A man (not her husband) had loved her last summer. He never said so, never kissed her, so maybe he hadn’t, but the wondering lit her up like a firefly. His absence weighed a thousand pounds and made her ears ring. Having almost certainly been loved still made her dance.

N. West Moss has had her work published in the New York Times, McSweeney’s, Salon, and elsewhere. Her short story collection, The Subway Stops at Bryant Park, was published by Leapfrog Press. Her forthcoming memoir, Flesh and Blood, is being published by Algonquin in October 2021.