Eileen’s imagination rarely fails her. She’s darn good at making stuff up, especially when it comes to hiding what she’s most ashamed of: a dad who didn’t care about her. It’s an ache she thought she’d outgrow. After all, she’s got all the trappings of a happy life: a good husband, beautiful kids, an obedient dog. But when dear old dad finally gets around to meeting his maker, the old wound opens up. Did he ever love her? Or even give her a thought? Her tall tales don’t take the edge off the pain anymore. She needs the truth. In “The Sorrow for Her Loss,” Eileen sets out to find her answers. And she does—in a place she never wanted to be from an old woman she never expected to meet. This story, which has appeared in Stygian Lepus, grew into my novel Crossing Into Brooklyn. I hope you enjoy this little taste of it.
Meet Eileen, from That Very Place. She’s got a problem.
