Visitors

I found her waiting outside my door when I got home that night, her black hair dripping wet to her waist. She took the beating the rain gave her, just like she took it from everyone else. I unlocked the door and she walked in without a sound. I went to the kitchen and put some water on the boil, I buttered some bread and dumped some pasta in the pan. She headed straight for the couch, sunk into it and seeped. I watched her while I waited for the food to cook, I put the plate in front of her but she didn’t even flicker. I took a shower. When I came back she was lying on her side staring at a cactus, the plate untouched, her hair spreading a black puddle on the carpet. I looked at her for a minute, then turned out the light and went to bed.