Her lips were soft from what I remember of our last meeting, also our first meeting... That day she was dancing on the boat deck, hoop in hand, at work oddly enough. The hot sun was burning down onto her tattooed back; something important was etched into the tattooed language I couldn’t translate. She was enchanting, as always. In the randomness of our conversation, I recall asking for her hand in marriage. With a smile, she requested a month to think about it. That night, hours of soul-inspired and yet hasty promises ensued... It became a memory I would escape into amidst the next few months of hollow communication.
It was cold again. A man, his gaze on mine, reflected off the tinted windows of the cars I passed. His jaunted walk was quiet; albeit he scooted his heals across the salt-stained pavement. A burst of rage music tore through the air as the door opened and dancers made their way onto the smoky patio. The muffled music replayed as the door shut. Against the banks of the river nearby, a stench of soaked wood and muddy rubble found my nose. I pulled the strings on my jacket to hide my face from the smell, and I stared into the glazed wayward eyes of a shivering tousled woman. Her long unwashed braids and Dead Head t-shirt clasped against her thin body. She was explaining something with her hands to two men who were obviously beyond appreciation or concern. They were what my Mom would call, ‘far out.’
She was obviously coming down from her high as her wits seemed intact; enough so to spot me creep up the sidewalk. I could hear her voice say my name… said as if she’d found a lost heirloom she thought of often. Within the edges of my hood, I strained to hide my blush before I turned to acknowledge her call… With a half smile, I cocked my head sideways and twirled my finger as if to walk through the door, into the bar, and to where she stood. She smiled, nodded, knowingly. I handed over the pricey cover, and waded through a Halloween crowd of farm animals, zombies, and numerous skanky witches. My ribs began to ache again; I ignored it as the wet scent of weed dampened in my nose. Overwhelmed by the peculiar crowd, I hurriedly slid in-between raving couples and found my way to the unlocked door. Hand upon the frosty glass, I pushed open the stained glass door. Cold rushed onto my face with an interruption of warm cinnamon and something lavender to follow. A figure abruptly nestled against my chest, and two chilled hands found their way under my jacket and onto the middle of my back. A voice whispered softly in my ear, "Hey."
Encompassed in her arms, my ribs were silent. I closed the embrace and placed my lips against her neck. She sighed something awesome… and I felt myself fade into the cold expanse above us... Returning to the ground, my mind broke from the spell… I knew our feelings would never be realized because of her daughter and the distance between our homes. But, I will always relish in the way she and I spent our moments together. It was relentless, unabashed, always fulfilling… a temporary madness. And on the bridge of random messages and not speaking, these moments are something I’ll miss…
