Friday, February 25, 2011

at a meridian next to an intersection

He stood there thinking to himself, angry about how things went. He was alone again, for the second time is as little as six months he had managed to screw up another relationship. "She was perfect for me" he said to himself. Hands over his face. "Why? Why did I have to be so selfish all the time?" He said to himself as he started to move forward toward the bus. He lost his license back in August, that put a strain on one of his most successful relationships. His inability to maneuver the city became an issue that that old lady hated, he didn't care much, he didn't love her. She left him. Then he found himself with this sweetheart, redhead, just a little thing, beautiful but full of herself. She liked him a lot, but he didn't want to be too quick to commit. "I insist we wear condoms" he'd say. Day in, week out the lovers would make love in condoms. She eventually grew weary of this prophylactic love and his lack of trust in her, "not my pill" she used to say to herself.
Today he met up with her, she picked him up, he was happy as apple pie. The day was going so good, he was going to make it to all his appointments on time and everything. He leaned in and gave her a kiss, the moment he got in the vehicle, they smiled at each other. "So what did you do last night?" she asked. He reclined the seat and said "nothing" then paused, looked at her, she was driving, he thought about how she was just a little thing in her sports car. "Why" he asked. She turned the radio on, the music filled the car up, but they could still hear each others breath, almost.
There was a tension in the car a stress that was being produced, bounced around  like the sound of music, they could both feel it, the mistrust, as if they were listening to it an elusive noise. "So where did you go last night, Stephen?" She asked again. He knew she knew that he had gone out the night before. He didn't want to lie to her. "I went out with someone." He felt a cold rush of sweat come over him, he was happy he didn't lie. He hoped that she would stop asking questions. "Who'd you go out with?" she asked, tapping the stirring wheel with her hands, keeping the beat with the song. The tension was high, he became feverishly hot, he was starting to sweat, but the anxiety came in theses short waves that he could feel in his head and heart. He wanted to respond, she was making him angry, the pitch in her voice. "Stephen" she said looking over at him. The car was stopped at a traffic light, she reached her hand out to turn the volume down on the radio. He notice the ring, he bought it for her so that he could stare at her hands, he loved them. "Where'd you go?" She inquired further, without arriving to any answers to her preceding question. The Light turned green, she hammered the clutch then threw the car into first and peeled out. "I know what you did last night Stephen!" she spoke with an aggressive tone, she was pissed with him and he  knew it. "Sandra, could you slow down a bit, you're making me nervous" he said burdened with the fear of what she might do after he tells her the truth.  She stopped the car, and asked "Could you please get out?" he stepped out

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