Henry clicked on the Solitaire icon on his laptop screen. As he opened the game and the cards were dealt,Henry let the familiar comfort and predictability of the game flow through him, seeming to seep into the wrinkles in his brain with a numbing gel that brought relief. Solitaire has been Henry’s only friend for a long time, ever since Jen died. Jen has been the organizer of their lives, scheduli...

1/4: Ugh, January is tough. Back at work tomorrow, trying to dry out from too many holiday cocktails and muster up enthusiasm for the new project they put me on. It’s supposed to be an honor, I realize, to get to work with THE Jeremy Nelson, the bright shiny star at the office since he came up with the idea that saved our biggest client last month, but he’ll probably be just another conceited assh...

“For the moment, maybe, but let’s see how he feels in six months”, Clyde said with a sigh. “I knew someone else who won the lottery once, and let me tell you, money does not buy happiness, at least for very long.”

“Are you joking?”, I spatted back incredulously. “That guy just won ten million dollars and is on top of the world! Did you hear his interview with WCNC news? He is going to pay off his...

“Not again”, I think, my shoulders unconsciously slumping forward as I steel myself for the inevitable conversion to follow. For a split second, I imagine myself melting into the hot New York City sidewalk, morphing like Keanue Reeves in the Matrix and sliding down into the grime and cigarette butts that make up the fabric of these iconic city streets. That would be far preferable to the conversat...