Fire Escape

.

She needed ice for the margaritas, and so she took herself out of the festivity, across the street to her apartment, up the elevator tipsy. The party at Lorraine’s pure fantastic: the guys all funny and the girls good bitches and-

And.

And David was hers and everybody knew it.

The way he took her hand when they walked into the kitchen.

The way he bumped against her while Athena showed the tattoo on her pelvis.

The way all her girl friends wanted him... the way the other guys looked at him like he was in charge.

The way he knew it.

Off the elevator and down the hall, safe from the heatwave temporary, and that secret feeling like school is out for the summer. Heart nodding approval...

yes yes yes

In time to the music from the party, in her head all the while. And this guy? This David? Six warm weeks & counting. When he held her hand.

yes yes yes

Maybe this one might be magic.

yes yes yes

So these dreams, they do come true.

She stood at the freezer, filling the bag, and she could see from her balcony window across to Lorraine’s building, where her David stood on the fire escape in his olive tee, eating Athena’s mouth while she ate his, her breasts squash against his chest, her ass melting in his hands.

And as she watched them slop and bond- yes yes yes- as she broke inside- yes yes- she dropped the bag of ice, her face catching fire, and the cubes scattered the tile and began to be liquid, and she closed her eyes, and she cursed her luck, and she lost her breath, and her stomach went somersault, and her heart departed for warmer climates while her fingers went numb.

And she hated herself for loving it.