My Cardboard Balcony

No OneWord update today. I don't mind. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

by Belinda Roddie The taste of bitter chocolate always lingered in Dorothy's mouth, no matter what she ate or drank. It never went away. And the truth was, she hadn't touched chocolate in over twenty-three years. The twenty-fourth year was looming closer. And yet the flavor of dark cacao remained on her tongue. She brewed herself a cup of tasteless broth that she supposed was meant to be tea and sat down across from the ashy hearth. On the mantel was a picture of her son, in full Marine uniform. Lester had loved chocolate. It had practically been his three meals a day when he was a child. Once, when Dorothy had sifted through her heavy collection of photo albums, she had found a black and white shot of Lester at the tender age of six, the corners of his lips browned by a milkshake at The Fat Walrus, the local diner. She distinctly remembered one of his favorite pastimes before deciding to shape up for the military: Sitting on the couch watching TV, pouring tube after tube...

After Lisa's father died just before midnight on New Year's Eve, the entire family was devastated, but none as much as, of course, Lisa. It took three weeks for her to step out of her room, and another two to go outside. By the time I received a text from her, I was beginning to wonder if she had grown thinner or more pale. I was surprised that, when we met in front of the mall, she was just as plump and rosy as ever. But her eyes were certainly not as bright.

Because it is late and I am tired and full of useless anxiety, I'm just going to put up some words from my Facebook in regards to the new year: To keep it short and sweet: 2014 was a rather successful year for me, I'd say. Holding down a steady job, enrolling in a teaching credential program, and getting engaged to the love of my life aren't things to sneeze at. But it has not been an easy year, not for a lot of people I'm close to and especially not in a lot of ways globally and societally. So I say to you all, Happy New Year - I can only hope that 2015 is a better year not just for my loved ones, but also for the world as a whole. Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.

The Pit by Belinda Roddie It was dark, and I thought I smelled body odor.

No update today on the site. Oh, well!

The New Year by Belinda Roddie The new year is always supposed to be a celebration, as we start anew, but the new year won't mean that much to me, since I will be starting it without you. The arguments began in August, and in September, the accusations flew, so many questions about where we'd been, whom we'd been with, each little rendezvous a threat to us. In November, you left with one suitcase and a short letter. I was left with nothing valuable, bereft of love, of happiness. As days go by, I am exhausted. The new year does not mean much to me as I sit here and rot.