THIRTY NIGHTS OF REKINDLED FLAMES

apital, but I felt you ought to read it before you had a meeting with a representativ

has no idea; I'm positive. "You mean we're just a small change t

Hope

low, but the swallow gets stuck in my throat, and m

er another scowl. My hands shake. This is how

oice lacks conviction. She turns to loo

cted the word.

person while I fan my face with the paper. I've lost the will to take the pirate away. It makes

ould—if he now owns th

old overweight people with eye patches and puffy shirts show up at our

to reassure me

nd wipe my black pencil skirt with my wet, dirty palm. "It would be appropriate to draw and quarter anyone who believe

ink the cops will t

ought to have planned this meeting for after

e underlying prob

me

ent is not your problem. It's not like we never pillaged the community

to cheer me up by talking about our wi

rmally warm for February in Florida that I'm sweating profusely right now. I find it hard to believe that the most sign

y named, will therefore likely review our business, warts and all. We are a publication. The truth is

. "Go ahead, please. We're not

he St. Augustine Times." I laugh out

er, what did you say to me after your father passed away? This is what you left behind. You adore this. defending th

Lofty, ivory

have faith in this document.

, in my opinion. A phrase from my favorite dystopian comic book character, Spider-Man, usually cheers me up when I'm having a rough day: "Journalism is

d, dropped, and covered in dirt. It could b

building alone is worth wha

how dire things are because she is the CFO. This meeting is crucial to everything. My profession, my periodical, my

m

ly preventing me

distant, as if I had been taken from my familiar surround

r once more and says, "Mary, the police sa

mes for longer than I have been alive. Larry, a charming man with white hair, used to purchase my brother and me Rocket Pops f

saction falls through? Inside, he vanishes. Maybe it will be me

rt past my knees. My red lipstick is still intact. Still. Dia

here today. It's likely that he is una

oon after the acquisition it happened. In addition, he seems to own God knows what else in Miami in addition to managi

even work i

probably forgotten that I even exist. We haven't seen one another in, what, 10 or twelve years?" I

twenty-two days,

m monitorin

clears her throat. When the pirate rub

igures,"

ce and a stop in the footsteps just as I'm ready to turn around. The pounding agony in my brain is matched by a pou

ournalistic industry. But I wasn't prepared for ski

ductive. It's as comforting and alluring as the muggy wind that encourages the Spanish

de Avil

_