Scene From a Train Station
The fog draped over the rolling hills, a hijab hiding the stories they had to tell. Secrecy had been long brewed into the air, making any fresh breath a gulp of momentary relief before I plunged back into wondering if I was being a made a fool. Once I stepped on the train, I’d have a […]
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The Best We Can
33 isn’t shaping up to be too shabby. Honestly, I couldn’t put my finger on why that was for a few days. Not that when everything feels like swimming in sunshine (even the burn from so many rays) there needs to be a why, but considering the black hole of apprehension I felt in the weeks […]
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33
I wonder why we’re so attached to our birthdays; why we feel such ownership over the day. They say the sound of your own name is the sweetest sound you can hear (by “they” I mean one of the producers of This American Life, which is where I heard that particular saying). I think the same […]
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Two Pieces
There was nothing left of the sun in the sky except weak pearly light cast over the library parking lot. Still, it was bright enough to push sunglasses up on my nose. “Let’s get dinner next week,” my brother called out to me. His girlfriend grinned and nodded. “I hate my birthday,” I replied carelessly. […]
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Forgetfulness & Forgiveness
I knew he didn’t mean to forget me. Maybe it was a test. Of vigilance perhaps – being able to notice a shift in the wind. No, no, he wasn’t terrible interested in weather shifts except for how in the winter the sun set over the city, and in summer over the hills. The green […]
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A Scene from a Sleepless Night
I couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, I lay pinched between his arms, tense, trying to anticipate where on his body his next hypnotic jerk would ripple. They were as impossible to read as he was. After we both came was the only time he really touched me, curling one arm under my waist and laying the […]
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The Route of 50 Dates in 50 States
I have something badass to share with you. It’s this map: Ever since we announced the trip, people have asked “How did you decide where to go in the lower 48 states?” Well, we were balancing a lot: efficiency (we even consulted with a professional mathematician on the subject of how to get around the […]
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The “You Happy?” App
I’d like to invent a simple app. No bells or whistles or push notifications, just a click of a button that lets me send an unobtrusive missive to an ex that simply asks, “You happy?” with a checkbox next to “Yes” and a checkbox next to “No.” Maybe it arrives in email form. Maybe through […]
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Why Jordana Narin’s “No Labels, No Drama, Right?” is So Damn Spot On
As someone who has spent the last year and a half without definition in my intimate connections (though certainly with plenty of defining moments, and yes mom, that’s all I’ll say about that), I placed my chin in the palm of my hand like a teacup rests in a saucer as I read Jordana Narin’s […]
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Risky Date: A Comic About Rape Culture
Ed notes: This comic was originally published on Robot Hugs and republished here with their permission. (Trigger Warning: Sexual assault and rape culture) Before I meet a first date for the first time, I have a ritual: I send my roommate and/or best friend as much of their name as I have, their phone number, their place […]
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