Caleb Howell

Clarity

Stefani lifted her feet to cross the threshold of the Clarity as she did twice a week for twenty-one years. The bar was not always called Clarity, but it had always been less than two blocks from her apartment. The previous owners sold the place, and the new owners rebranded. Stefani did not know the new owners’ names, but she appreciated that they kept everything the same. The blue paint chipping off of the doorframe bore the same cracks of time weathering Stefani’s face.