In the Winter I choose not to vacuum/clean my car, mostly ‘cuz I’m lazy and don’t want to get cold/wet/etc.  I’m sure you understand how many small pebbles/dirt/leaves collected on the floor.
Finally the weather turned warm enough for me to get the vacuum out and commit to the chore.
When I opened the driver’s side door, [...]

Several years ago I lived in an old farmhouse, along a river, in Eastern Washington. I taught at a university, and was renovating the house with my husband. It seemed an idyllic life, and yet I felt a deep sadness because I couldn’t admit that I had made a terrible mistake in my marriage.