Late one night, Pam snuck into the Chili’s that banned her. In this version, Pam was with God’s distant cousin, or so the man behind the dumpster claimed to be. Yeah, we see each other at family weddings, some holidays. Promise you’ll pull me up? Pam climbed on his back to get through the bathroom window. She left her heart on the table beside the microphone, thought maybe if she went back she’d feel it again. God’s distant cousin wanted in too, said he’d been disgraced long ago. Here, get on my shoulders, he said, and lifted a little higher. 

Claire Denson reads for The Adroit Journal and her work appears or is forthcoming in Mass Review, Hobart, Sporklet, and elsewhere. You can find her at clairedenson.com and on Twitter @shmaireshmen.