Math for the Self-Crippling

By: Ursula Villarreal-Moura

SYNOPSIS

Math for the Self-Crippling is an interlinked flash fiction collection beginning in 1990s San Antonio through to the present day. Told in first, second, and third person, the stories explore Chicana imagination, the tie between religiosity and mysticism, the loss of belongings and family, marital strife, mental health, and dream travel. Equal parts dark and humorous, Math for the Self Crippling shows how it is to be burglarized and bullied yet still rise up to own the day.

EXCERPT

A ring of adults holding hands, burning candles, chanting. A series of levitations visible through the window—Tía Veronica claims she and Mama witnessed a séance from their cousin’s backyard.

Inside the living room, their frumpy aunts, half-drunk uncles, parents, and strangers summoned spirits with one synchronized hum. First, an envelope floated off the table, then the gingham tablecloth spun off in a gust. Finally, the table bobbed as if riding a cosmic wave.

Fried chicken and white biscuits Tía Veronica and Mama agree is what they ate for dinner that night. Thighs and a twilight game of jacks or hide-and-seek, depending on whom you believe.

The levitations, Mama refutes. When asked to explain them, she shrugs. Her tightened shoulders suggest a mental ruse, a hologram of boredom.