I never really noticed Grandma’s scarflette.

It was as inconsequential to me as my mother’s wedding ring, or the welcome mat at our front door.

It was just always there.

She was also always impeccably dressed, her outfits always assiduously and thoughtful enhancing its brightness.

It was never out of place, it was always hiding in plain sight.

But when she was on the hospital bed, with g...

There is nothing worse than a delayed flight.

You sit staring at the letters on the board until they go fuzzy, until you go fuzzy.

They finally change! You rush to the gate!

Only to be sat on the tarmac for hours and hours.

God forbid a child is encouraged by an over zealous mother to sing a rendition of a Disney song for the chance of some internet fame.

There may be luxury to air trave...

It wasn’t supposed to be permanent, and it isn’t in a way.

For the twenty second time, Peter announces the day by banging his fist on the back doors. I open them and he hands me my morning cuppa.

“Maureen is frying the bacon, if you want a bacon roll,” he says with the feeble half smile people use for people whose misses have booted them out of the house and are now living in their van.

Bacon...

Felipe, Uruguay

“We can afford it papí,” Mama coos and rests her hand on my shoulder before planting a big kiss on my head. “If it is your dream it is no problem.”

I take her hand in mine, but keep my eyes on the computer screen. An offer of acceptance from NYU.

Everything I have worked for, everything I have sweated for, came through and condensed in an email.

It is almost funny.

“It is...

I am always awake before Ben. I usually find myself at the foot of his bed, nestled in his rich bed blankets that smell like him but a little musty. As expected, noise starts on the circle thing on his table and he rolls over with a groan.

I can never understand that.

I am so happy to start another day.

I can already hear my table thumping.

Ben’s paws pat my head as he swings his legs over...

There is condensation on the window

Mould is creeping in

It greets me in the morning

The big wide view of trees and clouds and flashing airplanes

Pink and blue and purple and ice

The mould in the corner grumbles ‘good morning’

I wipe away the drops

I flick the radiator on

I cannot afford it

It doesn’t click on

The mould laughs...

In hindsight, I do not think it was a good idea to go on a run this morning.

David swears on a 10k after a night out.

I can see him now, sat on his quilted sofa with his right leg crossed over the left to reveal his navy cashmere quilted socks. He leans in and points a finger at nothing in particular.

“Coffee. Ten K. Cold shower. That’s it.”

David really can be such a prick some times.

No...

The glug of my glass makes me smile. The way the crisp white wine exits its bottle and slides down gratefully into my glass, landing with a glug, glug, glug.

I feel the flush of blood tinge my cheeks as Dave pulls the bottle away and I raise my glass to my lips.

Is this my fourth? Or maybe my fifth?

There’s so much chatter and music in the restaurant it’s now very hard to direct my thoughts....

I like a red admiral.

I read about it first on an aged poster in a cabin on the coast. Endless butterflies I hadn’t seen.

I only knew dependable cabbage butterflies.

No complexities.

I thought I was somewhere else.

With crashing waves, black sand and routes my uncle told me not to walk on.

I liked how it sounded. Commanding. Assured. Black and gold and red.

I remember the day I learn...

People are bad.

Right?

Have you ever held the door open for someone who hasn’t said thank you?

Smiled at them as they passed by only for them to look straight through you?

Have you ever worked in customer service?

Tell me you’ve never spurted out a naughty word, muttered something about karma or perhaps just even mentally put a bullet between someone’s eyes?

No?

I think you’re lying....