Check out Weike Wang's short story "Cava Vena" in the June 2025 issue of One Story. Editor Patrick Ryan writes:
There are many different kinds of affairs. There are affairs of the heart, affairs of the mind, affairs of the body—and affairs that threaten to devour your life. The unnamed main character of our new issue is involved in an affair of the latter sort—one she’s maintained for the past two years, with a colleague at medical conferences. Both work in the field of “medical liaison,” informing doctors of new heart medicines. Twice a year, they leave their families to attend a conference, meet up in secret, and hide away while they enjoy each other’s company. Sometimes in hats and sunglasses, in case they’re spotted by someone they know.
I imagine such an affair to be like an hourglass: you can turn it over when it’s about to run out, but before long it’ll be about to run out again. How many times can you turn the glass?
The sands are running out for Wang’s character, and she knows she has a decision to make: turn the hourglass over or let the last grain fall. We invite you to step into Weike Wang’s “Cava Vena,” an inventive and entertaining story that reads in part like a medical pamphlet, and in part like a meditation on love—not for another person, but, ultimately, for the self.
Order a copy of issue #326 and read a Q&A with Weike at the link below: