Audrey Lee

Audrey Lee is the author of the forthcoming short story collection American Girlfriend (Bullshit Lit, 2025) and the poetry collections Disjecta Membra (Bottlecap Press, 2022) and Probably, Angels (Maverick Duck Press, 2020). Her work has been featured in or is forthcoming from Wax Nine, Necessary Fiction, Okay Donkey, and Back Patio Press. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Find her at audreymorganlee.com.

THE OSTRICH ECONOMY by Audrey Lee

Cammie has a Hermés Birkin pulled up on a resale website. She pushes the blinding screen towards my face across the white tablecloth between us. She’s talked about wanting a Birkin before, but I didn’t really think about it that much.  “It’s ostrich leather,” Cammie says, and she pouts. Her raspy voice is hushed over the trepid steakhouse pianist on the baby grand. What does it take in life to become a steakhouse pianist? “It’s an investment piece. Ostrich leather is going to have better resale value than cow leather. But it’s much less than crocodile.” The orange pinpricked leather…

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