Susan draped her damp coat over a folding chair by the unplugged bingo machine. “A couple more hours,” she mumbled, “and it’ll be over.” The church basement reeked of lemon-scented disinfectant and the sickly sweetness of chrysanthemums. Susan pretended to scan the bulletin board notices—Food bank closed Mondays, Bible School volunteers needed. She scratched […]
Don’t Eat the Devilled Eggs Read More »
Out half the night, God knows where, comes to bed, shirt and jeans still on, reeking of another woman’s Chanel, gets up in the morning, tells me our marriage needs to function like a divided highway. I ask what that means. ‘Can’t have you gettin’ in my way.’ ‘Sure,’ I say, camouflaging
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After a streak of six sons came a seventh child, finally, a daughter, the brood complete as if in direct response to the father’s prayers, he a man who believed in the power of invocation, of a coin tossed in the fountain, a four-leaf clover, or rabbit’s foot in the hand, in his ability to
Rain, drizzle, & fog Vow to never utter another word to my brother. Google ‘Cheapest therapists in my area.’ Call Vodaphone to complain. Eat Weetabix with whole milk for supper. Pound on the wall when the neighbours play loud music. Leave toilet unflushed. Scroll Instagram reels until my battery dies. Stare unblinking out
I bought a Dollarama Christmas card for my mother, one that plays Jingle Bells when opened, except it won’t stop playing closed or open, jingling my nerves, Batman smells looping in my tired mind, oh what fun it is not, especially since, most of the time, those type cards don’t play the music though that’s
