It’s Sunday morning and there’s a knock at the door. Who else would it be but two representatives of the Canada Revenue Agency. Yesterday, you see, was the tax filing deadline. This morning, however, is no routine follow-up. In “Regarding Line 25600 of Your Income Tax Return,” Cadence Mandybura pulls the reader into a scene reminiscent of the liver donor segment from Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. It’s wacky. It’s zany. But it’s also poignant in presenting a man’s deep struggle with a different sort of tax—that on the heart.
Upon learning that these two agents have come in response to his tax return, our protagonist insists that he’ll fix whatever had gone wrong. The curious statement that begins a flurry of activity, however, is not a list of what’s wrong; rather, “According to our records, there was no mistake. Everything was perfectly correct.” (75) These agents then proceed to fulfill our protagonist’s vows—statements that mysteriously appeared on his tax return, such as, “…vowed that you were done with women, for real this time, and that you would never ever fall in love again.” (76) The narrative then includes a set of burly yet cheerful movers, a cute puppy, and a phone call to a long-ago girlfriend who responds by delivering a sales pitch. I can picture John Cleese nodding in approval.
This story doesn’t disappoint. I won’t give away the ending, save to say that it hits home. Mandybura has crafted a tale that weaves the absurd and the all-too-real together in a seamless piece of fiction. You need to read this one! Thanks Cadence Mandybura. I look forward to much more from you.
Wanna read this story for yourself? Find it here: Pulp Literature Winter 2023
Source: Mandybura, Cadence. “Regarding Line 25600 of Your Income Tax Return.” Pulp Literature, is. 37, Winter 2023, pp. 71-81.
Watch for more story reviews yet to come: Pauline Shen’s Blog
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Pauline Shen 