Summer has hit us… a couple of days over one hundred degrees, and I can feel myself melting when my feet hit the pavement. So I sludge back inside, wishing my air conditioner would have superhero powers and cool the house like an air-conditioned car. But alas, such is not the case.

What’s been happening?

I’ve got into the groove of clicking out 2k words on average every morning this month. I make my way onto my writing couch, throw my feet up, and read the last paragraph from the day before. I contemplate and consider, daydream and decipher. Then I lose myself to the moment and write until that time where I really can’t write anymore for fear of being late for work.

One of my favorite lines written this month:

The blinding darkness made the feeling of her elbow touching his all the more confusing, his mind festering with risqué ideas. To the point where he became uncomfortable and started fidgeting, earning a pinch and a hiss to keep still.

What have I read this month?

• How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger

  • I listened to this one as an audiobook during my commute to and from work. What a dense piece of work! The refreshing thing was the amount of scientific references rather than opinions.

• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

  • A true classic that I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. It was a delightful read and the reason behind me allocating time to writing every morning.

• The Dark God Series by John D. Brown

  • My fiction read for the month. I’ve raced through the first two books, Servant and Curse, and am now wrapping up the series with Raveler. The magic system in this series is highly captivating and unique. Definitely worth a read!

What are you reading? I’m looking for some new fun stories to lose myself in! Send me a message!

Finally, the status chart:

Only a few blooms are peeking out of my garden beds, but the Mile High City sprouted a few tornadoes this month. It reminded me of a time when I was a teenager driving along in Denver and looked up to see a twister in the distance, judged the distance, then resumed driving and jamming out to the radio.

What’s been happening?

Editing. Editing. And more editing. But actual editing this time, rather than just proofreading and burning sentences containing poor English. I’ve been trekking through the first novel, highlighting, adding comments, and contemplating arcs. Not rewriting anything yet so I can keep a laser focus on the overlying forest rather than the individual trees.

Anything new?

I’ve discovered more about myself when it comes to writing this month. And it’s that I’m not a huge fan of plotting. With these novels, I went through and wrote down a comprehensive outline of all the arcs, then for each chapter I would create an outline of what would happen. Then when I’d sit down to write, I would fill in the fluff. But the story was already written. So the passion wasn’t there. And I was bored.

So I’ve flipped the script and switched back to discovery writing with the second novel, and lo and behold, two more characters immediately arrived on the scene. And now I’m holding on by my fingertips as the story speeds off, excited to see where it goes and what I’m going to discover along the way.

Finally, the status chart:

Ahhh. The sweet smell of victory with finishing my first draft. And this one was a long time in the making, especially since I scrapped my last novel that strayed too far from the realm of fantasy.

Just to whet your appetite, here is the first paragraph of the first draft of the first novel (whew - what a lot of firsts!):

The Fog Isle lay smothered beneath a fog so dense it devoured everything. For weeks each year, neighbors became phantoms, swallowed whole by the pearled gloom. Tonight, as the clock tower tolled midnight, the village exhaled in unison—a symphony of snores and the plink-plink of fog-drip pooling into glass jars. Yet beneath the quiet hum of routine, a ragged rhythm pulsed: the scrape of boots on cobblestone, the rasp of a rope tether trembling in a drunkard’s grip. Without it, he would have lost his way, unable to see his own hands.

What’s next?

I start writing the second novel tomorrow, allowing for the remaining plot pieces to fall where they will. When I’m not drumming away on the keyboard for that, I’ll be editing the first novel, ensuring all the pieces make sense and there aren’t any characters with magically color-changing hair — those that are supposed to have only one type of hair color that is…

Anything new?

Spring has snuck up, and the last snow of the season decided it would rather not visit. With the warming weather, I spent the weekend hiking, enjoying the new vegetation in the Rocky Mountains, and prepping the garden and flowerbeds. Time to get out and enjoy the wonderful weather!

And oh my, how the kitten has grown! This little feline of cuddles is almost a year old and still joins me for a snooze whenever I can escape long enough to write on my couch.

Finally, the status chart:

There it is. The full plot of my next novel, the first in a trilogy. This picture is the first of its kind and was created using Obsidian, a wonderful app that has permeated every corner of my life. From keeping track of items at work to world building at home. The picture above was created with the Canvas feature, allowing me to graphically map out different arcs of the story.

For my first novel, there was zero plot. I had an idea and then put fingers to keyboard and let the story unfold for me. Which was a good storyline, but there was little character development and foreshadowing. Then I wrote another novel (never to see the light of day) and there was a loose outline of what I thought was a great story. Then I rewrote that plot at least five times and ended the journey with no story.

So here is my third stab at deciphering my brain and what it needs to create spell-binding stories. I spent almost two months ironing out the journey of our new hero and the hardships he is going to face along the way. So now when I sit down to write, I already know what I’m writing and can focus on elements of writing more than the story.

