Ellen

She lives alone. A strong woman with broad shoulders. She doesn't work anymore. She lives off her deceased husband's life insurance policy. A widow, her name is Ellen.

Tonight Ellen is celebrating. She's sitting on her stoop drinking champagne from a coffee mug. In her hands she's holding a book. She turns it over in her rough hands. The cover is a muted pink with a drawing of birds across it. The title reads "The Monroe College Literary Journal". She turns to the the table of contents where she reads her name for the 12th time today.

What Goes Around Comes Around by Ellen Spencer.............pg. 31

She smiles and sighes. She holds the book to her stomach. A well dressed man walks past her.

"Hey, Mister! See this?" she says and she holds the book up to him.

"Excuse me?"

"See this right here? Ellen Spencer! That's me! I wrote that!"

The man scratched his head in confusion.

"Ok. Um...good. Good for you". He continues to walk on.

Ellen stands up and takes a deep breath before walking back inside. She pours herself some more champagne and turns on the television.

She puts down her book and focuses her attention on the tv. There's a show on about a group of young people. Teenagers. What catches her attention is a part where a young man throws his cell phone into a river. The boy screams "I hate you! I hate you!".

She imagines this playing out in the real world. The instant regret, the explanations to relatives or employers, the worry. In a flash she writes down the words "a story about a boy who throws his phone into the ocean" and puts the paper on her bulletin board. The sun is beginning to set outside and the street lights come on suddenly. The light shines into her kitchen window. She shuts the blinds and pours herself some more champagne.