She
held his hand in the Broadway Cafe
Rain
outside falling in sheets
Her
heart beating in her chest
So
hard her ribs hurt
"I
have done things," she said
Looking
into his infatuated eyes
"I
have been bad to people
Who
have loved me..."
He
felt her palm in his
The
warmth of it genuine, firm
"I
have done bad things too," he said
"We
all make mistakes."
He
could hear the rain outside
Like
constant applause
"But
I believe in second chances."
He
held her gaze, continued without pause
"And
this is a chance for both of us..."
A
waitress sidled over
To
see if they would order
"Two
coffees," he said, "Black."
"You
don't understand," she said
Watching
the waitress move away
"I
am poison."
He
looked into her eyes
And
knew it was true
But
believed his love for her
Would
be an inoculation
Not
an invitation for dissolution
"It's
nothing I can't handle," he said
Gangster
bravado
She
was up to her neck in debt
With
an ice habit that would
Break
his bank in a week
"But
I'm weak, I know it," she said.
He
took her words as a challenge
Could
he keep her safe?
Could
he keep his head above water
Could
he avoid impending doom
The
wars, diseases, the slaughter?
Her
perfume wafted over him
Like
the most magical of potions
They
were young and in love
Failure
was not an option
© shaun
patrick green 2020
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