The No-Show

by Beth O'Leary

Siobhan breathes out slowly through her nose. She’s aiming for calm, but it reads more angry bull than zen.

she is me

She followed the sounds to the tree surgeons training in the land management college up the road from her secondary.

I was today years old when I learned the term tree surgeon

But she also knows that tolerance can look like weakness, especially if you’re a woman.

Part of the trick of not letting people into your heart is not to care when they lie to you; the trick is not to care what they say at all.