bought this pale green jacket for my birthday. my mom asks me if i’ll feel beautiful in it before we buy it. i close up like a lantern. i work late even though we close early. i lie in the parking lot of graeter’s on my knees, to catch a glimpse of the small raccoon under lauren’s car. we watch it eat a river of some spilled shake, before she scares it away. dad gave my favorite t-shirts of his to rachel to take to college. i about cry on my mom’s stomach when i hear.