Company

The cheapest motel in the dirtiest part
of town-
A knock at my door 'shave and a haircut'
I opened the door, she peeked in
probably making sure there weren't any cops waiting
before stepping in-
I took her hand, without a word
led her to the bed
I turned away from her, turned on the lamp
put on my glasses
Looked back
she was undressing
I could see the scars, faint
across her body
She didn't look old enough to have been married
Her father then?
Her skin was so fair otherwise
She turned to me, ample breast swaying
unbound
"Ainchya gonna get undressed?"
I don't feel like it
"I can't really do nothing if ya ain't"
Sure you can
I tossed her one of my notebooks
Read
She just stared at me, quizzically
You know how to, right?
"Of course I do, I ain't stupid"
Then read
She cracked open the book and stared at the first page
I picked up my own pen and paper
pretending to write
watching her from the corner of my eye
She kept glancing back at me at first
until she read a funny one and
she laughed-
A clear, beautiful laugh that told of her youth
And I watched her as she read on
her emotions, expressions so evident
how her lips pursed and she blinked hard
failing to hold back tears

Time passed and I watched emotions dance
across her face
It was beautiful to see
It was beautiful to see because
I knew I was in control and
I admit
I took a perverse pleasure in this
She finished, in tears again
Looking at me, mouth trying to find words
"Why'd you end it so sad?"
Life always ended sadly
"Does it?"
It always ends, no true ending is happy
She nodded
I gave her the money
"But we didn't have sex..."
Your advertisement offered company, not sex
She stared at me
"Can I...keep you company a while longer?"
I nodded
She curled up next to me, felt so tiny
so fragile
She kissed me fervently and I let her
but I didn't allow her to go further
She seemed disappointed
I told her to quit this lifestyle
Anyone who can appreciate poetry can do
much better for themselves
She didn't say a word
We fell asleep and in the morning she was gone

The next time I saw her
I was reading the morning newspaper
She had been murdered
by her boyfriend, her pimp, for wanting to leave him
Life always ended sadly

And sometime later I cracked open my old
notebook-
And in the cover was a simple note
written in the most perfect handwriting
'Thanks for setting me free'
And I held back my tears
for they wouldn't bring her back
Life always ended sadly-
I never opened that notebook again