Martha

Sophie left Chicago for Panama City, Florida. She made the trip every year, toward the end of February. In Panama, she ate burgers. She watched game shows. She went to flea markets. This time she found a leather belt. Amid imprints of bison tooled onto the belt, somebody stamped the letters: M-A-R-T-H-A. She wore the belt to the lounge at the inn. A suitor saw her by the bar. He said, “Martha?” She did not correct him. She let him take Martha out to a honky-tonk. Sophie didn’t know how to dance to that type of music, but Martha knew.

 

 

Photo credit: Chase Clark