on special occasions. Apparently
this occasion qualifies, however.
She takes a big drag, fights not
to cough. Fails, and that makes
the tears fall harder. He—hack—
is such a prick. I ca-can’t—hack—
believe he could just up and leave
Mom. N-not—hack—f-f-for … her!
“Who?” None of my business,
of course. But, hey, she brought it up.
His goddamn boss! You know,
the bitch who owns the company?
She’s old. Rich, yeah, but old …
Her voice is tinged with hysteria.
After almost twenty-five years,
he leaves Mom for … for her?
“Here.” I pass her the J. “Take
another hit. A little one this time.”
She doesn’t cough, but she does ask,
You’d never cheat on me, would you?
I BITE DOWN HARD
On the impending lie.
Fact is, I’ve already
cheated on Nikki,
though I’m not sure
why. It was an awful
mistake, and it only
happened once, post-
football-game beer
binge. God, that girl—