SOMEWHERE IN THE CITY
Word Count: 356
Somewhere in the city was the man who Delphinium would sleep with and eventually marry.
Every day she squiggled out of a bed too large for one–it took up the whole room–and crabstepped to the shower and dressed for work without coffee or even orange juice and a multi-vitamin. Delphinium wasted no time on empty spaces. She felt it unlikely that her knight would find her and come clanging up to her apartment on the fourth floor. She had to go find him herself.
She walked the several blocks to work but went a different path each morning. She stared into the eyes of every man who came her way and one who sat one-legged on the sidewalk with a cup. There was a message in the eyes of each.
Man, I’m really dying for a coffee. And a cherry-cheese pastry or maybe apple dumpling or both. A self-indulged waddler, thought Delphinium.
Dumb bitch. I’m sick of it already. She’ll be sorry when I’m gone. A whiner.
What a way to start the morning. She was goooood. Hope she’s out of there when I get home. What a bastard, she thought.
Aces and jacks. Aces and jacks. Shit. Aces and jacks. Uhhh…
She watched for a kismetic moment for her and some stranger who she might have to explain it all to because if there was one thing Delphinium had learned in her brief dabblings with men, it was that they didn’t always understand the simplest language of love.
It went on that way for a couple of years. She read all sorts of things in the eyes of strange strangers. Some made her think she should tell the police but she didn’t, not knowing if mere thoughts were a sign of psychosis.
She married the man who was quite a bit older but lived in the block three streets west from her own. I always thought that was sad. Several months earlier, as I saw her coming toward me, I read the eyes of a young man behind her.
Turn around, his eyes said. Won’t you please turn around.
great first line and ending. and “as I saw her coming toward me, I read the eyes of a young man behind her.” is wonderful, as is “if there was one thing Delphinium had learned in her brief dabblings with men, it was that they didn’t always understand the simplest language of love.”
“knight”, “delphinium”, “kismetic moment”? are the dark ages finally catching on? i should like that!
See? THAT’S another reason why you need to live on here and inspire me to your voice and space in time.
i told you i have my daughter draw stuff for me that i use as an inspiration. just now, take that, she gave me her latest opus and it’s called CITY…will be up next week i think. and wouldn’t it be great to bridge space and time. well, i’ll make it to hartford at some point…we got family there as i told you. but they always come & see us!
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