They met on a Van Gogh night.
shift – bang – crash, a distant universe collapses
The stars aligned for fate to move in. It swept across the city and faded into the eyes of the pair as their bodies wrestled lust back and forth.
boom – click, close the motel room door
They shared dreams and goals, family stories and what would come of the two of them. He would visit every weekend. Every weekend they would love and plan.
sniff – sniff, for a recreational daze
sip – sip, into inebriation
He would stare into her eyes as he drove. Something they had seen on a movie.
click – click – vroom, he shifted
He wouldn’t take his eyes off of her. He asked, “Are you scared?”. She would always reply, “Never.” – she put one hand on the wheel and one in his lap, then kissed him gently.
ring – ring, “Hey baby…”
They would talk for hours. Revealing secrets, making promises, begging for affection. I love you, I love you more, I love you most, I love you mostest – they would go back and forth to prolong the conversation that no longer had meaning, just for the comfort of the other’s voice.
ring – ring, no answer
beep – beep, it’s busy
ring – ring, ”Hello?”
“Is he there?”
“No”
ring – ring, “Hello?”
“Is he back yet?”
“No”
ring – ring, no answer
Something was different. Something had changed.
smash – she broke the bank
She used all of her money to buy a bus ticket, one way. The bus smelled like urine and the people just shadowy figures passing here and there. She kept her eyes focused on the passing scenery.
screech – “Last stop!”
She arrived. No bags, just her. She asked for quarters and found a payphone.
ring – ring, no answer
click – clack- clack, put the quarters back in
ring – ring, no answer. She left a message.
She used a strangers phone to call a friend. She was stranded – alone. He lived several miles away but it felt like they were on opposite ends of the earth.
A dark man came close in a red sedan filled with women of the night. Their faces painted for love. He asked if she was alone.
pop – boom, he stepped out of the car and walked over
He promised to take good care of her. The women in the lipstick stained car joined in the coax with squeals of drug-induced delight. She declined his offer and backed into the station unharmed.
knock – knock, “It’s me.”
Female wide eyes opened the door. His cousin and his girlfriend stared in disbelief. She pushed her way to his room, where her letters had been littered as old newspapers. Neatly on the wall were pictures of a new face and notes written, not by her hand, but another. She sat down, hot with anger.
gulp – gulp, bourbon
thud, put down the bottle
She cleansed her hurt with the elixir. The lump in her throat eased away the more she swallowed. It became the fuel to her flame.
boom, slam the car door
pop – pop – gulp, down goes the camouflage double stack and a pink lady to be sure
Minutes later, the country town was a distant memory. She smoked Marlboros slowly, while caressing the wind between her fingers.
boom – clap, the hurricane came to south Georgia that night
Her nose fell into white clouds that cried as her body became infested with alcohol and shrouded in cologne.
click – click, she rotated the barrel
pop – pop, it was empty for now
That night after drinking, snorting, popping, fucking, dancing, and laughing – she carved his name in the inside of her left wrist and the name of their unborn child in her right. She laid down.
sniff – gasp, “I loved you most.”
