Layoff notice. Package of unopened underwear. Empty bottles of Jim Beam. Yearbook opened to page where he and his girlfriend were homecoming royalty. Mom calls out, “Keep one collared shirt.” I hang the green one in the closet. Everything else fits into one garbage bag placed outside Mom’s back door.
Jeff Harvey lives in San Diego and edits Gooseberry Pie Lit. He has recent work in trampset and Bending Genres.
Momma won at penny slots and sent me to the vending machines for dinner. Pepsis. Fritos. Twinkies. Tomorrow we’d be back in the Chevy with no heat and the smell of burning brakes that reminded me of Dad. But tonight Alf was on TV, and Momma was coloring her hair.
Jeff Harvey writes short fiction. His work is in/ soon to be in Bending Genres, Blink-Ink, MoonPark Review, and others. He’s on Twitter at @JeffHarveySD.