Air Fair by Richard Leise, 2022
The magic trick:
A slippery conflict
Another brilliantly brief story from Richard Leise today.
“Air Fair” gives us a woman who has fallen down the particularly dumb rabbithole of family court reality TV.
Initially, though, we think it’s a story about the actual family drama. Our protagonist’s sister is on TV! She’s suing her own son! It’s startling. It’s a little bit strange. And, surely, we think, this is the conflict at the heart of the story.
Well… it is and it isn’t.
There are surprises to follow – and some jokes – and some sadness – and a whole lot of modern anxiety malaise.
Turns out the sister suing her son is the heart of the story. Just not at all in the way that we expected at the start.
And that’s quite a trick on Leise’s part.
The selection:
Mary gawks. Reaches for her phone. Dour in funeral blacks—obviously coached, Aunt Kit never sneers like that—she takes her place at the stand. And like that—just like that!—Aunt Kit looks completely out of place, a tombstone in the middle of a playground. And just like a headstone, she too is inscribed, defined by a bold white font detailing her name, complaint, and the sum she’s seeking.
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