I Was Grateful for My Mask Today
When I bumped into my ex-fiancé at a supermarket.
I was grateful for the mask today when I bumped into you.
“It’s been a while, Beckett. How have you been?” you asked.
Knowing instantly, intimately, who the voice belonged to, I twisted my head in your direction.
Those eyes.
Those eyes told me you were smiling. So was I.
“I’ve been okay. Great. Really great. Just looking for capers for a recipe,” I said. Why did I just say that?
Could you feel my nerves? The mask absorbed my deep exhale.
I straightened my legs to stand from the squat I was in. Two jars in my hands. You seemed taller. Or different. Twenty years can do that, I suppose.
“Did you get shorter?” you asked, placing your flat palm on the top of my head, pressing down like I was a human button.
Your touch. . .
Touch my head again. Like you used to. Tuck my hair behind my ear. Grab the back of my head and pull me to you.
Our Past — A Lifetime Ago
I was grateful for the mask today.