We shall see if the effort was worth the story…

Writing The Heist was a great journey for me. I learned through it what it felt like to create a side character, Erica, that was much more interesting than the main character, Julian. So I pulled Erica into a main character position like she deserved, but doing so turned it into a book with two main characters who both viewed the world from a first-person perspective. A truly difficult feat to accomplish effectively and was out of my current skill set. 

Another major learning curve was plotting. For my first novel, August Fairview, I did absolutely zero plotting. I took an idea and ran with it, letting emotions and ideas pop into existence wherever I wanted. I then didn't address the plot holes before publishing because, to be frank, I was quite done with August and wanted to move on to my next book. Which is why August Fairview won't remain on the shelves forever. For this novel, The Heist, there was an outline. A humble attempt at a plot, and that outline changed even when I was writing the book, so I can't say I held true to it. So once the book was done, I looked back and saw many holes that would take quite a lot of patching to fix. This weekend, I started writing my third novel, which will be the first in a trilogy, and I have spent two months plotting the story. So I know everything that will happen; the world has been built, and lives have been fixed. But I will let the characters’ personalities remain unknown so that they can build authentically as I write. 

My best discovery from writing is that of learning more about myself. Writing over a hundred thousand words in ten months has taught me that I love reworking stories numerous times, and that rework is much easier in a true multi-tiered plot rather than paragraphs. So I bid that work adieu and wish for you to hang tight because my next novel should be much quicker coming to you.

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I wouldn’t have known if not for my inside man at the police dispatch center. As soon as the alarm triggered, a text message buzzed across my phone from an unknown number. 5-0 notified. A simple text, only two words. But enough to cause my heart to miss a beat. I couldn’t accelerate the plan, I could only pray it would play out before things escalated. My plan was to leave the hired thugs behind anyways. They shouldn’t know who I was, I’d never met any of them before, and would like nothing more than to see none of them again.

From the first time the leader of the Russian gang blew his fruit loop-flavored vape cloud, I should have taken that splendid indicator for the street sign it was. These guys turned a difficult situation into a downright disastrous one. So much meticulous planning went into this heist, planning that was torn to pieces once they started behaving like gangsters shooting up a club.

Twenty. I need to leave in the next ten seconds. If I left when the timer hit one, it would be too late and the building would be surrounded. There were no police cruisers outside yet, only pedestrians walking past the wall of one-way glass, unaware of the bodies painting the ceramic floor only feet from them. They could see the armed security guards loading up the armored cash van idling by the curb, but there was nothing unusual about that.

My heavy breathing had built up a layer of moisture inside the ski mask pulled on over my face. Its sticky moisture clinging to my cheeks, threatening me with an early heart attack induced by claustrophobia. I ached to rip it off, but the wide-eyed woman staring at me from where she lay prone on the floor was a sharp reminder I needed to keep my anonymity.

I’ve learned a chunk about myself and the way that I think through the many revisions I went through. There’s nothing that brings a deeper understanding of how the mind is wired than putting it on a blank page and critiquing it multiple times!

And now to set sail into uncharted waters with pushing the book out there for all to see! Nerve wracking! But thrilling! A true dream come true, and I am already scribbling through a different story that I am aiming to publish in early 2025.

So here it is: August Fairview and the Crescent Moon Staff. It is steeply discounted for the time being so that readers far and wide can check it out. The only request I have is for you to leave a review so I can know what you think.

The sun slipped below the horizon and the clouds began transitioning through multiple hues. The heavens were painted as birds chirped around me, jumping into the air to dart to a new perch every minute or so. Then there was a moment of silence as the breeze ceased carrying sound from the highway nearby. The leaves stopped rustling and the grass stayed still. Pearl drops of rain hung onto the leaves of a bush nearby and the thick humidity from the recent rain began to build up.

Then the breeze started again and the birds whistled merrily. The trees whispered to each other and the bush shook off the rain. I took another sip, savoring the robust flavor that came from loose leaf tea. Then a noise crept to me on the wind. A mewing sound, a heart wrenching noise that brought me to the front of my chair. Setting the cup down on the stand next to me, I strained to hear the noise again. Then there it was. That mew.

I stood up and took a few steps down the patio steps before pausing to listen. The sound came with each fresh wave of air and I found myself closer to the source until I was standing in front of a neighbors house a few driveways down the street. I paused and waited, pinpointing the mew to a specific rose bush in their front yard. I would ask for forgiveness if caught, but the cry had moved my heart. I tip toed up to the bush and gently pushed the thorny limbs aside, peering through the leaves. I saw a ball of fur, curled up tight with water matting the hair close to its body. The mew came again, a surprisingly loud noise from something so small, and my chest tightened.

I could tell now that it was a kitten. A calico little beauty of tan, black, and white. It had escaped from the rain by climbing into the rose bush, but now the tapestry of thorns kept it locked in place. The mew sounded once more and the little head lifted and eyes stared at up at me. Those dark pupils were hesitant at first, but then became pleading and heart wrenching. I shoved my hands into the bush, attempting to avoiding the thorns but earning long gashes up my forearms. I spread the limbs and cupped the dripping body in my hands. Then lifting the kitten gently out of the bush, I cupped its lightweight form to my chest.

