My hands were deep in my pockets as I stood rigidly, waiting to
return inside. I evaluated the distance from the curb to the building in my
head, wondering if our location conformed to the latest smoking regulations.
She cupped her hands as a windshield and flicked the lighter.
The smoke slowly escaped from her hands as she dropped them. The tip of the cigarette grew more red as she sucked on it. She pulled it from her mouth and the smoke escaped through her nose and mouth. She smiled sardonically while tapping the cigarette with the index finger - the ash vanished in the wind. She stepped from one foot to the other as the wind slapped her face.
"You shouldn't do that, it's not good for you." The ironic tone of my voice was not lost on me, I had just sounded like my mother.
"Yeah? Well, there's a lot of things that aren't good for me." The tip blared red again as she sucked with it secured between the index and middle fingers of her right hand. Her eyes travelled the length of my body to my toes and back up to my face in what I can only describe as disgust.
"I know something that is good for you." I cupped my hands over my face and exhaled, the warm breadth brought momentary relief to my frozen jowls. I did not want to continue the conversation she was attempting to start.
"Does it always have to come to that?" She turned the cigarette and examined the lit end. She blew on it and the ash glowed brightly.
"I don't know, does it?" I resisted the urge to comment on the seductive manner in which she was treating her cancer stick. Her eyes immediately left the ash and jerked in my direction.
"I'd like to think I know a lot about you, and you do always seem or try to push every topic towards sex or at least make it sexual. Maybe it is your gift. They say everybody is good at something." She placed the remainder of the cigarette on her thumb and created a trigger with the middle finger. She cocked it into position and sent the butt flying into a nearby sewer.
"Who is they?" It was common question for me, but I just couldn't stop.
"Yeah, anyway." Her standard answer. I shuddered at the thought of us already in a mundane routine.
"Well, you don't know as much as you think you do." I regretted the comment as the last word left my mouth. I didn't mind the argument, but it was too damn cold to do it now.
"That's what I am afraid of." Her arms were now crossed firmly on her chest. The blonde hair dangled in the wind as the eyes remained locked on me.
"Stoppit."
"No, really, please enlighten me?"
"C'mon, I was just joking." Honestly, enlightening her would take much too long and I had a meeting in twenty minutes that I could not miss. I silently thanked god that she would not be in the meeting.
"Uh huh, you are always 'just joking' but I'm serious." She enclosed the just joking phrase with hand quotes.
"Let's not do this now." I couldn't remember the last night I had seen anybody do that, but I didn't want to see them do it again. Suddenly, I remembered a Chris Farley character from SNL using them when he said he knew he wasn't "attractive" and so forth. I watched as she pushed the hair from her face and I wondered about her attractiveness. I wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Do what?" The arms returned to the position across her chest.
"Nothing, nevermind, I have a meeting in a few minutes." I stared at my watch to drive home the point and avoid telling her how much of a bitch she had suddenly or recently become. I pulled the door open awaiting her entry.
"Thanks." She shot through the door and pressed the elevator button. I wanted to take the stares, but she stepped inside and waited for me to follow.
"Don't, there are cameras." I pushed her hand away from mine knowing that nobody ever viewed the tapes. I searched my brain for other places I could work. The bell sounded as we reached the third floor - her exit.
"So, we still on for tonight?" She paused and turned as the doors slowly opened. I breathed a sigh of relief as nobody was waiting.
"Well, I didn't think you were in the mood." I silently prayed she'd reschedule.
"No, don't be silly, I want, I need to see you."
"Sure." It was the last thing I wanted to say, but I wanted or needed her gone - and gone now. I leaned back against the faux wood paneling as the box shot four more floors into space. I rubbed my eyes as the doors slowly opened, the smoke and cold air had been irritating. I stopped at the water cooler and downed two cups as I contemplated the next move.
The smoke slowly escaped from her hands as she dropped them. The tip of the cigarette grew more red as she sucked on it. She pulled it from her mouth and the smoke escaped through her nose and mouth. She smiled sardonically while tapping the cigarette with the index finger - the ash vanished in the wind. She stepped from one foot to the other as the wind slapped her face.
"You shouldn't do that, it's not good for you." The ironic tone of my voice was not lost on me, I had just sounded like my mother.
"Yeah? Well, there's a lot of things that aren't good for me." The tip blared red again as she sucked with it secured between the index and middle fingers of her right hand. Her eyes travelled the length of my body to my toes and back up to my face in what I can only describe as disgust.
"I know something that is good for you." I cupped my hands over my face and exhaled, the warm breadth brought momentary relief to my frozen jowls. I did not want to continue the conversation she was attempting to start.
"Does it always have to come to that?" She turned the cigarette and examined the lit end. She blew on it and the ash glowed brightly.
"I don't know, does it?" I resisted the urge to comment on the seductive manner in which she was treating her cancer stick. Her eyes immediately left the ash and jerked in my direction.
"I'd like to think I know a lot about you, and you do always seem or try to push every topic towards sex or at least make it sexual. Maybe it is your gift. They say everybody is good at something." She placed the remainder of the cigarette on her thumb and created a trigger with the middle finger. She cocked it into position and sent the butt flying into a nearby sewer.
"Who is they?" It was common question for me, but I just couldn't stop.
"Yeah, anyway." Her standard answer. I shuddered at the thought of us already in a mundane routine.
"Well, you don't know as much as you think you do." I regretted the comment as the last word left my mouth. I didn't mind the argument, but it was too damn cold to do it now.
"That's what I am afraid of." Her arms were now crossed firmly on her chest. The blonde hair dangled in the wind as the eyes remained locked on me.
"Stoppit."
"No, really, please enlighten me?"
"C'mon, I was just joking." Honestly, enlightening her would take much too long and I had a meeting in twenty minutes that I could not miss. I silently thanked god that she would not be in the meeting.
"Uh huh, you are always 'just joking' but I'm serious." She enclosed the just joking phrase with hand quotes.
"Let's not do this now." I couldn't remember the last night I had seen anybody do that, but I didn't want to see them do it again. Suddenly, I remembered a Chris Farley character from SNL using them when he said he knew he wasn't "attractive" and so forth. I watched as she pushed the hair from her face and I wondered about her attractiveness. I wanted to be anywhere but here.
"Do what?" The arms returned to the position across her chest.
"Nothing, nevermind, I have a meeting in a few minutes." I stared at my watch to drive home the point and avoid telling her how much of a bitch she had suddenly or recently become. I pulled the door open awaiting her entry.
"Thanks." She shot through the door and pressed the elevator button. I wanted to take the stares, but she stepped inside and waited for me to follow.
"Don't, there are cameras." I pushed her hand away from mine knowing that nobody ever viewed the tapes. I searched my brain for other places I could work. The bell sounded as we reached the third floor - her exit.
"So, we still on for tonight?" She paused and turned as the doors slowly opened. I breathed a sigh of relief as nobody was waiting.
"Well, I didn't think you were in the mood." I silently prayed she'd reschedule.
"No, don't be silly, I want, I need to see you."
"Sure." It was the last thing I wanted to say, but I wanted or needed her gone - and gone now. I leaned back against the faux wood paneling as the box shot four more floors into space. I rubbed my eyes as the doors slowly opened, the smoke and cold air had been irritating. I stopped at the water cooler and downed two cups as I contemplated the next move.
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