The Second Date

him: listen to the static, say nothing.
her: note the space between the words, sit tight.
him: fill nothing, wait for the silence, decipher the message it contains.
her: shhh, quiet helps.
him: What to say when there is nothing to say?
her: Be assertive, you dither, you die.
him: it’s all or nothing in those first few words.
her: he is lost, he has failed to capitilise.
him: i want to take you for dinner.
her: suspect those who capitalise.
him: i want to take you for dinner.
her: why? always ask them why. If they pause, eat elsewhere.
him: I want to sit with you and consume.
her: where?
him: don’t hesitate.
her: suspect men who answer too soon.
him: what do you like?
her: italian, too clumsy, spanish, too fishy, indian, too stinky, chinese, too fingery, japanese, too clean-
him: french?
her: french is good. red meat.
him: white wine.
her: a selection of cheeses.
him: the excellent service.
her: something to talk about when you run out of things to say.
him: think of the candles.
her: the forgiveness of candlelight.

him: and when you look in her eyes over flickery flames, and you find yourself falling, or plunging, with nothing to say, unable to stay, but pray and you plot and you scheme for the time when you slide your hand over her knee, or place it in her fingers and clasp and entwine, and let yourself go, and you fall and succumb to your saviour, your female saviour, and you crawl at her feet, and you look at yourself quickly, in your mirror, your bathroom mirror and you say to yourself, she is who i need, to be.