Q. What inspired this story?

A. This story is inspired by the irrational things I have done or other female friends have done in regard to their significant others. The feeling of wanting to know the past and the idea of how ridiculous it is to explore any of it.

There’s actually a bit of truth in the story taken from a note my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend wrote to him. He probably had no idea the note still existed and when he was cleaning our extra room he threw away the entire box that note was inside, along with other notes and photos, etc. The whole thing made me feel stupid. Something that was significant enough to me to include in my writing, he threw in the dumpster next to cat shit and a broken chair.

People focus on different things and that makes them interesting. The details you pick out and remember say a lot about you.

Q. What makes fiction necessary for you?

A. Writing is a different kind of art. With drawing or sculpting there isn’t as much room for correction and change. Once a picture is done you can make changes, but not the way you can with a story. The ability to shift words around and change and delete and add is what makes fiction so much more precise and manageable for me.

I have a good friend who works decommissioning atom bombs, which sounds interesting and profitable. I asked her what she does at nights and on the weekends and she said she goes out or watches a movie or reads a book. I pressed her though. “What do you do?” I asked. “I mean, what do you do really?” I write or revise and my boyfriend draws and takes photos and builds frames. She never got what I was asking. The difference is that her job is a job and she has hobbies. My job is just a hobby. Writing/reading is the only thing I want to do.

Q. What song would you pair with this story?

Sometimes, Sunshine by Revue Noir