My landlord emailed on a Tuesday. “Routine inspection next Monday.” I stared at the crack above my bedroom door. It had been there for eight months. I named it Gerald. Gerald was now a liability. Not a big crack. Hairline. Maybe three inches. But it was growing. I had watched it grow. Like a hobby. … Read more
The bathroom door handle came off in my hand on a Tuesday morning. Not the whole handle. Just the half I was holding. The other half stayed on the door, dangling, mocking me. I was already late. The handle knew. I had fixed a loose handle before. Tightened a screw. Felt competent. This was different. … Read more
I once tried to fix a leaky faucet with a butter knife and optimism. The optimism broke first. Then the butter knife bent. Then the leak became a spray that soaked my shirt and my dignity. I stood in my kitchen holding a bent knife and a wet t-shirt, wondering where I went wrong. I … Read more
The bulb broke while I was unscrewing it. Not the glass part. The metal base. Stuck in the socket. Jagged edges of thin aluminum catching the light like a mouthful of broken teeth. My hand was still reaching toward it when I realized what happened. I pulled back. Stood in the dark. The switch was … Read more
I once pulled a drawer so hard the front panel separated from the box. The handle came off in my hand. The drawer stayed stuck. I stood in my kitchen holding a wooden rectangle, staring at the cavity where my utensils used to live. The drawer was still in there. Mocking me. Unreachable. Full of … Read more
I saw a video of a dresser falling on a toddler. Three seconds long. The child climbed the drawers. The dresser tipped. The drawers became steps. The weight shifted forward. The base lifted. The whole thing came down. The child survived. Bruised. Screaming. I watched it at 11 PM. Then I walked through my apartment … Read more
The drip started at 2 AM. Not a trickle. A rhythm. One drop every four seconds. I counted. I timed it. I lay in bed calculating gallons per day. Gallons per month. The water bill I could not afford. The environmental guilt I did not need. I got up. Stood in the bathroom. Stared at … Read more
It was 11:47 PM. I know because I checked my phone while lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for it to happen again. The creak. That high-pitched whine from my bathroom door hinge every time my partner got up to use the toilet. It had been going on for three weeks. I had … Read more