Her husband calls her moody, calls her hysterical, calls her off-the-rails. Tells her to calm down—blames it on her woman-ness. So she breaks herself into pieces, tucks each piece inside a pillbox, compartments labeled: Sadness. Fear. Disappointment. Fury. Each day she sets a timer, remembers to swallow them down.
Kelli Short Borges is a writer of essays, short stories and flash fiction. A former reading specialist in the Arizona public school system, Kelli is a life-long reading enthusiast. Her work has been published at The Tahoma Literary Review, The Citron Review, MoonPark Review, The Dribble Drabble Review, and Ghost Parachute, among other publications. Kelli is a 2022 Best of the Net and 2023 Best Microfictions nominee. She is currently working on her first novel.
Very good, heart-felt and enjoyable.
Highlights how bullying the phrase “Keep taking the tablets” is.
Kevin, thank you for reading, and for your thoughts! 🙏
That last line is a killer.
Thanks so much! 🙏
Thank you very much, Derek!
Really well written piece that a ton of woman will relate to.
Thank you so much, Julie! ❤️
Profound ! You are so gifted. Your work brings out many emotions and feelings, really makes you think! Thank you!
That’s so kind of you! Thank you so much, Shawn! 🤗
poignant, sad way to describe many women’s plights.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Kelsey!
Yes! Well done.
Thank you, Sarah!
What an amazing piece of writing, Kelli! I absolutely love the lines, “So she breaks herself into pieces, tucks each piece inside a pillbox, compartments labeled: Sadness. Fear. Disappointment. Fury.” So powerful and heartbreaking in their truth. Thank you for revealing just how fractured people can become when abuse happens.
Ah! Thank you so much, Larissa! Thanks really kind of you! ❤️🙏
A lot of depth in this. Makes you think about love – toxic love. Can there really be such a thing? Or is there no love there, just an illusion
A question for the ages! Thanks so much David, for reading and commenting. Very kind of you ❤️
Wow! Love this
Thank you, Yogita! 😊
Excellent, gut-wrenching story, Kelli. High-quality writing that stuck with me for days!
Hi Kay! Oh my gosh, thank you so much. ❤️
Seriously imaginative and great choice of language use.
Thank you, Anne-Marie! 🙏😊
Congratulations! So relatable. Thank you.
Brilliantly done.
Thank you, Heather! ❤️🙏
At first, you believe you’re watching a LIFETIME Sunday movie. As you read on, you realize she will overcome him and actually, at some point, pity him. As she, has, absolutely, WON!
Great piece.
I look forward to reading more of your submissions.
-Steve
Just saw this. Thank you Steve!
Side note: I’ve respected and enjoyed LIFETIME movies since
1994.
Thank you.
-Steve