He watches neighbors waddle out of the market, carrying Coors, steaks, and veggies. It beats his fridge with one onion. A half-empty case of sardines. He imagines the next paycheck, the sweetness of an orange. The crunch of a carrot. Even the coolness of beer. But good things go fast.

Yash Seyedbagheri is a graduate of Colorado State University’s MFA fiction program. His stories “Soon,” “How To Be A Good Episcopalian,” “Tales From A Communion Line,” and “Community Time,” have been nominated for Pushcarts. Yash’s work has been published in SmokeLong Quarterly, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, Write City Magazine, and Ariel Chart, among others.