November

[first lines]

NARRATOR:
Last November, Theo Landers watched a man die outside of a pizza parlor...

[last lines]

NARRATOR:
And, that night - after walking home - his father called to tell him his mother has passed away from a long-fought battle with laryngeal cancer, and Theo needed to give the eulogy. he broke up with his girlfriend the next day. That was yesterday, Wednesday. When Theo used to live with his girlfriend, they frequently fought over his water usage. Ever since Theo was little, he was known for taking exorbitantly long showers. Sometimes, he would sit on the floor of the bath's tub for hours, letting the water and the warmth rush over his face. The next day would be Friday. Theo Landers traveled to the tattoo parlor. As he heard the clicking of the rubber gloves behind him, he prepared his skin for the needles and the ink. And, in the time waiting, he thought of all the places he'd looked and never found her. The girl across the room. Two lovers holding a jacket. But, as the time and the thinking passed, the needle scratched red-hot on his shoulder blade. That was what Theo Landers felt. And, nothing more.