The Wrong Family

by Tarryn Fisher

a grown-up, Winnie felt like she was still playing a role—a more grounded and responsible one.

Winnie chose that moment to laugh at Nigel’s years-old joke and suddenly felt like she missed her husband, even though he was just in the kitchen.

Last night, when Nigel didn’t come to bed, she’d found him sleeping in his den...sleeping. Winnie had never understood how men could fall asleep in times of emotional crisis. How could he sleep when he knew she was upstairs crying?

She missed him so deeply that the missing had become an organ.

Humans had a way of uprooting happiness. They found flaws in it, picked at it until the whole system unraveled.

Drunks seldom looked inward, and when they did, they usually ended up drinking more.

When they began, they were in love, but problematic partners had a way of dissolving love faster than it could regrow. One step forward, two steps back. And then one day there wasn’t enough love left to cover the sins.