For anything new to begin, something must first end. — Coldness reflected off the gray paint in the bedroom. An empty room, except for a lonely bed. An empty bed occupied by myself and my thoughts. Wrapped in white bedding, I hid my head from the void around me. I didn’t want to look. I didn’t want to accept. …

I needed it to be different. — “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked. I nodded swiftly, a reflex before my brain could catch up. If I let myself think, If I let myself sift through memories, my entire body might shut down. My bare chest pressed against her exposed skin. She lay there…

It might all be true, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to like it. — I walked into the gym. The same time as every morning for the past several months. Checking in, I saw the woman behind the front desk. Fitted black polo and white cap on her body, business on her face. The manager. We locked eyes and I smiled. An attractive woman…

When a single photo ca mean life or death. — Chapter 1 I think he saw me! Monica Lambert twisted back around the crumbling brick wall. Heart racing. Sweat clinging to her scalp. She held her breath. Or at least she tried to. Running through overgrowth and industrial debris while lugging a camera bag around her shoulder left her sucking for air…

Before you buy those plane tickets, here’s what you need to know, and how to save the most money doing it. — Few things are more laced with guilt than the eyes of a dog as they watch you pack for a trip. They know you’re leaving, and they know you’re not taking them with you. Kids, spouse, friends, none of it compares to how a dog makes you feel when closing…

Advice can come from those you least expect. — “You need to divorce her.” The line, delivered by my mother-in-law, didn’t just hang in the air. It became the air. It consumed it. Thick and suffocating. Tears in my eyes already made it difficult to drive. Her line fogged out the rest of my vision. I didn’t know what…

I’ve learned a lot. There’s still much to learn. — Time stops for no one. And yet, we’re all free to step on and stop off whenever we’d like. To take it all in. Or to duck our heads, sleep, and wait for the next exit. My time over the last six months has been spent outside of the United…

Strumming mental chords in the minds of others doesn’t always result in sweet music. — Life forges a protective cocoon around you. A callus. Over time you set up walls around certain memories. Around specific events. You defend against it. Defend against attacks. Defend to the point you forget you’re even doing it. It becomes second nature. Your heart and your soul are delicate, so…

Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to accomplish. — With tears in their eyes, they closed the apartment door and were gone. The latching lock rang in my mind far longer than in the empty room, realization rose over me and the barren apartment like a dying sun. For the first time in my life, I was truly alone. …