THAT

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pleasant summer day is only punctuated by infrequent gusts of a strong wind. The kids of the apartment complex had to move their bug zoo inside and hide it under the stairwell. All the bugs are sleeping now and the kids are worried. One girl says it will be okay because it is still early in the day. Up in apartment 109, Claire is still lying in the same spot. Every time the wind blows through the apartment her nightgown billows outwards, exposing her pale, naked body. The breeze has blown a paper towel onto the floor. Four flies hover around the sandwich. Twenty-four flies hover around Claire’s body, creating a quiet, consistent buzzing. The room is humid even with the window open. Claire’s memories haven’t disappeared from the apartment yet. They are invisible and immeasurable, yet they still hang heavy in the air. These memories will be gone in a month, maybe two, but for now they still float idly, staining the walls and the furniture. Above Claire’s body drifts a memory of her face turning blue, choking on the corner of a turkey sandwich. There is an amused smile on her face as she falls to the kitchen floor. In the living room, on a beige recliner with stuffing sticking out of the left armrest, is a memory that contains the man from the Ford Taurus. “You have to remember to turn off the oven if you cook, mom,” the man says. The man is sitting on the recliner and Claire is dusting in the living room. He is looking at her, concerned. “How are you and Katie?” Claire asks, looking over her shoulder as she dusts a photograph of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. He sighs. “I don’t know. Fine, I think.” “You better watch her.” Claire stops dusting and looks over at her son. “Mom. The oven.” “There is something I don’t trust about that woman.” Claire looks away from her son and continues to dust. Outside of the memories, a cluster of cotton from a cottonwood tree has journeyed with a gust of wind, making its way up through apartment 109’s open window and finally settling on the navy sectional next to the beige recliner. The sectional is stained with an image of Claire and her husband, who died several years ago, sitting there holding hands and watching a black-and-white film. Claire looks up at him and smiles and he smiles back, moving closer to her and removing his hand from hers to wrap his arm around her shoulders. They are excited to go to the farmers market the next day; Claire likes looking at rusty antiques and her husband likes finding foods that he’s never tried before. Later that night, long after Claire has gone to bed, he’ll sit near the window in the living room, looking out of his 1958 Unitron telescope; sometimes until two or three in the morning. At that moment there is a quick knock at the door that silences the memories. The door opens and Claire’s son steps into the entryway. His eyes are puffy and he rubs them while standing on the welcome mat in the front entrance. After he rubs his eyes he starts to talk as he walks further inside. “Mom, I’m sorry I wasn’t here last week or 41
yesterday. And sorry I haven’t called. I have . . . .” His voice trails off as he discovers Claire’s body. The man’s eyes open wide. “Mom . . .” he says. There are now forty-seven flies hovering around Claire’s body. ° 42 <strong>THAT</strong>
Page 1 and 2: THAT
Page 3 and 4: THAT LITERARY REVIEW Number One 201
Page 5 and 6: Prose M. J. Iuppa What She Wouldn
Page 7 and 8: Make Them Float in Your Mouth Iris
Page 9 and 10: Marine Mammals of the Northwestern
Page 11 and 12: A Kiss Good-bye M. J. Iuppa There
Page 13 and 14: Talking Money, Judaism Christianity
Page 15 and 16: A dinner I had with Uncle Chaim whe
Page 17 and 18: suspicious eyes narrowing at me as
Page 19 and 20: The Man Painting the Inside Charles
Page 21 and 22: we all walk from one world to the n
Page 23 and 24: Sonnet 11PM Drew Pisarra Pajamas ar
Page 25 and 26: efused to say. Patty, meanwhile, ch
Page 27 and 28: “Who’s Frankie Goes to Hollywoo
Page 29 and 30: eses. Jim appreciated the effort. A
Page 31 and 32: Seeing Oneself Les Bares The pigeon
Page 33 and 34: Making the Big Time Stephen Reilly
Page 35 and 36: imagine who they want to be. Amber,
Page 37 and 38: Autumn Love with May Sarton: Cento
Page 39 and 40: Quiet Justin Christensen The apartm
Page 41: Back in the old lady’s apartment,
Page 45 and 46: Etta Mae was Late to Church Tobi Al
Page 47 and 48: Basic Form Valerie Westmark Once, I
Page 49 and 50: Flawed Apertures Ciara Shuttleworth
Page 51 and 52: it yourself, then accept it or lose
Page 53 and 54: numbers. They raised themselves out
Page 55 and 56: panty hose around their loins. One
Page 57 and 58: Tea with a Friend and Her Husband A
Page 59 and 60: For Angelique A.C. Warner My father
Page 61 and 62: Sitting Skinny Taylor Lauren Ross L
Page 63 and 64: One day after school, Bridget convi
Page 65 and 66: The Relaxed Dive Daryl Nielsen inne
Page 67 and 68: cryptic phone call Vincent A. Cellu
Page 69 and 70: firing gun at nothing while screami
Page 71 and 72: There are days I wish I was wearing
Page 73 and 74: Rest of the day I’m on autopilot.
Page 75 and 76: In the air conditioned dark we agre
Page 77 and 78: The Dandy Gorilla Nathalie Kuroiwa-
Page 79 and 80: said. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be
Page 81 and 82: white. Does that make sense?” “
Page 83 and 84: Between the Woman and the Telemarke
Page 85 and 86: Snowball fights, tobogganing— a m
Page 87 and 88: “Me?” I asked. “Yes,” she s
Page 89 and 90: Brought up from the pool, The net l
Page 91 and 92: This year in Jerusalem, Gerard Sarn
Page 93 and 94:
y accompanying its Iraqi-born patri
Page 95 and 96:
Journal John Stocks Firstly, you sh
Page 97 and 98:
Signs Tom Spencer Something had bee
Page 99 and 100:
Fishers of Men Donald Mitchell Supp
Page 101 and 102:
Clearance Aaron Belz We would read
Page 103 and 104:
Veteran Nels Hanson Down an old man
Page 105 and 106:
I Won’t Forget You, Everett Sloan
Page 107 and 108:
“Hmm?” One of the sound men. Pr
Page 109 and 110:
This Is Just To Let You Know M. G.
Page 111 and 112:
Archaic Carton of Oatmeal after Ril
Page 113 and 114:
Litany Dylan Debelis Speak to your
Page 115 and 116:
Justin Christensen is a Creative Wr
Page 117 and 118:
Daryl Nielsen has published poems i
Page 119:
STAFF General Editor: W.B. Gerard F
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THAT

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