Building My Own Empire

set, stuffing them haphazardly into a

from the living roo

but then I heard Eleanor'

family, it gives me an 'in' with city planning, the zoning board. It secures funding

s to a

ady bruised, s

ose plans we' d made. A

ldn' t catch, then Eleanor lau

on' t. It doesn' t really ma

e, the fight draining out of

m the bedroom, then moved to the st

when I

bedroom doo

eed to see the full extent of

hed i

m was d

had a new, sleek, modern headboard I' d neve

ed over the chair in the c

ty. My dresser drawers, when

oved in together.

n, desperate n

oom, my suitcases bumping against my

ug, pitying lo

of your older things, the ones that didn't quite fit the new aesthet

managed, my voice dr

zzed. A new mess

chment.

ew, even before I opened

llway, my back to the

r and David. In our

. Very i

oice, clear as a bell

ss, in a boring, predictable way. But no fire. Not l

d, probably stealing his best ideas and

ideo

ick. Hum

This was a deliberate, cr

watching me, a faint, k

ent it. She want

ked out, not say

d me, a period on a chapter