Blue Cotton Work Shirts Stitched Together for a Spring Dance

I let it lie there in the dust, its plastic casing catching the gray morning light. Elena wiped her fingers on her jeans, her face pale as she stared down at the little black box. “We need to get inside,” she said. I did not answer her. I picked up the magnet, threw it into…

“Marilyn,” I said, trying to recall the name. “My friend from the country club,” she said. “We talked about it last week, remember?” “Right,” I said, though I had no recollection of any such conversation. “When are you leaving?” “Tomorrow evening, around six,” she said. “The traffic on I-70 should be lighter by then.” I…

“I will have to go to the bank,” I said. “My secondary savings account is at the branch on Sheridan Avenue.” “Bring the payment back before four o’clock,” she said. “If I have the check in hand, I can courier the documents to the courthouse before they close their drop-box.” I stood up, the chair…

“If you go through with this, Vance is going to make it difficult,” Brian said, stopping his knife for a brief second. “He is not a man who likes to be told he is wrong.” “I am not asking for his permission anymore,” I said. “I am using the law.” Brian went back to the…

Marcus walked in five minutes late. He looked smaller than he had at the gas station, his shoulders hunched inside his faded canvas jacket. He pulled the cuffs of the jacket down over his hands as he slid into the booth across from me. “Thank you for coming, Marcus,” I said. The waitress returned with…

A quiet clerk with a silver cardigan pushed a cart of leather-bound books past my table. She paused, sliding a small wintergreen candy onto my wooden workspace with a warm, wrinkled hand. “For the dry air,” she whispered, her voice like dry leaves. “Thank you,” I said, letting the sharp, clean taste of the candy…