Pushcart 2026 L: Kim Samek, “Easement” from Story #20

Story art: Jesse Dittmar I got a letter from the government claiming an easement on my leg. I had just moved into this house and must not have looked at the paperwork carefully. A few months later, an official in a yellow vest and hardhat knocked on my door. He was carrying a machine that looked like a hole punch, but larger. He said he was here for my big toe. “You’ve received the easement notice?” he asked. I nodded. The removal was swift. Before I could say “ow” he had placed my big toe into a Ziplock bag and was sealing it up. He said he would only need it for a few days before he would bring it back. I felt a little wobbly without my big toe, but I did my best to conceal my unsteadiness. If I focused hard enough, I could walk normally. I only needed to get by for a few days. There’s a scene from the film The American President in which the fictional aides are trying to convince the fictional president to answer attacks on his character: Lewis Rothschild (to the President): People…