I noticed the petrol light and felt the whole week tighten by one notch

Dear Delyara, It came on at the traffic lights, which somehow made it feel more personal. Not dramatic. Just one more thing arriving at exactly the point where the week already felt a little too narrow. I kept driving, doing the quiet maths women do in their heads without even moving their lips. Enough until tomorrow. Enough if I don’t go the long way. Enough if nothing else suddenly needs money first. That’s the thing. Often life doesn’t break. It tightens. And the tightening enters the body before it enters the conversation.