My Sister Signed Papers Before I Was Dead

laundry soap and cigarette smoke she thought nobody noticed.

“Your mama called me,” she said.

I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. “What did she say?”

“That she made a mess.”

“That all?”

“For Patricia? That’s a sonnet.”

I laughed and paid for it.

Redline survived.

Not because of me alone. That part matters. Dr. Meena Shah rebuilt the trial packet. Sergeant continue reading …