The room's motion sensor light turned itself off.
He tried waving his hands and it worked.
Dear Heather, he wrote. It's strange that-
He chewed his nail, to make it smooth and even.
But daggers scraped his lips.
He smelt garlic through pores.
Taking his pencil he wrote on the notepad.
That I love you but at the moment-
And tried to stay between the lines.
-I'm not looking forward to seeing you.
He knew that was exactly how he wanted to start it.
Thought of it in the cafe, a few days before.
Wonder if that man sat next to him was meeting someone?
He kept looking over his shoulder. Maybe he was nervous.
The motion sensor light turned off. He waved, it worked.
Anyway.
I do want to come home but I am still horrified-
Why didn't he sit where he could see the front door?
-about last night. Everytime we get back together-
Oh yeah, that seat was taken.
Daggers scraping lips, garlic pores.
-feels like an opportunity missed.
He strayed out of the lines and felt like trying again.
Was it important enough to do a version 'in best'? Yes.
The carpet looked like a bus seat. Just ugly.
Sat at the very back, the feeling of the engine behind him.
And when it stopped on the bridge, at night.
The river beneath him was invisible in the dark.
But he knew it was was there because he could hear it.
Another time, a bike tyre mark embedded in dog shit, at one of the stops.
Time to get a car.
Trying to make his nails smooth and even. He knew better.
Anyway. Let's keep going with this draft for now.
I don't want people watching when I pull up outside-
The pencils in school either said HB or 2B on them.
They were black and red or black and yellow.
-and walk to the front door.
The light went off. Waved, worked.
Daggers on lips. Garlic pores.
Like an opportunity missed, he read over. That was the key bit.
Who knew the inside of your ears could bruise?
That was the main message alright.
Maybe a version 'in best' isn't needed.
He felt like a good person for even considering it was.
It's nice to focus on doing something and just do it y'know.
Yours,
———
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