Some things you just know. Zara’s Advanced Humanities teacher encouraged her to call it intuition. Zara was pretty sure sharing a bloodline with people gave you an intuitive edge about them but that didn’t necessarily constitute an intuitive gift. Since childhood Zara had a sense that her parents were living with a big secret. Read more
It’s not just because he wants better for me. That’s just the script, the lines he’s supposed to say to justify his actions in the never-ending scene of rage. He’s an angry man. He’s angry that all the things he didn’t have and had to fight for come so easily Read more
8 minutes, March 26, 2014; platform for the A train (express) They’re supposed to be super fast in this city built for speed. Lightening speed, pulsating and caffeinated like the inky joe served up in the iconic blue cups. But minutes are an eternity when my bladder is full. Across the Read more
Some days a single word is a trigger. Serena remembers when the twins were five and how she’d give anything for a ‘no word’ day. She challenged them to round after round of the ‘silent game’. One gummy bear for each five minutes of silence, their best time was thirty-one Read more
Her handwriting looks like it could be used for close-ups in the movies. It’s fluid and legible but it’s not perfect. It looks like it’s written by a real person. She writes a lot. Mostly note cards to people after shows or dinner parties. She has a reputation for her Read more
Penny sets the plate down and steps back to offer fresh ground pepper. She freezes with the pepper mill suspended. The young woman is staring at the tangle of noodles in horror. Penny scans the dish with the artfully smeared pesto and negative space. There is nothing amiss but something Read more
Her mom used to say look to the water. Whenever something went wrong in a day, she’d say “Look to the water, it’ll soothe you.” They were island people so finding water had been easy. Bee was in the big city now. Soothing had been hard to come by until Read more
Celine didn’t chat up customers for the tips but she did manage to save a few dollars for herself. She liked the compliments on her English and the taste of camaraderie while she tempted them with the sweets menu. Gilles gave hard stares if it sounded like flirting. She was Read more