All the Ever Afters

 The sliver of space that had separated his shoudler from mine as we sat together on the bench had pulsed with warmth, and just as when a cat jumps down from your knee, the cold that replaced it was made more profound by its emptiness.


Throughout the night, the baby woke me with her cries, and each time I pulled her close, I felt a queer sorrowful joy.  She was a piece of me that had broken free to become her own person...

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