She Read My Journal After I Left
I left the journal on the windowsill of her flat in Portobello, beside a dying basil plant and a mug with a crack through the handle. I did not leave it there…
I Left Because I Loved Her
I met Aoife on a wet Tuesday outside Whelan’s, both of us pretending we weren’t waiting for the same taxi. She had a paper bag of chips under one arm and was…
Our Best Memories Were Never Photographed
I met Aoife on a wet Tuesday evening outside the George’s Street Arcade, both of us pretending we weren’t waiting for the rain to soften. I was holding a paper bag with…
The Anniversary We Pretended to Celebrate
We broke up at half three on a wet Tuesday, sitting in my parked car near St Stephen’s Green, with the wipers moving like they were trying to keep time with our…
He Fell in Love After Losing Hope
I was thirty-eight when I decided, very quietly, that love was no longer something meant for me. There was no dramatic announcement, no pint slammed down in a pub, no tearful speech…
She Waited Too Long and So Did I
I met Aoife in the smoking area of The Long Hall on a wet Thursday when neither of us smoked. She was waiting for her sister, I was pretending I didn’t mind…
The Day We Finally Told the Truth
I met Aoife in the smoking area of The Long Hall on a wet Thursday in February, though neither of us smoked. We were both hiding from people we had come with.…
The Person I Thought I Hated Became My Home
I decided I hated Conor within twelve minutes of meeting him. He was standing in the hallway of our shared house in Phibsborough, barefoot, eating toast over the sink because, as he…
I Loved Someone Who Loved Freedom More
I met him on a wet Thursday outside Whelan’s, when the queue was pressed tight under the awning and everyone was pretending the rain was romantic. He had no umbrella, only a…
The Promise Made Under the Stars
I met Aoife on a wet Thursday evening outside Whelan’s, both of us pretending we were waiting for friends and not sheltering from the same hard Dublin rain. She offered me half…