Tilt: A Novel

by Emma Pattee

It’s like life is this powerful river, of doing laundry and buying groceries and driving to work and scrolling on my phone, and the weekends are so short.

Nobody wants to be where they are, I think. So would it really matter so much if the earth swallowed us all?

The problem with so many years spent sitting so close to somebody is that you can tell yourself you’re being seen, but really you’ve disappeared, closed the blinds, nobody’s home.

There are tears running down my face, but I’m not afraid. I am the Mother. The Mother does not give up.

You think you’re gonna get married and be the one who lifts up the other person. You say things in your vows about unconditional support and being a rock and a lifelong cheerleader. But then you realize how heavy it is to lift someone up day after day. How much your arms burn and how much easier it would be to just rest for a while.