Hey, kid, good to … He sees …
something. Enough to make him pause.
Montana doesn’t notice. Brendan
just moved back to Sparks. He recently
got out of the army. Four terms in Iraq.
Her voice is filled with pride and
what I think may be affection.
I notice his outstretched hand.
I know I should shake it, but my own
hand is trembling. Instinct tells me
to run. Far away. Don’t look back.
But I have to play this out for sanity’s
sake. So I clench my teeth, will
the quaking to stop. “Good to meet you.”
Autumn
PLANNING A WEDDING
Is supposed to be such a happy time.
Okay, Aunt Cora is not only happy.
She’s downright demented with
happiness. Crazy in love.
I wish I could share her
joy. But I am crushed
by fear. I’ve always lived
with seeds of dread, waiting
to burst forth fruit. Apricots, if
I’m lucky. Peaches, sometimes, or
maybe mangoes. But this time,
the fear seeds have grown into
watermelons. Thick-skinned.
Pithy-fleshed. Weighted