Week 31, 2026: Plus one

Citrus orange nails and toenails for grandmother’s birthday week. We are bound by the sour and bitter. She asked if I was praying now and when I said yes, my mother gave me a look. Years ago, when I’d say yes, my mother would ask me to point out the direction of Mecca. That nearly always caught me. Even if I guessed right, I couldn’t help smiling. I can be good, I just have to do it in my own way. Take the formula and modernize it. Thank you for inventing the formula so I could run with it but I’ve gotta run now. I was holding a Sobeys bag full of dirty laundry in the basement when a girl I’d never met before told me she was my neighbour now. She moved into the flat below me with her partner since her brother, the primary tenant, was never home. I watched her fold an all-white load and wondered if I’d ever be the kind of girl that separates her colours. She feels so out of reach. Her partner and dog stopped by and I said hello to both of them. In a warm voice, I said something cold…