she was playing in the playhouse in her backyard, she heard a tiny "meow" mewl from the back alleyway. She thrust her head through the open playhouse window to look. On the other side of the chain link … Continue reading When She Wasn’t Looking
Saying Goodbye
The boxes stand packed in the entryway like little sentinels at the bottom of the stairs. A hush permeates the house, which is unusual for this house. No one screeches down the hall or thumps up the stairs. No echo of shattering glass trills from the kitchen. Olivia walks through the rooms one by one, … Continue reading Saying Goodbye
Her Favorite Place
“Come here so I can lay my head on your shoulder.” Propped up in bed by a mountain of pillows, he rests his blue-lined, much-scared hand down on the comforter beside him. The other hand lies across his stomach, IV’s and plastic sprouting from it and running down the side of the bed. His wife … Continue reading Her Favorite Place
Broken Memory
Every day he arrives, hooks his cane over the end of her bed, and settles into the chair beside her. He always brings her treats-- candy, flowers, cupcakes, cards written in shaky handwriting she feels obligated to recognize. Some days she sits in a chair by the window; other days her frail limbs are wrapped … Continue reading Broken Memory
Seeking Prose 