Holly Sheidenberger

“Secret of Bliss” by Holly Sheidenberger

Barb was mean.

Her husband left her long ago, and her children couldn’t wait to move out.

She cut her hair short and moved to the country with her Chihuahua.

Last March she treated herself to a visit to the City. She had been away too long.

She caught a peculiar sight: a woman pushing a dog in a baby stroller.

Enthralled, Barb followed the woman to a café.

The woman and her dog got a table, so Barb got a table too.

The woman cooed at the dog like a baby. She shared her food with it and let it lick her face. They both looked so happy.

Barb knew she had found the secret of bliss.

Now she dresses her Chihuahua in baby clothes and kisses it on the mouth.

Unfortunately, she is still mean.

“The Dream” by Holly Sheidenberger

Bolt upright in bed he sat, sweating and panting. Looking left, he sighed gratefully when he saw that she was still next to him.

Remembering the cold look, the papers, the walk away, and the end. Divorce. It was a terrible dream.

He vowed, there in the dark, next to his sleeping wife, to change.

She still raged and cried, for mysterious reasons. But this time, he held her silently.

She still told stories about her day, but this time he listened and tried to care. They weren’t as boring as he had thought.

One day the ice melted and she smiled at him, just like she used to.

A week passed, a month, and a year. They liked each other again.

One morning on the table she left an envelope, with a sticker that said “Please Shred.”

Inside: Divorce papers dated one year ago. The day before The Dream.

Secret of Bliss