Overloading, Qintong Li
When the old man brought his payment
in dimes and hard candies, she hesitated.
Peering into his mackerel-blue eyes,
she suggested an installment plan. The firm’s policy was
to collect up front. It was the nature of her business: taking
what little was left of her clients—like this man,
sitting in his fetor of Bengay and expired cologne.
On Sunday, she walked past a display of snapper at the market,
lined up in their pageantry
on the ice—their unblinking eyes
reminiscent of past clients.
Memento mori, she thought,
ordering a turkey on rye.
About the Author
Melissa Cook · University of Florida
Melissa Cook attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she graduated with a dual degree in criminology and English. She now teaches 10th grade Language Arts. “The Elder Law Attorney” first appeared in TEA Literary Magazine.
About the Artist
Qintong Li · Art Center College of Design
Qintong Li (Echo) is a Los Angeles based illustrator and a 2015 graduate of the Art Center College of Design. Originally from a small city near Beijing, Li is highly influenced by Chinese culture. “Overloading” first appeared in The Adroit Journal.
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