is whose. She takes a nap. She wakes up. She feels the baby’s forehead. She remembers. She reads the same Better Homes & Gardens.
Henry naps in his car. He dreams he is a giant squid attacking a submarine.
Stacey finishes her shift at the ceramics store. She sets her apron in a locker and wanders around the mall. She wanders through the perfume department. She looks at socks. She thinks about buying Henry something. She thinks about not doing that. She drives to an Italian restaurant. She eats breadsticks alone. She calls her mother. Her mother tells her about a new medication that extends your life but may cause you to become suicidal. Stacey wishes her mother was a lesbian. She wishes she had two moms so she could call the other one. Stacey hangs up mid-conversation. She eats more breadsticks.
Margaret finds a painted picture of a small dog sitting in hay. She thinks it is okay. She takes it out back and sets it on fire. She tosses the charred canvas remains into the pool. She lounges on the patio furniture. She picks at a scab on her elbow. She cries about the baby.
Henry drives to Target. He parks in the stall he imagines the baby died in.
Stacey drives home. She wants to go to bed. She parks in the driveway and draws a heart in the dirt on the hood of her car. She thinks about the word “hate.” She likes the sound of the word but not the definition. She talks to a neighbor across the street. The neighbor is running a leaf blower. Stacey nods and laughs but can’t hear what he says. Someone is parked at the curb in front of their house. She considers calling her mother to apologize for hanging up.
Margaret finds a chainsaw in the toolshed. She thinks about cutting off her own arm. She wonders how much force that would require.
Henry tries to call Stacey but hangs up.
22 | Psychopomp Magazine