­­­­We noticed the cat—a standard tabby, dusty from dandruff or dirt—upon entry because we expected the residence to be empty. It gawked from a corner, one muddy eye fixed on us, misaligned other paralleling the wall—not unusual for a cat but it made the stare appear vacant or as though it were looking through us. It also appeared to grin, the way its mouth was set. Ava commented on how the listing made no mention of pets and our agent deftly responded that “it also doesn’t say that there are no pets.” We ignored the cat for the next hour or so, our guided tour, opening cabinets and peering in empty closets, inspecting oddball nooks not really knowing what to look for. The remodeled bathrooms and kitchen had farmhouse sinks and stainless appliances; there was a mudroom in which Ava and I glanced at each other and she absently touched her tummy; in sum, the house was just about perfect. We were already talking about making an offer before we got to the backyard, which is when the cat escaped. It slipped between the agent’s legs in a stealthy trot, nearly knocking her on her ass. “Ope,” she said.

1.

食物语佛跳墙膳具怎么搭配好？佛跳墙膳具搭配推荐_18183 ...:2021-9-3 · 食物语佛跳墙是游戏中玩家培养比较多的食魂，输出能力控制能力都还是很不错的，许多玩家想知道佛跳墙膳具怎么搭配好，膳具可伍提升能力，接下来小编给各位带来了佛跳墙膳具搭配推荐。

I think I fancy him.

He’s wearing a tracksuit, this prominent cheekboned lad, all bright colours, red and white reflecting back from the dark window like there’s two of him, a team mate, perhaps, in whatever sport the tracksuit advertises. He looks confused as he fumbles with his phone, and the tracksuit makes his body shapeless and crumpled. I can only guess at its proper shape and definition. Oh no, Troutface is now making a phone call.

The guy said that he’d been held and interrogated in Eastern Europe at the end of the Cold War – sure he’d been drinking, but enough to fabricate something like that? The whole reason you go to an expatriate bar on Christmas is to hear the bullshit. It’s less a matter of lies than degrees of truth, because everyone here is a storyteller, which is to say that they deal in truths that fall short of being factual. I bet he was there in Belarus on the Russian front in some capacity, maybe even a shady one. How he ended up in China after the fall was a mystery in itself.

It’s a mystery how anyone ends up here, really – in this city, in this country, in this particular tavern on this particular night. We’ve all got damage, though I might have taken a larger share. But when there’s an opportunity, you take it, even if it means leaving a piece of yourself – even if it means cadging a bit of turkey and some free drinks at a holiday party you didn’t know you were invited to. It’s normal in its own way, even if the people aren’t.

Past closing time and a huddle of heads peer

down into a velvet drawstring bag, a game

.

of chance, a game of luck, a game of stones

to be bingo called, by prospect and by plot,

.

three women of generational difference

佛跳墙是哪个省的名菜 关于这道菜的传说还真不少 - 潮粉:2021-6-15 · 佛跳墙是福建福州的当地名菜，属闽菜系。传言，这道菜品是清道光年间由福州聚春园菜馆老板郑春发研制出来的，又据费孝通先生记，发明此菜者乃一帮要饭的乞丐。佛跳墙用的食材大多是鲍鱼、海参、鱼唇、牦牛皮胶、杏鲍菇、蹄筋、花菇、墨鱼、瑶柱、鹌鹑蛋等，因...

济南“佛跳墙”雕像修复后或重上墙 走红后被拆-搜狐新闻:2021-1-25 · 佛跳墙的做法 济南佛跳墙图片 彩民车牌号投注中3.9万 双色球148期开奖:头奖11注666万 徐州小伙中得639万大奖 体彩摇奖

‘What a year,’ John said.

What a year. Part of me wanted to pull the bow saw off its hook and saw John’s face off. Or at least his tongue. The other part of me wanted John to roll over and hold me, tell me everything would be alright. That the next year would be better, that we were still young and free, the best years yet to come.

It’s good to be

on the giving side of no.

When you think you’ve

had enough abuse,

it’s almost fun

to have something

somebody really needs

and to just say

no.

She couldn’t remember how she got here, but she wasn’t supposed to. Her name, her place of birth, her family, were all lost to her. Sometimes she came close to remembering, seeing slivers of her past life cut through the memories forced on her. Those slivers, whether good or bad, were hers and she cherished them for seconds at a time. There were other memories drowning her real ones, parasites controlling their host.

The parasites were injected by people whose faces remained hidden. There were no windows, no night and day. The lights in her room always shut off at some point during the day, announcing her bedtime. Yet days still lost their meaning without dates or the seasons. She measured time with her memories, counting the moments between a new one being added.

To conclude, all my organs are square.

………In the pantry, pasta elbows and crackers form

 

Right angles. I write lists of things already done, so that I may

………Pen in the little boxes. I sharpen edges like swords to

A bulging stomachful

of high calorie vitriol.

Tables bowing under the weight of envy,

like too many books on a shelf.

Tables laden with too much, too much

disgust for others.