Adrienne Marie Barrios

Adrienne Marie Barrios is a writer and an editor. She writes about mental health and relationships, the interplay between the two and the external world. She edits novel manuscripts and short stories, both independently and for Magnolia Press, and is currently writing her second novel. She is a frequent writer in residence at L’ATELIER Writers. You can find her online here.

NEGOTIATIONS by Adrienne Marie Barrios

January 2, 2020 · Fiction

Mar∙riage, /merij/, noun: a series of negotiations. At least, inside her head, it was. She had these little rhythmic mantras to keep from fucking it up, like my plate is on the left, or the left tray goes on top. She’d repeat it to herself, over and over again, like someone with OCD stuck in a tick—Left tray goes on the top. Left tray goes on the top. It wouldn’t do to burn one half of the muesli. My plate is on the left. My plate is on the left. It wouldn’t do to give him her sandwich; he hated…

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