Don’t Wait for Saturday
Mathieu Cailler
My mother died
having never worn her
Christian Louboutin shoes
size eight and a half
with the red soles
that she desired
to pair with the
vintage gown purchased at
a Hollywood estate sale
that she believed would
best be set off with
her grandmother’s bracelet
and Hermès bag. My
mother died without
having savored the bottle
of 1982 Château Lafite
that she housed
in her basement, dusty,
rotating its body
in ninety-degree increments
every four months
for the better part of
twenty years. My mother
died waiting for that
special occasion, an
unequivocal celebratory
moment that called
for pressed linens
and polished silver.
My mother died
with caviar
in the refrigerator
waiting for
a proper Saturday.
Mathieu Cailler is the author of six books. His short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in numerous national and international publications, including PANK, The Saturday Evening Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the recipient of a Shakespeare Award, a Short Story America Prize, and a New England Book Festival Award. Heaven and Other Zip Codes, his debut novel and most recently published book, was named the winner of the 2021 Los Angeles Book Festival Prize. For more information please visit him on social media @writesfromla or online at mathieucailler.com.