“You’re always trying to control me! I’m sick of it!”

The windows are open.

Passersby stop and peek into our home while you scream at me.

You go on about how I don’t know everything, how I don’t really know you, how you’re going to pack up and “get the hell out of here,” specifically away from me.

Okay. So, you’re right. I don’t care about your feelings, I’m still getting to know you, and I am controlling. I don’t see myself changing anytime soon.

“It’s a freaking Tide Pod!” I shout back. “You cannot eat it, and that’s final!”

Katina Bertrand-Ferguson (she/her) is a French Canadian freelance writer, translator, and organizer of Atlanta Writes, one of Atlanta’s largest literary critique groups. Her work has been published on WritersDigest.com, in Vinings Lifestyle Magazine, and elsewhere. Find her on Instagram and Twitter @KatinaWrites or visit www.katinawrites.com.