I left the comfort of my family for you. They couldn’t stand that I was marrying a black man so they practically kicked me to the kerb.

“And could you bring me some Jack? I drank the last of the only one we had.” This caused me to hesitate, but she was smiling and I didn’t want it to stop. I wanted her to be happy and not hate me like the rest of her family did.

THE ABSENCE OF LIQUOR BY DEJA-N WILLIAMS 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 34

It broke my heart. Watching her lie in bed like that, wailing and moaning and gulping down any liquor that she could get her hands on. But knowing the reason why she was all crumpled and destroyed, broke my heart the most.

My wife was a vibrant woman. Her personality was polished, and her broad smile stole my heart back when we were eager sophomores in college. The reason we met was because her car caught a flat one dark and stormy afternoon.

I saw her struggling with it, you know, trying to fix it herself and all. I had the intent of helping her and then being on my merry way, but she was all smiles and had no problem with the rain drumming on the top of her pretty little head. I distinctivel…