“All You Can Drink/Nobody Eats at Brunch”

What you all don’t understand about life and love, is that it’s good until it’s not. The wet spot on the bed is covered and she’ll sleep next to, until one day, she stops.

And I know you all love TED, but in reality, this is real talk.

We all know how it starts

Smoke gets in your eyes,

Beautiful hues mixing on starry night vibes…

*****

“I don’t remember,” she sobbed. A hand on her chest, rapidly rising and falling, and rising, again. Her eyes glossed, using the bases of her thumbs to wipe away crocodile tears; her voice cracked, “We were reconciling. It’s all in my texts.”

“You had a conversation with an unknown number for twenty-seven seconds, approximately ten minutes before we believe he was killed. And then, another unknown number — or maybe the same one — for fifteen seconds. And that was two minutes before you called Greedy — which, we believe he was dead by that time.” Thalia sniffled, pushing her dark and vintage frames high on her nose and close to her eyes; Detective Marin handed her a kleenex, staring at the striking, yet shaken woman.

The gold phone on the table buzzes and slides, hitting the soda can Thalia had been given, along with a cigarette to calm her nerves.