Ashley Lazlo

My worries began slowly at first then speeded up - friends and workmates were settling into long term relationships in ever increasing numbers.  If the trend continued I would soon be the only singleton left sitting at some sad singles bar.  Saturday night and I was at home! - alone, feeling sorry for self, listening to Miyuu ( what else? ), researching; how do bisexual people cope in a long term relationship… all this while couples were sitting on sofas together and binge watching a Netflix or at dinner parties of two, four, six, or some other unknown but even number.  And I had been wanting some of that for a while - not the dinner parties, the other thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not some desperate thirty-year-old shelf-person, or a one nightist, I mean Monica and I were together for a few months. And there was Brian before her - we lasted nearly as long. While I am being so honest about everything I might as well admit I was the reason for the breakup both time...

  ONE Puppies and kittens in a rescue centre get picked first.  And, like puppies and kittens, babies arriving at High-Fields arrived one day, and left with their adoptive parents soon after. For children arriving with a few years on the clock High-Fields would probably be home until they reached seventeen or eighteen. Occasionally a pre-schooler might get lucky but that was not how things usually worked out.  For the long-timers High-Fields was like one massive family with parents that rotated on a seven day cycle.  New ish arrival Jennifer had been readying herself for her thirteenth since arriving, already being a capable reader by High-Fields standards did not deter her from practising further. Reading to the under-fives was a sought after job mostly because readers did not do the dishes after dinner. Thirteen was the age from which teens could apply to be a reader.  Jennifer was twelve when she landed after her mother had been hospitalised and, with...