Joni's Comeback

Joni's Comeback

                                 Moe Seager

She poured a black cup of coffee

I sipped on the rim of the mug

At the one spot left unchipped

"Gimme one of yours would ya

I'm tired of rolling my own"

I passed her a Camel

We shared on the match

Ten years since high school

She looked like a yard sale item
Dust covered, cracked

The item nobody buys

Five of us once call her

To go to the same dance!

"Glad you stopped by

Never figured I'd see you

Back here in the neighborhood

Landlord promised to fix this place up

Ya know what?

I'm up shit creek without a paddle"

The little boy looks a lot like you

The girl takes a shine to her daddy

How's a, Vinnie doing?

"You mean Suitcase Simpson?"

You two ever talk?

"Not since the child support checks stopped coming"

"He lost his job and hit the booze

Said he got cabin fever

You know, when a man feels caged

Too long with the same woman"

How are you taking it?

"Now I got cabin fever"

Oh yeah, with who?

"With nobody. See, for a woman it's different

It's about locking yourself indoors

For months on end

Two sickly kids, t.v. on the blink

And watching the dog die

'Cause you ain't got money to send him to the vet"

"Can I bum another smoke?"

Help yourself. I gotta another pack in the car

She lit up off the burner on the stove

"Okay, he was here and made Noel hell

Showed up drunk on Christmas eve, 11:30 at night

Two gifts for the kids

One was broken

Last of the big time spenders"

"I put the kids to bed at midnight

He tried to make me on the couch

I finally slapped the bastard across the face

He got up, called me a slut

Stumbled into the Christmas tree

Knockin' it to the floor"

It must have been horrible!

"Yeah, broke my favorite ornament

Saint Brigid's cross"

I meant your eye

"Oh, it took thirteen stitches and heeled right up

But I couldn't put that cross back together

It was my grandmother's and my mother's

Meant to pass it on to Katie "

I'll trade you a smoke for another cup of coffee

"I'm all out. Will Kool Aid do?"

Just a glass of water please.

I drank it down in a peanut butter jar.

"Don't worry it's clean.

I sprayed for bugs"

I choked, she laughed

Like old times

Getting out lately?

"Don't ask"

Sorry.

"Okay, I met this guy at the Laundromat last summer

He wants to go out dancin'.

Remember how much I liked to dance"?

How can I forget.

"He takes me to a suburban disco on the mall

He wore three cheap chains

'Round his sweaty fat neck

His breath smelled like Pine Sol

The man coulda stopped a Mac truck

Tryin' to do the Gene Kelly

More like the polyester stretch"

What happened?

"I told him I was on my period.

He whisked me home like a three alarm fire"

Too bad

"Not really. I saved a few bucks on the baby sitter"

Well, there's more fish in the sea

"You mean the sewer system"

You need a nice guy type

"Cut it with that cute shit"

Right

"Yeah, I met a nice guy type

In the super market last month

He starts flirtin', asks for my number.

Says he wants to take me to poetry reading

I figure, what the hell, why not?

There we were in the check out line

Like a couple of kids, funnin' and smilin' "

Okay, and what?

"When he sees me buy baby bottles with food stamps

The man almost shit himself "

She reached for another cigarette

I reached for her

She backed away

Tossing the cigarette into the ash tray.

Good shot, I barked.

"Be glad I know you"

So, what are you doing Saturday night?

"I'm goin' out. My sister's watchin' the kids"

Where you going?

"To the Amazon club"

Ain't that a lesbian joint?

"That's right. Any more questions"?

Just one more.

"Shoot"

If you give me that cross of yours

I'll take it home and put it back together for you.

She turned and walked toward the bedroom

I rose to follow

"Freeze" she quipped

I sat still

She returned to the kitchen

The broken cross in a box.

She looked side to side and eyed the flies

Buzzing 'round the bulb on the ceiling

 "Here, keep it"