Customer

        I woke up with sunlight piercing through the blinds, lying
prone on the bed. She was already sat up against the headrest with
a smoke lit and half a glass of rum.
     “You slept well.” She said with a puff of smoke and a satisfied look.
     “I did. You?” I asked in reply.
     “Not quite. I had a bad dream. I dreamt that I was in some
sort of alley. It was really dark and the air was heavy. This shadowy
figure appeared and stripped me off of my clothes. I was
really scared, I was trembling. It traced my profile with its cold fingertips
and when its hand went lower, I gave it a push and started running
for dear life!”
     “If I was there, I would’ve knocked it out of its black socks
and protected you.” I chuckled.
     “Yeah right you would. That’s not the end of it though. So
like I was saying, I was running, right? And this thing was chasing
me! It was chasing me down an alley that wouldn’t end. And that’s
the scary bit. If there could’ve been a dead end, at least I could’ve
‘died’ and wake up, but no! There was no dead end, and so there
was no end to the horror.”
     “How did it end?”
     “Really? You don’t plan on comforting me first?”
     I made my way towards the headrest and pulled her small
body closer to mine. I leaned over, kissed her on the forehead, took
her cigarette and put it out.
     “I was really scared, you know.”
     “I bet you were” I said, stroking her back.
     “I just woke up.”
     “You just woke up?”
     “Well you did ask how it ended. I just woke up. I can’t
recall how the dream ended. I remember running. A lot of running.
Lost around ten pounds I bet. After that, nothing. I was already
awake.”
She adjusted her posture and looked me in the eye.
     “After that I was able to calm myself down by watching you sleep.”
     “Really now?”
     “Really.”
     “You really love me, don’t you?”
     “Only because you love me.”
     “How can’t I?”
     “You love me, somebody that no man on the face of the
planet would fall in love with. Who would fall in love with a
prostitute? I’ve probably slept with a thousand men already. It’s
disgusting.”
     “And you’re an artist, a poet, a philosopher, you’re kind,
gentle, caring, you have the universe in your eyes and a great ass.”
     “Dick.”
     I smiled.
     “No comeback?”
     “The only one I want coming back is you.”
     “Real smooth” she said taking a sip of her rum.
     We said nothing to each other for a while. The silence was
a wall between us in the middle of this bed but the warmth of our
bodies was communication enough to remind us of the love we
share for each other.
     “But you know, we can’t…I love you. I really do. But there
are just too many things that will complicate the idea of us having a
relationship.”
     I sigh and twine my fingers in hers.
     “Will you come back?”
     “Of course. You’re a customer after all.”
     “A customer.”
     “And I love you very, very much.”