I padded back to my house and grabbed a towel from the hallway closet. Wrapping the kitten up snuggly, I scratched it behind the ears and pulled it back against my chest.

“Who’s a good girl.” I crooned. “Such a good girl.”

We stayed there, the little body shivering as I kept soothing it. I could feel the invisible rope already wrapping around my heart and knotting as the shivering slowly subsided. I opened up the fridge and poured some milk into a bowl before nuking it in the microwave for a few seconds. Then taking the kitten gently out of the towel, I set the bowl and her on the floor. She staggered over to the bowl, her tiny legs barely keeping her body up. Then she started lapping the milk, a tiny tongue darting in and out, ripples dancing along the surface. She looked up at me with a droplet of milk on her whiskers that I watched drop into the bowl, causing one more ring of ripples.

“Come here sweetie.” I held out my hands.

Without any hesitation, the kitten walked over and into my grasp. I stood up and held her to my cheek. I rubbed her slightly damp fur against my skin and inhaled the musty scent. My chest felt full as I walked over to my couch and sat down. I lowered her onto my lap and she curled up into a tight ball, falling asleep. I grabbed my iPad and started flicking through Amazon as I added a litter box, food and toys to my cart. A boom of thunder rang in the distance, but the storm had passed for me.

With one last glance at my reflection, taking note of the 5am stubble on my cheeks, I headed out of the bathroom. I picked up my briefcase from where I had set down in the hallway and my cat, Felix, purred and chased after me. Her ritual pounce onto the swinging briefcase set her claws deep into the leather and I had to shake it out of her grasp before clutching it to my chest. I poured my liquid breakfast from a warmed up day-old pot of coffee into a mug and headed out to the driveway where my car was parked. Morning dew coated the windshield with a few green leaves from a nearby tree. The summer heat was off to a head start and the brewing humidity was thickening in my lungs. I sighed as I could already feel sweat pooling on my lower back and armpits.

Click. I buckled myself into my white ’96 Honda Civic with its rusted wheel hubs. My hands brushed over the cracked leather wheel as I turned the key in the ignition. The engine stuttered to life and I reached down with my left hand to crank down the drivers window. Squinting against the reflection of the sun in my rear view mirror, I shifted the car into reverse. I stared at the weeds proliferating the cracks in my driveway as I pulled out. I would need to do something about those. I executed my ninety degree reversal and noticed a car waiting for me to finish, I gave an apologetic wave and pressed my foot down on the gas pedal. The Civic crawled off, its four cylinders pushing like the little engine that could.

Coming to the stop sign out of the neighborhood, I cranked my head to the left to check for oncoming traffic, rolling the car forward as I did. Seeing nothing, I pushed on the gas and felt a thud at the same time I heard a yelp come through my cracked window. I slammed down on my brakes and waited for the universe to tell me what had happened. I didn’t see anyone in front of me. And I didn’t see anything around me. Then I saw the stray dog stagger up from the ground in front of my car. Its large brown eyes drew me in like a whirlpool before it let out a whimper and limped off down the sidewalk.

I sat there, debating on if I should park and go after the dog. But a car pulled up behind me and ended my internal conflict. I checked left again and pulled out onto Grandwood St. The four cylinder stuttered up to the speed limit, the vibration becoming smoother as the engine warmed up. Moisture condensed on my forehead and I dabbed it away with a spare handkerchief I kept in my glove box. I fumbled with the knob for the air conditioner, hoping that there was still enough coolant left to battle the heat. I crossed into the intersection of Grandwood St and 100^th as the engine power faded over to the compressor.

Click. I buckled myself into the cracked leather seat of my white ’96 Honda Civic. I had fumbled putting my coffee mug onto the dashboard, almost spilling it as I tossed the briefcase onto the passenger seat. I rubbed my eyes as the reflection from the sun in my rear view mirror stabbed into them. Opening up the center console, I grabbed my aviator sunglasses and twisted them slightly before forcing them onto my face. I felt the stubble on my cheeks as I did and resolved to wake up earlier tomorrow to shave. The morning routine took slightly longer with each passing day.

I backed up out of the driveway while my eyes traced over the peeling white paint on the brick surrounding the front door. I needed to hire someone to give the house a fresh paint job. I spotted a car that had come to an abrupt stop to avoid hitting me. I pressed on the gas as I watched her fingers drum away on the steering wheel as she shook her head. As soon as I was out of the way, I gave a friendly wave as an apology and she floored it past me in her black Lexus SUV. I crawled out of the neighborhood, giving my Civic a chance to warm herself up. With the heat already starting, she wouldn’t make it to work if I pushed too hard too soon.

