Published in Mystery Magazine, February 2023.

Awarded second place in the 2022 Tennessee Williams Short Fiction Contest.

After a mysterious woman offers him a private tailoring job, disgruntled seamster Jósef agrees to make a custom suit for a dying man in New York, hoping to reclaim his lost artistry; but as he confronts the man’s tragic circumstances, Jósef must learn to rediscover beauty in the world and reconcile his painful past before his final creation becomes a symbol of both life and death.

Shortlisted for the 2021 Thomas Wolfe Prize for short fiction.

After his estranged father’s funeral, Jon Keating raises a bitter toast to the man he resented, unable to join the others in celebrating his father’s life; but when an unexpected revelation from his dad’s past surfaces, Jon must come to terms with the complicated legacy of a man who was far from perfect yet quietly proud of his son.