Publication Date: February 17, 2026
In A Woman in Pink, an unnamed woman recounts her deeply intertwined relationship with Dutch, a man she meets in her twenties and immediately loves. Dutch tells her he has distanced himself from the substance-fueled chaos that once consumed him, while she explains she has left her eating disorder in the past. Together, they convince themselves they’ ve outrun their darkest histories. But over the span of their fifteen-year relationship, those shadows loom large, influencing their bond in ways they never expected. She wants to free herself from the turmoil of addiction. She also wants to believe that Dutch is her Johnny Cash, that she is his June Carter, and that theirs is a great love story. When their histories and choices finally collide, she is forced to confront everything she thought she knew about love, identity, and what it means to truly heal.
Over the course of 15 years, a woman navigates a relationship threaded with the bond of addition.
In A Woman in Pink, author Megan A. Schikora uses an unnamed female main character to tell the story of loving Dutch, a man who she considered her soul mate. It’s a retrospective of sorts culminating in a character reference that has unexpected consequences.
Both characters share their deepest secrets, certain they have managed to put the horrors of an eating disorder and substance abuse behind them. There’s even a reference to Johnny Cash and June Carter, which seems an apt description.
Their idea of true love, however, misses the mark because the shadows of the past prove to be destructive. As a result, the characters seem to flail around without purpose. The conclusion, while unexpected, did seem fitting.
A Woman in Pink highlights how addiction hijacked what was thought to be a perfect relationship.
Megan A. Schikora’s short stories and personal essays have appeared in numerous publications, most recently Exacting Clam, Midway Journal, Change Seven, Hidden Peak Press, and F(r)iction, whose 2022 Short Story Contest she won with her story “ Sticks and Stones.” Her debut novel A Woman in Pink was a Writing Award Short List choice for the Page Turner Awards and is forthcoming with Regal House Publishing in 2026. She lives in Michigan with her daughter.
