Manfred’s Story I arrived at the Swimming Club with a weather system already forming above my head. The Mayor asked me, quite innocently, what my mood would be if it were a weather forecast. I considered the options. Calm sunshine seemed too optimistic. Sudden storms near the inbox sounded dramatic, but not entirely wrong. In…
Fabrice’s Story I met Janita for the first time on the screen. The Mayor was there, but he said he was not there. He said it was only his ghost. Of course, he was still there, because The Mayor is never completely not there. He also said I could use a joker card, like in…
The Mayor started with a difficult question. He asked me if I am someone people ask for help because they know I normally say yes. And immediately I thought, no, this is not the point. I do not think people come to me because I am a yes-sayer. Nobody wants to be seen like that….
When I hear the word balance, I do not first see a scale or a yoga picture or somebody sitting very quiet with candles. No, no. For me, balance is much more practical. I see my kitchen. When I have had a hard working day, when the head is full and the body says, “Okay,…
Welcome to another episode of Fruitloop World, where the “catastrophes” are plentiful, the logic is questionable, and I am currently surviving on caffeine and sheer willpower. This week was officially Nail Week. Usually, this is the holy grail of self-care—the one thing I look forward to—but this time? It felt more like a scheduled chore…
Some Thursday mornings begin with deep philosophical questions. Others begin with my hair. This week’s Lunch started exactly where many of our lunches seem to start: with Mr. Mayor questioning whether my morning hairstyle truly deserved to be called a lion’s mane. For more than two years, he reminded me, I have been promising to…
Sometimes the boring things in life are not so boring when you give them a little game. The Mayor told me about this yellow car game. When you drive a long distance and you see a yellow car, you must say, “Yellow car!” Even when you are in the middle of a sentence with your…
Janita I came into Issue 49 with a plan. Not a gentle plan. Not one of those “let us have a nice little Friday chat and maybe peel one emotional potato” plans. No. I came in with a proper Fruitloop University plan, the kind with medieval marketplaces, shiny useless bank cards, pet rocks, prehistoric butterflies,…
There was once an old bookseller who owned a tiny shop at the end of a narrow street in a crowded city. His shop was easy to miss. It had no bright sign, no expensive decoration, and no modern shelves. Dust rested quietly on the old wooden tables, and the smell of paper and rain…
There are weekends that feel long before they even begin. By Friday evening I was already carrying towels from one room to another, opening doors, closing doors, checking who was sleeping over and who was suddenly staying for lunch without warning me first. Fruitloop laughed when I told her about it, but by Sunday I…