I pulled up to the stop sign at Grandwood St. and looked left, checking for any oncoming cars while observing the wilting palm trees. A crew was hard at work shimmying up the trees to cut off the dead branches. I remembered John, my nosy neighbor, mentioning that the HOA had budgeted for tree maintenance. He had told me about it while standing on my sidewalk judging the state of my house. He had restated the importance of appearance along with following the HOA guidelines. John was undoubtedly the reason HOA notices appeared on my doorstep within the week.

I pushed my foot down on the gas and crept forward, a yelp and a thud greeting me. My foot pressed down on the brake and I cranked my head around looking for the source. A black stray dog, its fur in clumps, pushed itself up from in front of the car. It stared at me with wounded eyes before limping off across the street towards the tree crew. They glanced at the stray and then returned to gaily shouting at one another while they worked. I shook my head as a feeling of deja vu shivered up my spine. I merged onto Grandwood St. and levered down on the gas pedal, pushing the old girl up to speed while turning on the air conditioner. I looked up and noticed the red light at the intersection at 100^th.

Click. I buckled myself into the once glamorous bucket seat of my white ’96 Honda Civic with its worn tires. I would need to get the tires replaced this weekend. And the brakes. They hadn’t been performing well of late. I lifted up my coffee from where I had set it on the dashboard and took a sip, gagging on the aged bitter coffee hues. I cranked down my window as I thumbed the wipers. They chased each other across my windshield and left long streaks reflecting the morning sunlight. I geared it into reverse and backed out of the driveway, hearing a screech of brakes as I did. My head jerked around to see that the neighbor in her new Lexus had come to a screeching stop to avoid hitting me.

I pressed down on the gas and backed up into the street, waving an apology as she sped past. She had moved in a month ago and had introduced herself a week later while her eyes danced over the weeds decorating my lawn. Then she had walked off with her Pomeranian, muttering to herself as the dog relieved itself on John’s grass. John had put up a ‘don’t let your dog pee’ sign on his lawn the very next day. I favored the gas as I made my way out of the neighborhood, observing the mismatched houses. The homes of old friends and lawns that had seen better days contrasting with the lawns of new families with freshly mown grass complimenting new paint.

A sigh escaped my lungs as I pulled up to the stop sign at Grandwood St. and peered left. My eyes took in the browning grass that the city sprinklers had exhausted themselves trying to keep green. At the beginning of spring, they sparkled with a deep green hue, but in the middle of summer the heat always triumphed. I let off the brake and pressed on the gas to merge onto Grandwood St., skidding to a halt as my senses were shocked by a yelp and thud. A stray dog with a scar across its graying muzzle stood up in front of my car. It stood there and judged me with eyes full of betrayal. My heart ached as he limped off. I knew that he wouldn’t come near me. I had tried for months to feed him and had been rejected, but I still wanted to go after him to see if he was okay.

A car honked behind me as an anxious neighbor expressed their desire for me to take the turn. I shook my head and pressed down on the gas to merge into traffic. The heat had sapped what little energy I had started with this morning and I turned on my air conditioner, wishing for a refreshing breeze. I looked up as I came to 100^th and saw that it was a red light. I slammed my foot down on the brake but the traction I was expecting didn’t happen and my car kept rolling forward. My heart skipped a beat before hammering faster as my knuckles turned white clenching onto the steering wheel. I turned my head left and saw a semi bearing down on me, it’s horn blaring through my cracked window. I closed my eyes and felt my body jerk right as the scream of wrenching metal split the air and shards of glass stabbed my face.

Click. My calloused hand buckled my seatbelt. Years of carpentry work had calloused the skin to the point I had little feeling remaining. A tear rolled down my cheek as I waited for the car I knew would be there to pass. But it didn’t come. I put the gearbox into reverse and started pulling out of the driveway only to receive a honk from a black Lexus screeching to a stop. I waved to a face with little time for me before I drove slowly through the neighborhood, keeping my eyes peeled for a certain stray dog.

I slowed down to come to a stop before the stop sign at Grandwood St. so that I could avoid hitting said dog, but my effort was in vain as I watched a blur of black fur sprint from behind a hedge and in front of my car. The familiar yelp sounded and I reached down to unbuckle, but before I could put the car in park, the retired stray was limping away. Streams of water were pouring down my cheeks now. I buckled back up and merged into traffic, going slow and skipping the air conditioner. I braked in preparation as I watched the light turn red, but the pedal hit the floor and the wheels kept rolling. I looked through watery eyes at the semi bearing down on me. I crossed into the intersection and squeezed my eyes shut, forcing one last tear to roll down my cheek.

Click.

“Mom! You didn’t pack me any snacks!”

“They’re in your backpack.”

The ‘you’re going to be late’ alarm went off on my phone, startling me even though I was expecting it. Ben and Jack dragged their feet over to the door leading out to the garage. Ben was still in his pajamas since he was going start school next year. Meanwhile, Jack stood there holding a waffle that was dripping syrup onto the floor.

“Come on Jack!” I snatched it out of his hand. “You’re gonna be in first grade next year! You should know better.”

“Mom! Give me back my waffle. I’m hungryyy!” Jack tried to snatch it back but I held it up higher and syrup ran down my wrist.

