My Cardboard Balcony

Six Months by Belinda Roddie [Today is Thanksgiving, but it is also my six monthiversary with my girlfriend. I wrote this sonnet this morning and posted it on her Facebook wall, and she adored it. So I thought, what the Hell, I'll put it here. Enjoy the sap.] Six months, like a half moon glowing above, have been enriched with whims and smiles and love. I thank you for your presence, warmth, and cheer and for the happy days that brought us here. I must confess that you've enchanted me since day one as we weave this tapestry of laughter, sadness, and all in between - you are my life, my hope, my everything. As you enjoy this festive holiday, please know that I intend to always stay beside you through the worst and through the best. So let me grab a glass, puff out my chest and toast to you, the girl that I adore: Let's have another six months, then six more.

Mick Jagger's "Wild Horses" was playing in a small diner where Roger sat, drinking a coffee. The autumn leaves were damp and clogged with rain and dirt, and a tinny jukebox was already playing Christmas songs in the corner. As he stirred sugar into his mug, he watched as the young Irish waiter, Ferris, set down a plate of sliced turkey in front of him. "On the house," he said. "Happy Thanksgiving." Roger smiled. At least he had something to be thankful for now.