My Cardboard Balcony

The Impracticality of Humor by Belinda Roddie A laugh leaves a throat sore, a stomach aching, and eyes itching with unnecessary tears. Cocktails will only soothe the unnatural pain so much. If you continue to find things funny, I will not stop you. But I am a civilized individual and will not let a hearty guffaw ruin the timbre of my voice, or the calm in my chest. And before you ask me if I'm lonely or sad, stick your brash tongue into your glass of Merlot first and keep it there.

"We hire a lot of diverse people at our business," the CEO explained to me. "Our CFO happens to be a Kenyan immigrant, our financial directors both speak Spanish as their first language, and a lot of our supervisors happen to be part of the LGBT community." I could feel my own eyes light up. "So, do you happen to have room for someone fluent in Cantonese and Korean?" I asked. A smile spread across the CEO's lipsticked face. "Always."