"I never want to be like that," she said.
They looked at her and didn't have the heart to say what they were thinking.
---
Their
front yard was
threadbare and full of
things. Their
house was
threadbare and
full of things. Their lives were
threadbare and
full of things. Their
imaginations were creaky and covered with dust. Their dreams were
scrawny stray dogs
haunting unused back alleys. Their allergies were
acting up.
They didn't have the heart to think what they were thinking. They were not heartless but knew they couldn't afford something that was more than, the sum of, part one, plus one, plus one ...