The wife he bought

pte

a's

-

er on the door, Inside a man in a white coat used w

t producing red cells, white cells, or platelets. Without a transp

rest. The but. Th

e a numbe

ow transplant. Plus aftercar

seven dollars in my bag,

were fighting which to come out. "Do I have options?" I

ms from cleaning tables and opening doors. "you need to take more care of yourse

scan they printed. Walked out into heat

seventh, my vision became blurred. By the eleven

th recognition. Like she'd seen others like me before. People

es your blood. Turns out

love walking. Now it was like I just c

omises - gone. The only thing left was the eviction notice on the table and my mother's photo face-dow

old me last week. He didn't have all his teeth, but he had all the n

nd. I'd paid that

Aplastic anemia. It sounded like a lie. Like som

ter at a diner that didn't ask my age. Fourteen when I started cleaning houses so we could eat. Sixteen when I sold my old textbooks so he could pay a debt. Eigh

my body has give

y face. Not from fear.

, if freckles meant you were bleeding under your skin. I'd gotten them last month.

t a liquid drop down my face. N

run. Watched it drip onto the

mo

nths o

Or maybe it heale

The mirror was cracked.

myself. Re

now. Bruises on my collarbone from a doorframe I'

in

n my mouth. I tried i

the mirror d

sm

t real thing I'

was dying, th

Teeth. Free from my father's voice in my head

eat cake for breakfast and not think about the debt I could settle with it. I wanted to sleep for ten hours and not set an alarm. I wante

alling

ace. It kept coming. I gave

mo

d eighty days.

three hundred a

four years cleani

going t

us I'd stolen two years ago. Business. I used to trace the course list at night

ver worn. Bought for four dollars

me when

ands shook and it went outsi

e cracked mirror. Blood on

ou have six months. What ar

an. It came from a place that had

ryt

ng to do

going to say no and yes and fuck you in the same breath. I was going to spend my fo

going

r

ly

other's photo. Looked at her face - young, tired, already g

ose to

to stay. For six

apartment. Left the

e across the sky. I tilted my face up

see what I can bur