He found her orange flats in the closet under his boots. That’s when he gave in to letting her go. Each lung breathed in the worn leather and forced it back out along with shared memories, stacked as weakened bricks already crumbling.

He was meant to feel each one fall.

Tamra Artelia Martin received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Central Florida. An overachiever at heart and a glutton for academic punishment, or academic joy depending on the day, she’s currently earning her second MFA in stage and screen writing at Lesley University. Check out her blog on writing at http://writerschai.blogspot.com/.