Broken Things by Lillie E. Franks

Some women would have thrown it away after the first argument. She didn’t throw away broken things. She fixed them.

She stayed when he hid in his basement all day. She waited with dinner until he came up. They ate quietly, and she swept away the dirt while he slept.

She fixed things. She fixed the acrid smell from the basement. She fixed it when Deputy Arnold asked questions.

When she heard a thump and a scared, bloody woman staggered through the basement door, she didn’t hesitate. She took the knife she was chopping onions with, and she fixed it.