My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie "Did you know that originally, these candy hearts were actually made out of chalk?" "Uh-huh." "No, seriously. It was a Valentine's Day idea for people to write out their feelings in chalk on the pavement with these things. But then some idiot ate one and got sick, so they changed it into candy." "You are so full of shit." "No, I'm full of Merlot and shitty V-Day candy. There's a difference." "Then why do you keep buying these?" "Because they're cheap and no one else likes them. Seriously. Why get these when you can have heart-shaped chocolates instead?" "I knew it was a bad idea to let you raid the candy section at the store today." "I was on a mission! It was a very important mission, Aaron." "Right." "...So what candy do you prefer, then?" "I dunno. M&M's?" "Boring." "Did you know t...

"Dude," asked Sean, "how long have you been working overtime?" "The past six weeks." He nearly spat out his sour mouthful of beer. "Shit. Really?" He stared at her. "Does your boss know he needs to pay you?" "He is paying me. I don't mind it, really. I like being out of the house." She didn't expect Sean to understand. He had no idea what she had been through regarding her home dynamic, and she wasn't going to try to explain it to him now.