The Start of the Affair
Low Swank | About | All Essays | Subscribe
I was walking past him, towards the bathroom, when he reached for my arm and pulled me in. "Your dress," he said, "It's like they used to wear in the 70s." The men to whom he'd been speaking looked away as I shifted my drink between hands and adjusted the hold on my clutch. I was listening. His hand, cold and a little wet from his own drink, hadn't left my arm. A nearly inaudible moan escaped his lips as he tipped back his head and closed his eyes. "I loved the women then. Women, and cigars."
From early 2012–late 2014, I had a monthly art-and-writing magazine component to my personal blog; each edition featured work from myself and an ever-changing lineup of contributors. Note that this was entirely separate from the actual online magazine I ran from 2008–2014. Occasionally, when I wonder how I am ~this tired~ at age 45, I consider the sleep debt (willingly, joyfully) accrued in my 20s/30s and have only myself to blame. All of this to say: The Start of the Affair is a 97-word fiction piece from my 2013 newsletter archives.
“The Start of the Affair” emailed out 5.26.2026 with newsletter-exclusive extras. Subscribe for free here.