Essentially, said Mary Josephine to the woman who had come to the door, life boils down to being unclear — with yourself and with others — about your fears. Whether you are drawing a contract for the purchase of a dog or replying to a message from a prospective suitor, “do not disclose that you are afraid,” said Mary Josephine. “It’s not a matter of getting what we want. It’s a matter of not getting what we do not want. Are you tired of screwing up? Are you tired of this town? Then for the sake of Henrietta, listen to me.” Henrietta, in the corner, took off her headphones. “What’s that?” she said. Mary Josephine, her sister, her older sister, despite that the sister who was letting the other sister do her homework, math first, then science, shook her head. “Never mind,” she said. “Nobody was talking to you.”
©2022 Ben Greenman/Stupid Ideas
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