“Get your shoes on. Now! Or I’m leaving without you!”

“Fine. Leave without me.” Jack sat down on the floor.

Little shit. Time to turn it up a notch. “Get your shoes on this second or I’m gonna call Dad!”

Jack scrambled to pull his shoes on, sticking the velcro together. I grabbed a paper towel from the kitchen and wrapped the waffle up in it before washing the syrup off my arm.

“Mommy, I’m being good,” Ben said. “See? I’m ready.”

“Yes you are, honey. Let’s go.”

Ben and Jack walked out into the garage. Leaving me to juggle the backpack and water bottles. God forbid if these kids went one second without water. Like gremlins, they would transform from cute little blessings into raging monsters dying of thirst. Or hunger. Which was why I had a stocked bin of snacks in the car just for them. It was better to shut them up with food than listen to them complain about being ’so hungry they were going to die’.

I followed them out into the garage, punching the button to raise the garage door as Ben took it one step at a time down the stairs. Crap! They had left the car door open last night. Please don’t let the battery be dead! I didn’t have time to jump it this morning and I’d have to find where Henry put the car jumper battery thing. Which would make Jack late for school and then I’d have to call and come up with a tardy excuse.

“Jack! Get in the car! Buckle up!” He had decided to grab his bike and looked like he was about to go for a ride.

“I’m getting in the car Mommy,” Ben climbed through the open door into the car.

“Yes you are, honey. Come on Jack!”

“Stop yelling at me! I don’t want to go to school!” Jack said.

“You don’t have a choice! You need to go!”

My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw that my husband, Henry, was calling. Crud. I wouldn’t mention the car was dead until I knew for sure.

“Hey honey!” I answered, getting into the drivers seat.

“Hey. How’s your morning going?” Henry asked.

“We’re getting in the car right now.” I thrust the phone onto my shoulder. Why do you always call when I’m leaving the house? I turned the key and thank god the engine purred to life.

“Ahh. Running late this morning,” Henry said. Oh my. Captain Obvious has arrived. I want to see him get all the kids ready and out of the house.

“Mom!” Jack said. “You forgot my lunch!”

No. You forgot your lunch. I got out of the car. “Yeah, we’re running a little behind this morning.” Lord, please give me patience.

I walked back into the house, grabbing the lunch box from where I had set it next to the garage door earlier that morning.

“You’re not very talkative this morning,” Henry crackled in my ear.

“Sorry. I’m just trying to get out the door.”

“Okay. Well, hey, I was just calling to ask you to pick up some milk. I was gonna have cereal this morning and saw that we were out.”

Yes, you and the kids both noticed the lack of milk. That’s why you had a waffle. Then Jack saw the mess you left on the counter and he wanted a waffle. And now there’s syrup on the floor that I need to clean up when I get back home. “Yeah, I’ll grab some milk today.”

“Okay, thanks Liz. I love you!”

“Love you too.” I hung up and got back in the car.

“Mom! We’re going to be late!” Jack said. He had decided to be worried about school now.

“We’ll get there when we get there.” I thumbed the radio to my favorite station as I pulled out of the driveway.

“Umm,” Ben said. “Nobody buckled me.”

Crap! I slammed the car into park, halfway off the driveway, then got out to buckle him in.

“Sorry buddy, Mommy forgot.” I said as Ben kicked his feet. “Stop squirming honey.”

“Sorry Mommy, I need to pee.” Ben said.

“Can you hold it?”

“No. I really need to pee.”

“Uhh Mom, we don’t have time for Ben to pee.” Jack said.

His hand was riffling through the snack bin between them, the waffle from earlier now on the floor of the car.

“Jack’s right. Can you hold it Ben?”

“I’ll try Mommy.”

Okay, please please please don’t pee your pants. I really don’t want to clean your car seat today. I got back into the drivers seat and was pulling out of the neighborhood when I got another phone call. This time it was my best friend Jean.

“Hey Jean!” I answered. ”Drop your kids off?”

“Yep! Those little hellions are someone else’s problem for the next eight hours!” Jean said. “You wanna go get a pedicure? David’s working from home today, so we can drop Ben off with him.”

Ooo! A pedicure! That sounded so good. My feet were getting rough and I needed someone to spend some time on me. I could pick up milk on the way home and the pile of clean laundry could wait.

“Mommy.” Ben said.

“I’m down girl!” I said. “Are you sure David won’t mind?”

“Of course not, Liz. He loves hanging out with Ben.”

“Mom.” Jack said.

“Okay, as long as you’re sure he won’t mind.”

“He won’t,” Jean said. “Anyways, if he has a meeting, he can just put Bluey on.”

“Mom!” Jack screamed.

“Hold on honey, Mommy’s on the phone,” I said.

“Is that Jack I heard? You haven’t dropped him off yet?” Jean asked.

“Mommy!” Ben screamed.

“No. It’s been one of those mornings.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. Call me back when you’re on your way.”

“I will,” I hung up. “What do you want Jack?”

