In truth, it is not about a broken window. She’ll never fix it. If you ask her about it, she will tell you about Bobby.

If you ask her about it, which I don’t suggest you do, she might start off with a laugh. She might shake her head, maybe hug her midriff. She’ll say it was an accident. If she’s even a little honest with herself, which she probably will not be, she may blush when she tells you he was just horsing around. Don’t interrupt her. She’ll let you know he was a star basketball player. She’ll tell you, without a hint of humility, how he was homecoming king, had a 4.2 GPA, was kind to stray animals and awkward girls. You may think you are not hearing the story of the window; keep quiet, keep quiet. 

You’ll hear about how many college acceptances Bobby received -12 – and how he turned down Notre Dame – Notre Dame for God’s sake – to go in state on a full ride. Bobby boy, Bobby brother. You might think that now is the moment you should gently ask again, but what about the window? Don’t.

She will probably turn her back to you, might even excuse herself. Look past all the framed photos of a shining star, a boy forever golden at 21, and you will see that broken window in the garage. You’ll think to yourself that she never did tell you that story, but you’d be wrong.

A version of this flash can be found at http://www.glitteryliterary.com. The following is from their site:

Join us in our beautiful project.

Regular writing competitions with cash prizes and the chance for your work to be recognised, enjoyed and published electronically and in paperback for a global market.

‘All that glisters is not gold,’ – Shakespeare.

Our long term goals:

To elevate great writers by providing them with a platform for their work.

Once we become profitable, we also endeavour to help reduce child poverty in the UK by making contributions to a selection of charities.