Author: chet007

The planning had taken eighteen months. Every detail was curated, from the lavender napkins to the string quartet. But there was one detail that mattered more to me than the …

Title: The Rose Thief: A Story About the Day My Father Decided His Girlfriend Was More Important Than My Dead Mother, and Why My Wedding Reception Had Two Less Guests Read More

The alarm went off at 7:00 AM. I stared at the ceiling, feeling that familiar, heavy dread settle in my stomach. Today was the day. It was the day I …

Title: The Half-Ghost Birthday: A Story About Celebrating My Life in the Front Seat of a Honda Civic, While My Parents Wept for the Son They Wish Had Survived Read More

The dinner party was elegant. The candles were lit, the wine was breathing, and the conversation was light. It had been exactly three years since Daniel died, and to the …

Title: The Unexpired Heart: A Story About the Day I Stopped Apologizing for My Tears and Realized That Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go Read More

The conversation had happened on a Tuesday night. I was sixteen, shaking in my Converse sneakers, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I had practiced the …

Title: The Tenant of Room 2B: A Story About the Day My Father Stopped Being a Dad and Started Being a Landlord, All Because I Loved the Wrong Person Read More

I grew up in a house where love was distributed like rations during a war—and I was always the one left starving. My sisters, Sarah and Emily, got the hugs. …

Title: The Typo of Hate: A Story About a Father Who Punished Me for a Crime I Never Committed, and the Piece of Paper That Proved His Entire Resentment Was a Medical Error Read More

The drive was three hours of pure, unadulterated nostalgia. I had a bottle of Dad’s favorite scotch in the passenger seat and a bouquet of lilies for Mom. It was …

Title: The Locksmith of Severance: A Story About the Day My Childhood Key Stopped Working, and How a Home Gym Became the Monument to My Eviction Read More

The attic smelled of cedar and stagnation. It was the smell of a life packed away in cardboard, waiting to be sorted by the survivors. Julian sat on the floorboards, …

Title: The Ink of Indifference: A Story About Finding the Recipe for My Own Loneliness in a Dusty Attic, and Realizing I Was Fighting a War I Lost Before I Took My First Breath Read More

The chair in Room 304 was not designed for human sleep. It was a vinyl torture device that squeaked every time Clara shifted her weight. But for six months, I …

Title: The Unseen Anchor: A Story About Giving Up Six Months of My Life to Hold a Hand That Was Reaching for Someone Else Read More

The room was painted a soft, cloud-like grey. In the corner stood the crib, assembled by my husband, Mark, with shaking hands and a hopeful heart. Inside lay the stuffed …

Title: The Saint of Social Media: A Story About a Nursery I Built for a Son Who Was Never Mine, and the Sister Who Loved the “Likes” More Than Her Own Blood Read More

The bank teller had looked at me with concern when I requested the cashier’s check. ” This will nearly clear out your savings, Mr. Henderson,” she warned. “I know,” I …

Title: The Blue Light Vigil: A Story About the Most Expensive Gift I Ever Bought, and the Night I Watched My Family Choose Their Screens Over a Goodbye Read More