I Do Two! by Kris Jacen (editor)

Author:Kris Jacen (editor)
Language: pl
Format: mobi
Tags: Erotica/Family/Relationships
Publisher: MLR Press, LLC
Published: 2011-03-05T23:00:00+00:00

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Ships that Pass

Jamie Freeman

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The Friday before Christmas, Jude completes his last meeting early, closes up his office and manages to make it home by five. When he arrives at the apartment, there are lights on in the windows, but his partner Thor's truck is not outside.

Across the street a black clad old woman rocks in a great wooden rocking chair. Jude waves at the old woman as he does every day and, as she always does, the old woman rocks and rocks, eyes staring through him, her face a scowling mask.

He unlocks the front door to find the Christmas tree lights on and Baal dancing from joy rather than necessity, his black tail wagging rapturously. He finds a note on the table that confirms that Thor was home at some point earlier in the afternoon. To my sweet seraph, the note begins. Jude rolls his eyes, drops the note without finishing it and digs in his shoulder bag for a cigarette. He lights, inhales, holds and, as he releases the first lung full, picks the note back up.

To my sweet seraph, Baal has been out and they've both been fed. Gone to a boring dinner meeting with Freda in Tampa. Will probably end up staying the night or maybe till Monday so I took clothes. Also won't be able to make your office Christmas party tomorrow night. Work work work. Sorry. Can you take Claire? Love and more love, Thor. P.S. and more love.

Jude suspects that he is lying about the reason for his trip. He has seen the text messages and the emailed photos. He crumples the note into a ball and shoots it across the kitchen into the sink. Samantha looks down from her perch on top of the refrigerator, feline eyes wide and dark.

Box, she says, voice breathy and brittle, whiskers quivering.

“I know,” he says to the cat, looking around at the bars that hold him firmly in this tiny square place. “Sometimes I do feel trapped.”

He looks back up into her dark eyes and smiles.

They watch each other, speculatively.

“Come down here,” he says finally.

She leaps down onto the microwave then onto the counter and across to the bar in front of Jude. She approaches him gently but affectionately, rubbing against him and purring softly. He picks her up, touches Baal's head with his other hand and heads over to the sofa. The three of them settle onto the sofa and Jude finds the remote. He flips through the CDs in the changer, finds the one he is looking for and presses play. The mournful strains of Barber's Adagio for Strings fill the quiet room. It is the music that was playing when he first met Thor; it feeds his melancholy like a fine wine.

Samantha's ears rotate as Jude caresses her sleek coat.

“Do you remember that night?” he asks her. She meows softly and looks up into the multi-colored lights of the Christmas tree.

Jude leans his head back against the back of the sofa, his soul comforted by the beating hearts of these affectionate creatures.

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