“There’s a mouse!” Jack’s shrill voice echoed throughout the car. “Get it away from me!”

“What?” I pushed myself up so that I could see them in the rearview mirror. “What did you say?”

“A mouse!” Ben pointed, pressing himself against the car door.

Red taillights flashed and I slammed on my brakes, almost colliding into the car that was coming to a stop in front of me. I felt something brush my hair as it flew past me and a mouse thudded into my windshield.

“See Mommy!” Ben said. “It’s right there!”

A high pitched shriek left my mouth and filled the car as the mouse got to its feet, stumbling a little from smacking into the windshield. It staggered towards the steering wheel and I tried to push myself backwards in my seat, wishing that I could melt through it. Those beady little eyes narrowed in on me before it turned and skittered away across the dashboard. I inhaled and my lungs gained volume.

“Mommy!” Ben said. “Stop screaming! You’re hurting my ears!”

A biker whizzed by on the right side of the car and the motion startled the mouse enough that it turned and bolted straight at me.

“No no no no!” I screamed, waving my hands.

The mouse hopped, aiming for the steering wheel at the same time that I jerked it to the right so that I could get to the side of the road. Its little feet scrambled an inch from my hand, trying to find purchase on the leather wheel before it slid off and fell. Onto my bare legs. The warm fur tickled as the little claws pitter pattered across my thigh as it tried to run. My legs spasmed as I slammed the car into park. The mouse bouncing off of one leg and under the other, and then I felt the little body squish under my thigh. Why did I have to wear shorts today?! A piercing pain shot through my leg and it spasmed again. The mouse skittered out, racing for my feet. I was getting light headed as my lungs continued to claim space in the car.

The mouse ran over my feet as I opened up my door and leapt out. A car honked as it whizzed by, the wind from it passing pressing up against me. As tears ran down my face I jumped up and down, waving my hands. My eyes glued onto the mouse that was now hiding behind the gas pedal. It shivered as its beady eyes stared back at me.

“Mom!” Jack yelled. “We need to go to school!”

“I know!”

But there was no way I was getting back in there and putting my feet anywhere near that mouse. What if it bit me! I remembered the piercing pain from earlier and wiped my thigh. There was a thin line of blood across my palm. That little bugger!

Red and blue lights flashed in my peripheral vision and I turned as a cop pulled up behind my car. He got out and swaggered over.

“Anything I can help you with miss?”

“Sorry officer, there’s a mouse in my car.”

“A mouse?”

“Yes, yes! Right there. Under the gas pedal.”

The cop leaned over and peered in. “Well I’ll be darned. There sure is a mouse right there.”

“Can you get it out? Can you do something?”

“Sure,” he tapped his index finger on his lips. “Sure. Let me think.”

“Mom! We need to go!” Jack chimed.

“Quiet Jack! Let the officer think.”

The cop snapped his fingers. “I got it. Maybe I can shimmy him out. But hopefully he doesn’t make a break for it under your seat, cuz then I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”

He pulled out his nightstick and flicked his wrist so that it telescoped out. A car swerved as it drove by before screeching to a halt in front of mine. A man scrambled out as he pointed his phone at us, chattering as he recorded. He walked up, but I didn’t bother paying attention to what he was blabbing on about. Neither did the cop who was now bent over inside the car, jabbing the nightstick at the mouse, trying to scare it. It wouldn’t budge though. Even when he actually poked it. Come on!

Jack had enough and he decided on screaming. A shrill eruption burst out of his tiny little throat, making the police officer jump and slam his head into the door frame. The noise jolted the mouse back into action and it scrambled out from under the pedal before leaping out of the car. A second later, I joined Jack’s scream as it skittered over my feet again, the soft fur tickling one more time as the little claws dug in. My chest was heaving and through clouded vision I could see tears plopping onto my shirt.

The cop wished me a good day before walking away rubbing his head. And the random man with the phone kept recording until I got into my car and shut the door. Then he rushed back to his Prius, ducked in, and tooted off. I dropped down my visor and red eyes stared back at me from above rivers of mascara. I tried freshening up with a tissue, my breath slowing down as I did. I finally had enough control to start driving again, and I started playing the future conversation in my mind of what I was going to tell Jean when I saw her as I merged with traffic. What a morning.

"Why would somebody not want it? What would they want to hide?" I asked. "It's not permanent anyways."

"Even so," she said. "I don't like it. It's stupid."

I shook my head then went back to reading the article about this truth pill. It was a brand new technology developed by RadioLabs. A pill that contained trillions of nanorobots that would last a week before running out of juice and your body disposing of them naturally. An anonymous individual in the government was quoted as saying they would potentially start using them to narrow down selection on recruits to all military branches. This pill would make polygraph tests a thing of the past.

