Sharing is exhausting. Sending your child to kindergarten is exhausting. Starting another semester teaching is exhausting. Working on art for a show is exhausting. Rewriting a story is exhausting. I'm tired. For tonight--goodnight and sweet dreams.
Princess Gets Away with Stealing
"Well, isn't this a surprise," my step-mother said. "You're not even supposed to be here." My friend, K., and I were standing on the porch with our trick-or-treat bags in front of us. I'd told a lot of lies to get to my own door on Halloween. I still thought of it as my house …
The Tough Girl
"This came for you," my mom said. The letter was from my step-sister. It arrived a few days after my father got our address. I hadn't seen N. in months. The letter wasn't very long, and I remember only one sentence. How could you leave me in this house with her? My 13-year-old step-sister talked …
Lying Daughters and Bad Writers
"I'll see you in two weeks," I said to my dad. I was lying. Every summer I spent two weeks with my mom, and I packed as if this summer were no different than any other. I kissed him goodbye on the cheek pretending I didn't know about the lawyers and the judge and the …
Kisses and Irony
"I thought we should talk about seeing other people," I said. We were sitting on the sofa. My boyfriend, the aggressive one who'd found me at JC Penney three months before, was leaning against the armrest his legs stretched out in front of him. I sat facing him, perched on the other armrest my elbows …
An Aggressive Waltz
"I found you," he said clearly proud of himself. "Remember me?" I was almost too surprised to speak. "Wow. Hi. Yeah. I remember." The night before we'd met in the bar down the street from my apartment. "I lost your number and forgot your name, but I remembered where you work," he said, and looked …
Hidden Keys
"She wants the key," my step-sister said. We were both now in the 6th grade. It was a weekend and I'd come to spend the night. This time, when my step-mother left, she kept N. in school, and so I learned where they were if not why they were there. N. wanted to stay friends …
The Terrified, the Blind, and the Lost
"He wants to meet you," she says. I look up from filing photographs. "What? Why?" My co-worker points to the silly staff photo on the wall. "He saw that and was like, 'hey, introduce me and is she single?'" I walk around the counter and stare at the photo. "Are you sure he meant me?" …
Something Short
"People are staring at us," he said. "No, they're not." He looked down at the tickets in his hand. "Yes, they are." He handed our tickets to the usher. "It's fine. It's funny." "I wore flats," I said. I liked him. I'd jumped up and down when he called and asked me out. "You look …
Fear of a Car
"Where is she?" I asked. My step-sister's classmate sitting in front of me twisted around. "Her mom came and got her out of class. Said she had a doctor's appointment." I glanced out the bus window. "What?" "You didn't know?" "She hasn't been sick," I said. The girl shrugged and turned back to her friends. …
Marta Bacon 