"What I Could Buy": Story Posted at Hobart

I have a story up at Hobart, a fabulous online journal.  It’s very short and once again (or, perhaps, "as usual"), rather sad.  And there was also a lot of math involved in the writing of it—which I did all by myself, and which is as accurate as humanly possible.

The story is called “What I Could Buy” and here’s a sample:

What I could buy with the insurance money they gave me when you died: …Four separate world cruises, assuming 107 days at sea, assuming Queen Mary 2 on the Cunard Line, assuming supplement for a single room, assuming balcony, assuming one glass of wine per night, assuming no more than twelve land excursions as arranged by the cruise ship personnel, assuming winning at the casino, assuming internet access, assuming laundry service.   Or: Two years at Harvard Business School, assuming acceptance, assuming Cambridge sublet, assuming books and fees, assuming ramen noodles and pizza for most dinners, assuming public transportation, assuming roommate, assuming no significant social life.  Or: 1,000 water buffalo as purchased through Heifer International to help one thousand families in the Philippines become self-sufficient, assuming the charity is legitimate, assuming seventy-five percent of donations are used for the program mission as stated in the most recent annual report, assuming Charity Navigator ranking of three out of four stars and 55.66 out of 70 is correct and considered worthy of financial support. Or:…

And here’s the link: http://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/what-i-could-buy