All She Needs by Sandra Martz

Marta lives alone in a space so familiar she can easily navigate it in the dark. Her only companion is an old black cat, an evil beast who bites her uncovered toes and sleeps all day under the bedspread. Sunlight streams through the small windows that flank her bed. The cat yawns and stretches, drops to the floor and heads to the kitchen for breakfast.

Marta isn’t sure of the day of the week but that doesn’t matter much anymore, her routine unbroken by obligations to others. Today she’ll pick the last of the green beans and cook them up with small red potatoes from the farmers market. Her son next door is away for a week. She enjoys the freedom from his questions: How does she feel? Does she need anything from the store? How can she ever explain that all she needs is right here: a warm house and an ornery cat to keep her on her toes.