Various Bones Of Contention.

When she comes home, Etta’s mother spends five minutes organizing the shoes in the closet according to owner and frequency of use. She watches Channel Five news on the sofa for half an hour, drinking a quarter gallon of water with her 200 milligrams of bifidus bacteria. As soon as the infomercials come on, she yells at Etta to come pick up her backpack from the coffee table. Etta straightens the ribbon in her yellow bun before coming to her mother. The living room is dark, illuminated by the television screen and its multiple reflections on the glass doors that lead to the balcony. Etta feels like she’s in a hall of mirrors.