loosening her Chico khakis

as i sat at the bar

watching an online

date eat a plate of

calamari,

licking her fingers between

each greasy bite,

i thought about

my life.

what went wrong.

questioning

what terrible mistakes did

i make, or what am i being

punished for?

i tapped the bar for another

gin and tonic.

she stopped talking about

her cat

for a minute and

ordered another

extra large

glass of pinot noir

from France.

do you mind if we order dinner

now, she said,

licking the empty

plate, loosening the belt

buckle on her Chico khakis.

i know we're never going

to see each other again,

and that you're going to pay,

but let's have dinner,

okay?

do you have a cat?