My Parents Took My Sister To Italy Until They Came Home To An Empty House

way other children read their parents’ moods.

Tonight, the smell felt like a lie.

I had been the one to prepare it, as always. I rubbed the spices under the skin just the way she liked. I peeled the potatoes, arranged them on a bed of salt. I trimmed the green beans and placed them in the steamer. I was the invisible architect of the evening, the person continue reading …