What Never Happened

by Rachel Howzell Hall

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

Because promises are potato chips. They’re cheap. Easy to break. Too many hurt your heart.

“Running ain’t gonna make it go away.”

“Glad you’re still talking to somebody. It’s important, getting it all out? Grief’s gotta go somewhere,

Ha. This bitch really thinks I trust her.

Guilt is irrational, Dr. Tamaguchi has told me several times. Guilt demands ransom even though you’re broke, and it demands that you keep it company even though it’s fused to every molecule in your body. Guilt makes you scream, “What more do you want?” even though it’s already taken everything, including your happily ever after.