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A man glares at the woman-shaped red hole cut out of the photo beside him on the sofa, scissors on the cushion.

The deckThe Figures10 of 24

The Ex

The closed case, the rematch, and the argument in the shower.

Figure
The one you are still arguing with in the shower. A person, a job, a plan.
Pattern
Keeping a case open that was closed.
What it protects
A rematch feels like it could still be won.
What it costs
You are the only one who showed up.
The move
Say the last line out loud, once, to the actual room.
ON FILE
A photograph with one section cut out.

In each position

  1. HOW IT STARTED

    It ended. You kept the file open. You have added to it since.

  2. HOW IT'S GOING

    You are winning the argument. You have been winning it for months. In the shower.

  3. HOW IT ENDS, ALLEGEDLY

    You will say you are over it. You will say it to them, in your head, in closing.

Three questions

  1. What is the last line you keep rewriting?
  2. Who else showed up to the rematch?
  3. What would closing the case cost you?

A sample file

A sample file

This office has reviewed the closing statement. It has been delivered forty times, to tile, and has improved each time, because the opposing party has not attended a single session. The case was closed. The file shows exhibits added ever since, mostly in the car and in the three minutes before sleep. A rematch feels winnable, which is what keeps it a rematch and not a memory. xxx xxxx xxxx xxx xxxxx xxxxx xx xxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxx xxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxx xx xxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxx xxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxx xxxx xxxx The office also delivers a closing statement in the shower, to a different wall, and also wins. The office has not met the other party. The other side rested months ago, and you are still winning.

EXHIBITS

  1. A. A photograph with one section cut out.
  2. B. A secret, told once, carried eleven times.
  3. C. Thirty-one requests for permission, unrequired.

CLOSEDyou reopened it

Every file is written for the person who pulled it. This one was written for nobody, so it is the only one you get to read without pulling. One sentence is sealed on every public copy, this one included.

On file in cotton

The shirt

Nobody has called about the missing person. Including you.

I Miss Whoever I Was from $30
Pull your file

Once a day. Three cards, one finding, a status. How it works.