Promise

So…
I’m pretty sure they hate each other,
Or maybe, they just might love each other,
I’ll be honest.
It’s always been hard to tell,
When it comes to the truth, only time will tell.

They knew each other since childhood,
They barely tolerated each other on the best days,
Wanted each other dead on the worst days,
But, even though they had nothing in common,
He understood her more than anyone else ever would,
And she knew every single last one of his ins and outs.

They were shunned by all the other people on this planet,
By their parents, whose job it is to love them,
But who could love a child so hateful, so negative?
Who could love a child that can’t conform like the other children?
Their siblings, whose job it is to look up to them,
To give them someone to look to,
Their peers, who should have accepted them,
Knowing that all children go through similar issues,
And are in need of someone empathetic,
The teachers, whose job it is to teach children,
But why teach children like them,
Who were a couple of wise-guys that knew more about life than anyone else ever would?
The police, whose job it is to protect children,
But why protect children like them?
They could hold their own like they always had all their life.

Him and her,
They knew what it was like to be hated and lonely,
So they decided to be lonely together,
But, it was only for sheer convenience.

So, they were deep in a giant sham that masqueraded as love,
This sham would last for their entire lives,
Maybe that wasn’t the smartest decision,
To be with the same person every day,
From childhood to teen hood,
From teen hood to adulthood until death,
To never know what it’s like to love someone else,
To never know what it’s like to be loved by someone else.

So, the years and decades went by,
He stayed with only her,
And obviously vice-versa.

Lovers don’t hurt each other, right?
Especially not physically,
But, that wasn’t the case for them,
She wasn’t afraid to give him that stinging slap that he so desperately needed,
In order to be kept in line,
She wasn’t one to forgive him, either,
Unless he bought her something expensive (Chanel No. 5 perfume),
Then, he could get her to accept his apology for doing her wrong,
She’d forgive him and so much more,
Gifts were the way to her heart.

She always had a fowl mouth,
Ever since they were kids,
She swore like a classless brute,
And never thought before she spoke,
Making her words more hurtful,
She spoke to everyone like they were crap,
Even him,
The guy that cared for her,
The guy that liked it when she yelled at him,
Because he thought her voice was that of an angel,
It was better to be yelled at by her than to be ignored by everyone else.

The end of every fight was always the same,
Like reruns on television,
She would huff and puff with exhaustion,
And after talking all that smack,
She’d say she was sorry,
He’d take her back (He had no one else),
They’d snuggle,
She would smell nice,
The kissing and making up would be as hot and intense as the dramatic fighting,
He hated it when they fought,
Not because of the yelling and the arguing,
But because he hated seeing her upset,
He hated feeling like it was his fault,
He hated the fact that someday, she’d scream herself into a heart attack.

Oh, but me tell you,
A saint he ain’t,
Because he has screwed her over before, too,
He would leave the house often,
Sometimes be gone for weeks at a time,
Five or six weeks at a time,
And she would hope to God that he was safe and sound,
Wherever the hell he was,
Every time he left,
She would buy his lie,
“I hate to leave you, dear,
But I have to do this,
By changing the world,
I’m making it safer for you.”

“You don’t have to go,
I don’t need you to protect me,
Just stay”, she’d say.

“You just don’t get it,” he’d say,
“But, hell, I don’t expect someone like you to, anyway.”

She just nodded,
She never begged him to come home,
Except for one time,
She called and begged him,
And it led to an explosive fight,
He screamed, “F*** you” before hanging up,
She convinced herself that he said, “Love you.”

Maybe that’s what he really meant,
Maybe it was just his anger speaking,
Maybe when she cursed him out,
It could have been her anger speaking instead of herself.

I don’t know,
Their relationship was a disaster from the start,
And I promise you,
It will continue to be one.

Promise.