DEP Poetry
Unspoken Desires
Seth and Nancy’s Secret Affair
Seth would think of someone else
anyone else but no woman,
save Nancy, came to mind.
Nancy lived in the apartment
next door, free of rent in his imagination.
Every moment, every movement
of her putting dishes away in the cabinet.
Seth’d save time on his thoughts
on Nancy, a woman who never looked his way.
Seth finished his orange juice,
put the glass in the dishwasher,
and turned off the TV.
Seth dressed, massaged Polo
moisturizer on his beard, and headed for the elevator.
Classic ’80s rock played
from the ceiling speaker.
“Wait!” Nancy said in a huff.
Seth shoved his foot in the door
and they opened.
“Thank you,” she said.
Seth pressed the first floor
on the number pad,
and the elevator lowered.
“Of course,” Seth said.
Seth lived on the thirty-fourth floor,
so on the long descent, he played
his presentations in his head,
and prayed when his mind lost track
of what it meant to be alive.
Nancy brushed lint from her dark skirt
and spoke with investors on the phone.
Nancy left at the same time he did.
Seth wondered what it’d be like to focus
so much on your work
that you forgot the present.
Seth straightened his collar
and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Mind?” Nancy said, handing him a necklace.
Her diamond eyes danced,
rippling goosebumps
on his arms as she eyed him.
She ended her work call
and put the phone in her purse.
“Sure,” Seth said.
Nancy wrapped her long, red hair around her neck,
exposing her sleek, fair skin
and wild freckles that screamed sex appeal.
Seth clasped the silver necklace. “There,” he said.
Nancy reached to play with the charm.
And this before him swirled affection,
for the taste of her lips.
“I hear you, you know?” Nancy said.
Seth’s left brow shot up. “Excuse me?”
Nancy hugged herself and gave him an unassuming stare
as if to say she wasn’t as stupid as she was cute.
The elevator stopped on the first floor
and the thick grey doors opened.
People moved in either direction
sealing deals on their phones
or talking to a mistress.
They went over what she said
and moved through the lobby
to make the walk to work.
Seth opened the double glass door.
Nancy tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.
A guy hadn’t opened a door for Nancy.
She’d had plenty slammed on her, though.
She released the confusion
on her face and moved past him.
Nancy’s red heels clicked and clacked
as they strolled down the road.
The sun shone through scattered clouds,
and a light wind pulled her
ponytail southbound.
The scorching rays had their days
as the heat weakened and crisp
red and brown leaves crunched
beneath their feet, courtesy
of the skeletal hickory trees.
The Washington forest fire season
had nothing on the volcano
brewing within Seth.
Seth offered to buy Nancy a coffee.
She wasn’t in a hurry, so she agreed.
Seth opened the door again.
Nancy moved past him
as the chains of men’s disrespect lost
the power she’d given them.
The barista pointed to a window table.
They sat at a pine table with matching chairs.
People chatted amongst themselves.
Darren’s coffee filled the air with a mix
of caramel.
The coffee machine gears moved
as the dark beans turned
into ground sift to brew.
Soft jazz played on the speakers.
Baristas whisked warm milk to pour
over steaming coffee, twist on a cup,
and write a name on the cup.
The maple floor shined with wax.
The beige walls blended with the brown trim.
The silhouette art hung evenly spaced
on the walls gave a calming vibe.
The newly installed tinted windows
with a flashing open sign
pushed Seth to open his thoughts
and spill his guts through his nervous gaze.
“I hear you, you know?” Seth said.
“Really?” Nancy cleared her throat. “And what is it that you hear?” She sipped coffee, put the cup on the table, and pushed it away. “Well?” Nancy rested her head in her hands, elbows propped on the table.
Nancy’s unrelenting expression searched the window to his soul.
Seth leaned in. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, do I now?” Nancy said as though she’d wanted him to detail what he heard over long nights.
And what it was exactly that he thought those sounds meant.
“You know what I mean,” Seth said. “The sounds you make.”
“Sounds?” Nancy bit her lower lip. “What sounds?”
Nathan’s cheeks reddened. “We both know.”
“Yeah,” Nancy said, nodding, “we do know.”
“You wanted me to hear,” Seth said.
“And so did you,” she said. “We want the same thing.”
Tears that he hadn’t called for threatened to spill. Seth looked at his phone. “I’m going to be late.” His eyes widened to saucers.
“Relax,” Nancy said. “My dad owns the firm.”
“You got me the job?” Seth narrowed one eye and waved his finger.
“Can neither confirm nor deny.” Nancy smiled and winked.
“What do you say we go to dinner tonight?” Seth said.
“I’m more of a pizza and movie at home kind of gal.”
“I like that,” Seth said. “Coming home to you and pizza sounds like a great life.”
Tears spread across Nancy’s face. “I’d…” she swallowed hard. “I’d like that.”
(© 2024 AC)
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