Squandered by Leah Mueller

Gerry and I stood beside the stage, watching James McMurtry's guitar solo. Aficionados called McMurtry a “shredder.” His frenzied notes reminded me of a hacksaw. 

My boyfriend wrote songs and played 12-string guitar like he’d been born with the instrument in his hands. Gerry’s voice sounded melodious yet commanding. Adulthood brought him a series of retail jobs. He didn’t think he deserved better. 

As the music swelled to a crescendo, Gerry swayed beside me, eyes closed. 56 and still working for minimum wage. He could've been McMurtry, if he had an ounce of self-esteem. But it was too late now.

Leah Mueller's work appears in Rattle, Best Small Fictions, Certain Age, Writers Resist, The Shallot, NonBinary Review, Brilliant Flash Fiction, New Flash Fiction Review, Does It Have Pockets, Outlook Springs, Your Impossible Voice, etc. She has received several nominations for Pushcart and Best of the Net. Her fifteenth book, "Porcelain and Vinyl" was published by Rust Belt Press in 2026. Check out more of her work at substack.com/@leahsnapdragon.