Penelle Magazine

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Tomato Scent

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Walked into a perfume store and smelled the new Tomato scent. It smelled more like the vine than the fruit of the tomato. A sharp smell of a branch split in two. Sticky syrup of life. Afterwards, went to a bookstore where the Economics section was next to the Children’s Books section. Evidently, it was more for dads to be able to keep watch of their children with ease. On the bus, there was a father and his son. The son asked his father why people were sleeping in tents outside when it was raining. I don’t think it’s their choice, son, the father said. I want to camp outside like that too, the boy said. No, those people made some bad decisions in life, and they are now homeless, the dad said. The son kept looking behind at the tents. The son pointed at the next tent asked, “Is that a homeless person?” He kept pointing and pointing until the dad told him that it was and to stop pointing.
a pen and ink drawing of tomatoes on a vine

Angela Tang is a writer based in Fairfax, VA. Her writing has appeared in the Wicked Shadow Press and in a short story anthology, “Period Pieces.” She is a first year MFA student at George Mason University. Her Instagram handle is @tangelaaang.

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