She comes to me throughout the day unexpectedly. However, there are moments of the day that I anticipate her shadow lurking just within my reach.

Standing there, looming over the room as waves of tension rise up in my body starting at the very pit of my stomach.

Sometimes, this uneasy feeling spreads throughout my entire nervous system, lighting every inch of my core on fire underneath my sweaty...

I sat across from Aileen that day. It was unseasonably warm, yet she wore a long sleeve striped sweater that was cashmere. I thought it odd at the time, but everyone was so talkative and joyous that it sounded like the cacophony of crows perched upon the power lines every night in town.

Aileen laughed, head cocked sideways as if listening for someone outside the private dining area.

I strained t...

And there they are, lazing about without one single care in the world. It is not what I expected to come home to, every evening, for the last few years.

As big as a small mountain lion, Tip languidly licks his long raccoon striped tail only to slowly blink at me from the floor.

“Hello…” I say, but back to grooming he goes. His sweet smaller sister, Crystal is looking out the garden window, chasin...