My Brother Kept Bragging About a Deal He’d Already Lost

the black screen.

Call ended.

He didn’t move.

Dessert Nobody Wanted

My mother, because she is my mother and because some people would plate pie during an earthquake if that’s what the calendar required, stood up and said, “I think coffee is ready.”

Nobody answered.

She cut into the pumpkin pie with hands that were mostly steady. I watched the knife leave continue reading …