divorce is a dirty word
by Marla
Daddy bought us a
condo unit—
2-bedroom,
fully-furnished, brand-new,
ready for
occupancy—
on the other side
of town, far from
the smell of Mom’s
cooking,
the sound of her
voice,
the sight of her
face in the morning.
(They keep
reassuring us it isn’t our fault;
nobody ever thought
it was. We don’t talk
about the pajamas
we left in the closet
back at the old
house,
just in case. We
don’t talk
about our sudden
allowance raise,
the price of
gasoline,
the cleaning lady
who comes once a week
and turns on the
television
for some ambient
noise courtesy of a telenovela
about a mustached
Don and his querida.)
Amenities
include an Olympic-sized pool
a modern gym with
state-of-the-art equipment
function rooms,
free WiFi
24-hour security
wide doorways and
high ceilings
built to accommodate
