Prose
Overcompensating for laughter or for love
Tom became a clown because with his makeup on, nobody could tell he was depressed. This was the same reason his sister became an escort.
When his children
When his children were young, Art would always promise to take his children to Disney World for the first of April. Art loved April Fools.
Jack was a violent drunk
Jack was a violent drunk. This was the thing he most hated about himself: he hated being beat up in bar fights. So he joined a karate class.
All Downhill from Here
Eli realized that some moment in his life would be his last moment of optimism. He worried he’d wasted it on the Arrested Development movie.
His mother also had some regrets…
Mother asked: “Do you want grapes?” Billy replied: “Yes” and instantly regretted it. “Are you sure?” Mother asked. “For the last time— YES!”
Never doubt our copyediting again, dork(
He whispered sweat nothings into her ear. This infuriated her: ‘sweat nothings’ were so much more disgusting than ‘sweet nothings.’
Dead Man’s Hand
Bill sat with his back to the door. He looked at his cards: aces and eights, the Dead Man’s Hand. Bill gulped. “Go Fish,” he said.
Try to be alone, not lonely
It wasn’t that he wanted to be alone, it was just that the more people that were around him, the lonelier he felt.
Ironically, he didn't see it coming.