When His Love Died, Her Life Bloomed

The photograph curled in the fireplace.

I watched my own face turn black, blister, and dissolve into ash. My wedding photo. The one where I was smiling and he was almost smiling.

I placed the engagement ring and the wedding band side by side on his desk. Next to them, the keys. On top, the letter for Mrs. Tucker.

In the elevator, I took out my SIM card and snapped it in half. The sound was small. Final.

I dropped the broken pieces and the phone into a public trash can on the corner. A yellow cab pulled up.

"Where to?"

Anywhere. As long as it wasn't here.