AP Ritchey

A Reunion

Despite no running water,
a crib without a mattress,
and drugs visible on the coffee table,
the caseworker,
following court orders,
reunited the family.

She signed where indicated.
Initialed the margin.
Drove home
with the radio off.

That night,
drying dishes,
she stared past
her reflection
in the kitchen window
at the empty playpen behind her,
the dark television
no longer showing cartoons,
and the unopened boxes of
mac and cheese
stacked on the counter,
and stood there
long after.

AP Ritchey’s work has appeared in or is forthcoming from Zodiac Review, Rat Bag Lit, After/Thought, SciFi Shorts, and Typishly, among others.