I flicked my finger on the phone screen, traveling to the bottom of the article where it described in more detail what the robots did. Finding the description, I read it again. The nanotruth technology will access your neural network, deciphering if what you are saying is truthful or not. When it discovers that you are telling a lie, it will transcribe the word “liar” on both of your cheeks. It will then access your memories for the correct information and write it on your back. This writing appears like a temporary tattoo. Fascinating. There was also a large section about the amount of neuroscience advancements that happened to make this technology possible. A true treasure trove of data. Color me curious, I wanted to try it out.

My wife, Alexis, had already moved back to the kitchen where she had just pulled cinnamon rolls from the oven, the smell wafting through the air. It was Sunday breakfast again. A few months after we got married, Alexis started making Sunday breakfast every week for me and then also our twin girls, Clementine and Valencia, who were now thirteen years old. Both of whom were currently sprawled out on the couch with their noses buried in technology. I could faintly make out the sound coming from each of their phones as they scrolled YouTube Shorts, TikTok, or whatever it was that kids watched on their phones these days. Skin care, makeup, fashion. I rolled my eyes. Not for the first time, I wished there was more testosterone in this house. If one of them chased after me one more time with lotion or the desire to pop one of my zits, I might take a vacation I never return from.

I went back to the article, spotting a link that would take me to the company’s website. I clicked on it and scrolled, looking for an option to purchase. There it was! The pill could be mine for the lovely price of $100, or $180 for two. I entered in all of my information, putting it on my credit card so that Alexis wouldn’t get an alert. The shipping details finally came up and the pill would be here in a week for no extra cost, or for an additional $20 it would have overnight shipping. I lingered there for a second, chewing my lip as I weighed the options. What the heck. Tomorrow’s better.

I could pop the pill with my breakfast. Then I would just need to figure out a way to have Alexis take it. Maybe break it open and mix it with her oatmeal. Say that I added chia seeds or something. I could see her waving her fists at me when she discovered what I’d done, the skin tightening around her eyes and her shrill voice echoing throughout the house. Then would come the silent treatment, but I’m used to that. Worth it.

I closed the website on my phone as a platter of food was placed before me. Swinging my feet off the table, I dug in. We had thirty minutes before we had to rush off to church and I still had a film on my teeth that squeaked against the eggs I was chewing. At least I would still be ready before the girls who would need to apply numerous products on their faces. It’s not like I would mind missing service anyways.

Monday morning arrived with a package on my doorstep. I ripped off the tape, flicking my fingers apart to make it fall to the floor and opened up the cardboard box. Inside there were two small white boxes, packaged such that they could give Apple a run for their money. I considered doing an unboxing video, maybe this could be my lucky break to becoming an internet celebrity. Then I would be the video on my kids phones. I discarded the thought and peeled off the plastic wrap, sliding open the first box. There it was. A black pill, cushioned on light gray fabric just like an engagement ring.

I took it out and held it up. It was the size of a vitamin and firm to the touch. I put it back in the box and went to the kitchen to pour some of the strong black coffee that Alexis had prepped to go off at 6am. I headed back to the dining room table, blowing on my coffee to cool it down. I popped the pill in my mouth and slurped the coffee. How long was this going to take? I probably should have read the instructions first. I checked the box and saw a little manual, reading that it would take five minutes before going into effect. That’s fast.

I went over to the fridge and checked if Alexis had made her overnight oats. She sure had. It was sitting on the shelf in a mason jar with a plastic lid on top. She had even added chia seeds! I grabbed the jar and a spoon, opened up the other truth pill package and split the pill open. I carefully poured the contents into the jar. It sparkled like black sand as it made a small pile on top of the soaked oats. I stirred it in and put the jar back in the fridge.

I got rid of the evidence and reminded myself that I couldn’t lie at all this morning. Not even the smallest fib. Otherwise she would know I bought one. And then she would suspect that I had bought two. I made a bowl of AppleJacks and scrolled Facebook while I waited for her to get out of the shower and come downstairs. A little after 7am she walked into the kitchen, wearing only a towel. Wet hair dripping on the floor. I rolled my eyes, the water always left a mess I refused to clean up. She was just making more work for herself.

Alexis came over and gave me a kiss, asked how I slept, then grabbed her jar of overnight oats and headed back upstairs to our bathroom. My chest was tightening as I forced myself not to laugh or smile, I was becoming quite giddy. I’d like to blame that behavior on the pill, but this was my normal personality. I loved playing tricks. Everyone needed a little excitement in their lives, and what kind of person would I be if I didn’t provide it for them?

I waited ten minutes before going upstairs to get dressed. I had decided on what I was going to ask yesterday during church. It had been a sermon about infidelity. She had nodded along and said ‘amen’ at all the right times. Even looking at me and saying “the shame of those people” at one point. I knew she would never cheat on me, it’s not like she had the time. But I was curious, and now I just wanted to know.

I walked into our bathroom, saw an empty mason jar but no wife and turned to go into the closet. She had just started getting dressed, with only her underwear on. The closet light glistened down from her hair to the twin dimples in her lower back.

“Hey honey,” I said. “So I was thinking about church yesterday.”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Well. They were talking about infidelity. Then that made me think. And I just wanted to know, you’ve never cheated on me right?”

