I can only stay a while but I beg to beguile –

Cliff was sitting down in the recliner, reading the paper. I walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. “Huh?” he asked, without turning around. “Wanna go for a run today?”

I set the phone down carefully. I had a strange smile on my face, and I didn’t know why. The kid bothered me. Why did I ever give him my number? He was just trying to get with me.

“Bye, Cliff!” He walked into my room. “What are you going to do today?” “Um.. I’m not sure.” “Weren’t you going to start running? I’ll go with you.”

“Come ya ladies and ya gentlemen, a-listen to ma song, I’m a-tell it like I heard it, but I might-a heard it wrong, Sneak a little peek-o’-what’s a-comin’ on ahead

A girl of about two and half, bundled in a puffy pink coat and perched on her mother’s lap, leaned over and puked a bunch of white froth onto the fake marble floor outside of radiology room number t

I don’t love you. I never did. I was in love with the idea of being in love. I was in love with my idea of what you could be. You didn’t live up to it. How could you?

CH TWO 48