a visit from my ex
it was half past midnight and i had just fed
my two cats when the doorbell rung.
"SETH, OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR BEFORE I MAKE EVERY NEIGHBOR YOU HAVE HATE YOU!"
it was Audra.
i unlocked the two hard locks but left
the hook on.
i opened the door up to where the hook
let me and said: "what do you want?"
she stuck her hand in, grabbing the t-shirt i was wearing
a painted on white T
given to me by my last, last girlfriend.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT! OPEN THIS DOOR!"
across the apartment complex, i heard Phil shout:
"LET HER THE FUCK IN! I NEED TO WAKE UP IN 5 HOURS!"
Phil worked as a constructor, from 6am to
7pm, hardly having any time to himself or his
kids.
poor guy, i thought as
i pulled myself out of audra's grip.
for a girl shorter than I and half the strenght,
she definitely had an arm.
"alright, alright . . . move back. i'll let you in," I told her.
she retreated her arm and i pushed the door shut
and took the hook off.
i moved away from the door and said,
"come in."
and she did, wearing nothing on but a white bra
and a pair of torn short shorts, post-torn
for unknown reasons.
"you haven't returned my calls," she said, licking her bottom lip and
biting it.
"you tried calling me? when?"
"yesterday. and a bit this morning."
"yeah. sorry. i turned in my phone to Time Warner yesterday morning. too many telemarketers calling to ask me about upgrading. i always find it easier to ask them how their day is; they never know what to say."
audra was something else. she looked like the other women i've met and
left and when we dated a while back
she was possibly one of the only girls i had an
immediate connection with
but as i look at her now
eyes of brown
hair of natural born color
skin tone darker than mine
and a heart darker than a fifth of whiskey
i find myself compelled --
no, aggravated to know she still has this
affect on me, still,
still to this day.
"i came for my things, seth. Chris is downstairs waiting
for me, so i don't want to keep him waiting. he's impatient
and has a HOT temper," she said, winking at me
as she emphasized on hot.
as i got her things from my closet,
dragging over two luggage bags [of
my very own collection], i thought of the
love we created all those years ago
as i sharked around her in the bicentanial
pool, looking at those sleepy eyes, having one
of those drowning moments people
speak of when they lay eyes on the woman they'll end up
falling in love for
the rest of their life.
"what's taking so long, seth?" Audra shouted from the other
room. "Chris just texted me that he wants me downstairs.
he's easily jealous!"
she helped me carry the lightest of them,
the one that carried most of the things she got me
and some photos of her and I
while i carried the one with a whole mess of junk
that she gave me, like
clothing
books
a broken laptop
and some photo book collage.
Chris was patiently waiting in the car
car still on
and lights on and
his eyes on me and
her.
he popped the trunk from inside
the car. there was a mess of clothing already in
the trunk. i saw a bra and some pink panties in the way back.
"just put them anywhere," audra
told me.
I lifted the bags and sat the bags
in the trunk one by one
pushing and heaving the bags,
heaps of sweat formed on my armpits
and sweat started at my hairline.
"CAREFUL, YA' FUCKER!"
chris said, making eye contact with me
then audra
through the rear mirror.
"alright," I told him, and her.
"that's the last of it."
i wasn't expecting much that night,
hell, just the fact she remembered to come
over and pick the shit up was enough,
but when she leaned over and kissed
me and held me between her hands
it took me back
to bincentanial
and that fucking pool.
as she and her new boyfriend
drove off in his
2004 toyota, the moon
smiling at them, at us,
and the neighbors falling asleep behind me,
beside me, beside all of this fucking world,
i felt the years flying pass me . . .
and out through the gate
they went,
driving at 60mph
down Expressway,
going EAST,
to the end of
the world.
my two cats when the doorbell rung.
"SETH, OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR BEFORE I MAKE EVERY NEIGHBOR YOU HAVE HATE YOU!"
it was Audra.
i unlocked the two hard locks but left
the hook on.
i opened the door up to where the hook
let me and said: "what do you want?"
she stuck her hand in, grabbing the t-shirt i was wearing
a painted on white T
given to me by my last, last girlfriend.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT! OPEN THIS DOOR!"
across the apartment complex, i heard Phil shout:
"LET HER THE FUCK IN! I NEED TO WAKE UP IN 5 HOURS!"
Phil worked as a constructor, from 6am to
7pm, hardly having any time to himself or his
kids.
poor guy, i thought as
i pulled myself out of audra's grip.
for a girl shorter than I and half the strenght,
she definitely had an arm.
"alright, alright . . . move back. i'll let you in," I told her.
she retreated her arm and i pushed the door shut
and took the hook off.
i moved away from the door and said,
"come in."
and she did, wearing nothing on but a white bra
and a pair of torn short shorts, post-torn
for unknown reasons.
"you haven't returned my calls," she said, licking her bottom lip and
biting it.
"you tried calling me? when?"
"yesterday. and a bit this morning."
"yeah. sorry. i turned in my phone to Time Warner yesterday morning. too many telemarketers calling to ask me about upgrading. i always find it easier to ask them how their day is; they never know what to say."
audra was something else. she looked like the other women i've met and
left and when we dated a while back
she was possibly one of the only girls i had an
immediate connection with
but as i look at her now
eyes of brown
hair of natural born color
skin tone darker than mine
and a heart darker than a fifth of whiskey
i find myself compelled --
no, aggravated to know she still has this
affect on me, still,
still to this day.
"i came for my things, seth. Chris is downstairs waiting
for me, so i don't want to keep him waiting. he's impatient
and has a HOT temper," she said, winking at me
as she emphasized on hot.
as i got her things from my closet,
dragging over two luggage bags [of
my very own collection], i thought of the
love we created all those years ago
as i sharked around her in the bicentanial
pool, looking at those sleepy eyes, having one
of those drowning moments people
speak of when they lay eyes on the woman they'll end up
falling in love for
the rest of their life.
"what's taking so long, seth?" Audra shouted from the other
room. "Chris just texted me that he wants me downstairs.
he's easily jealous!"
she helped me carry the lightest of them,
the one that carried most of the things she got me
and some photos of her and I
while i carried the one with a whole mess of junk
that she gave me, like
clothing
books
a broken laptop
and some photo book collage.
Chris was patiently waiting in the car
car still on
and lights on and
his eyes on me and
her.
he popped the trunk from inside
the car. there was a mess of clothing already in
the trunk. i saw a bra and some pink panties in the way back.
"just put them anywhere," audra
told me.
I lifted the bags and sat the bags
in the trunk one by one
pushing and heaving the bags,
heaps of sweat formed on my armpits
and sweat started at my hairline.
"CAREFUL, YA' FUCKER!"
chris said, making eye contact with me
then audra
through the rear mirror.
"alright," I told him, and her.
"that's the last of it."
i wasn't expecting much that night,
hell, just the fact she remembered to come
over and pick the shit up was enough,
but when she leaned over and kissed
me and held me between her hands
it took me back
to bincentanial
and that fucking pool.
as she and her new boyfriend
drove off in his
2004 toyota, the moon
smiling at them, at us,
and the neighbors falling asleep behind me,
beside me, beside all of this fucking world,
i felt the years flying pass me . . .
and out through the gate
they went,
driving at 60mph
down Expressway,
going EAST,
to the end of
the world.