“A Chicano Revenge Story” by Tomás Baiza
I invited you to this place because I really don’t like you. I invited you to this place because I’m counting that its unselfconscious Mexicanness will not only be unfamiliar to you, but that it will scare you. And more than anything—more than my desire to enjoy a great lunch—I want you to be scared.
“I Forgive You” by Francis Bryan
Plain envelope. No return address. My name scrawled in red ink like the sender was drunk or desperate. It’s familiar, though. A ghost. Inside: one sentence. I forgive you. The words burn. Acid on skin. I read it three times. Shake the envelope for anthrax. Forgiveness always carries a price.