Alexis looked at me with raised eyebrows, pulling her bra on. “Of course not. Why would you even ask that?”

She turned back away, but not before I saw black starting to appear on her cheeks. My heart stopped as I looked at the mirror in the closet reflecting her face back to me. In the reflection I saw the words “liar” written backwards on each cheekbone. My eyes turned towards where she was clasping the bra straps together on her back as names began to appear on her left shoulder blade. It was like an invisible mad man had chosen her back for a little bit of calligraphy.

The names began with my name, but they didn’t stop there.

James Jacobson

Donald Danielson

Richard Wilson

Ashley Brown

Taylor Miller

William Anderson

My lungs were tight, my fingers curling into fists. I knew those names! Donny, Dick, and Ashley were her coworkers. Her and Dick had lunch together every week. Taylor worked on the force with me! And Bill had just moved in down the street two months ago! A vein began to pulse on my forehead.

“What. The. Fuck.” I said.

Alexis looked at me, eyes widening when she saw my face. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You’re a fucking liar!” I screamed. “Look at yourself in the fucking mirror!”

She backed up, clutching the dress she had been about to put on in her hands. She didn’t look in the mirror, instead she was staring at me like a caged animal.

“Go ahead! Look in the mirror!” I waved at the mirror in the closet and stormed out. Smashing my fist through a wall as tears burned the sides of my eyes.

The drywall gave easily under my knuckles and the white dust sprayed out over my hand. I felt the stud next to my thumb as I pulled my hand back out. What was I going to do? What was I going to do? I was trying to force myself to think, but all I wanted to do was scream. I wanted to roar like a lion! Or hide in a corner and sob! All of these years she had been cheating on me!

I looked at my badge resting on the nightstand next to the bed, right next to the wedding picture of us fifteen years younger. I felt my heart cleave in two. Memories flashed through my mind like the lights on my cruiser, scene after scene of arriving on married couples who had just discovered the other had broken their vows. I had always thought it would never happen to me. I couldn’t swallow as my vision became blurry and I tried to hold it together. I chose to focus on my anger. Specifically on that asshole of a neighbor I had invited over for a BBQ when he had moved in with his pregnant wife. Time to go fuck up their morning and ruin his life too. Anything was better than being here right now.

I pulled on the jeans I had left next to the nightstand last night. I had dropped them to the ground before joining my naked wife in bed. Fuck!

Alexis came out of the closet wearing her dress, mascara running down her face. “I’m so sorry James!”

“Why? Why did you do it?”

“I’m so sorry! I couldn’t help it!”

“What do you mean you couldn’t help it? We have sex all the time! Was I ever good enough for you?”

“Of course you were!” Alexis said. The words liar traced out again on both of her cheeks.

“Liar!” I screamed. If the kids hadn’t heard us yet, they would now. “Tell the truth!”

“You weren’t here all the time,” she said, snot dripping from her nose. “Please! Please don’t leave me!”

“What do you mean I wasn’t here? I have a job! How else do you think we have this roof over our heads!”

She wiped her hand across her nose, leaving a shiny trail across the back of her hand. “You weren’t here! You’re never here even when you are here!”

I shook my head. She didn’t make any sense.

“And how could you make me take this pill?” Alexis said. “What kind of person are you?”

“Someone that wants to know his wife! Don’t try and turn this around on me!”

She struggled to catch her breath as she collapsed to her knees, her hands cradling her face.

“I need to get out of here.” I said.

“Where are you going?”

“Bill’s.”

“No!” Alexis grabbed at my pants as I walked by. “You’ll destroy Mary’s world! And what about Johnny?”

“You should have thought about his wife and baby before you let him fuck you.” I kicked my foot and dislodged her hand.

I walked out of the room and straight into Clementine and Valencia. Clem stood there with a forgotten toothbrush in her hand as toothpaste dribbled from the corner of her mouth. Val had a green face mask on that contrasted with the neon orange sleep shirt she was wearing.

“Is Mom okay?” Val asked.

Clem didn’t bother asking, she just walked straight into my room. I stood there like a fish out of water, my mouth opening and shutting. Then I just walked down the stairs and out of the house. I walked down the sidewalk, the concrete grating against my bare feet, distantly observing the layer of frost on the cars. I marched over to Bill’s house and rang the doorbell. I took two steps back and tapped my foot until Mary answered the door with newborn Johnny wrapped up in her arms.

A tap tap tap sound came from inside the house and looking past her I saw Bill jumping rope, wearing only his briefs. His body made me hate him more.

“Hey James! What do you need?” Mary said.

She probably hoped that I would say I needed some eggs, or maybe some milk. I knew she didn’t want to hear what I had to say. She had got back from the hospital only three weeks ago.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Sorry about what? Everything okay? You don’t look alright.” She moved her body so that the baby was further away from me.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “Your husband cheated on you with my wife.”

Mary said something, but I didn’t hear what it was. I just turned and walked away. And kept walking.