Cornered

by Thom Gabrukiewicz

There is lonely and there is alone; one is a choice, the other a condition. She flows through life like a seasonal stream. And hides behind voluminous, neutral-colored clothing and mousy hair that hangs like drapes. She speaks when spoken to, eats in corners from crumpled brown bags, reads dog-eared paperbacks in uncomfortable sitting positions. He says a quiet hello at 12:20 p.m., Monday through Friday. Today, the note he slides across the breakroom's slate-gray Formica tabletop scares her immensely.

6S

Thom Gabrukiewicz, author of Two for the Road, likes the trade life of a working journalist very much, but sometimes sits on his couch late at night and has one-sided discussions about his body of fiction with talk show hosts like Letterman, Leno and O'Brien. His Writer's Sketchbook can be found here.