Dear Nina, I’d like to imagine you rushing to the mailbox each day, waiting for glimpses of my travels in faraway places we once dreamed about together. I can see you now, eyes wide, as you throw your long hair up to concentrate on the words I squeezed onto the back of this postcard. Was I brave enough to eat the fried locusts? Yes, but I don’t recommend it. Then again, you were always braver than me at trying new…
Gia, tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, affixed a glittering yellow heart to the red construction paper card she was making. She lifted the artwork in the air, twisted and turned it before slapping it back on the table and adding three more stickers in varying shades of pink and purple. After another quick inspection, she grabbed a thick Crayola marker and jotted a message inside. “Need help?” Julia asked her seven-year-old daughter. “No, thanks.” Julia frowned….
Linda refused to cry as she tugged the sleeves of the red sweater over her hands. Rain blurred the cars and traffic lights below, turning everything into a kaleidoscope of colors. She lived in a city with eight million other people and yet was utterly alone on her birthday of all days. She reread the letter before crumpling it into a ball. A three-year relationship deserved more than a few good memories and the promise of a future coffee date. Maybe…
Maya sang her heart out. Jake sat in a shadowy corner where he could watch without being in the way. He told her to pick anything, and they’d do it. Anything to reconnect with his daughter post-divorce. Sure, karaoke night wouldn’t heal the hurt for his teenaged daughter, but maybe for tonight it would offer the escape they both needed. Her face was alight with a smile as she belted out the unfamiliar lyrics, but he had little doubt it…