INDIFFERENCE
A face peeked around the corner,
young, fresh, oriental, or Asian, I'm
not sure which I'm supposed to use.
Sudden fear in her eyes as they
met mine,
tongue-tied, stammering,
trying to get the statement out,
one she had probably been practicing
for the last half hour.
Sudden fear from the realization she
had to talk to the devil,
sick old man sitting behind a desk
with a scowl on his face.
I beckoned for her to come closer,
wanting to hear better what I knew I
couldn't understand anyway,
no hatred there, just fear and so
much uncertainty.
Seeing the form in her hand I realized
where she needed to go,
and I explained it with language,
oral and body,
she nodded and smiled revealing
very crooked teeth.
Shaking she backed up, mumbling
what I assumed to be "thank-you"
and then she was off like the
wind, in the opposite direction
I had sent her.
Acting out of boredom, I watched
her for five minutes pacing the
parking lot,
and since I felt like having a smoke
anyway I set out to guide her,
she was apprehensive at first,
and then I guess she just gave up
and surrendered all her pride in
one fell swoop.
I walked to the end of the
building with her,
nothing was said,
there was little point in saying
anything,
and I held the door open for her
as she entered the building,
I looked into her eyes as she
passed by and I smelled
ginger and cloves,
and then I noticed the fear
that had been so obvious previously
had disappeared and been replaced
by sheer relief.
I let her in and then I walked
back to my hole, my cell, my giant
desk in Purgatory,
I never saw her again
and I can't imagine for the life of me
that she remembers our encounter.
MCC
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