Her Life

I've slept with her a few times but so have many other men. Looking at her laying next to me asleep I see her face in the moonlight, inoccent as she seemed to be since highschool. Though I know when the sun comes up shes different, shes not the girl I fell inlove with holding hands, kissing behind the bleachers so long ago. Shes that girl now that everyone makes fake promises to, of diamond rings and fancy things. The only place they take her is where I dare not tread, her smooth delicate arms tagged by her demise. She can't escape it and one of these days she'll die. Her young face exhausted and worried, there is a fresh bruise on her cheek from her last pay.

She doesn't understand how much I love her, she doesn't remember me from highschool. She just thinks I'm her nicest pay, my promises sound more secure of getting her out. She wants to hold onto that dream. Like a little girl wishes she could be a princess. And I wish I could do more, I wish I could take her away from all of it. My work doesn't pay enough and I vainly spend what I gain on our time together. Just to see her another day, still breathing, still wanting to be free. I feel my throat tighten and a tear escapes my eye, my heart feels heavy and I'm not ready to let her go. I raise my hand to brush soft red hair from her face, I'm shaking and I force back from waking her up to tell her I love her.

Tomorrow I'll be back in the office, she on the street corner selling herself for money. The thought makes me sick and I grow angry because I can't save her, I can't take away the pain, I can't make the illness go away. I can't save her from dying, and it kills me inside. I get up off the bed and I heard her whimper as she rolled over, sighing I went to take a shower and get ready for work. The hot water helped me think. I needed to speak to her before I go to work, before we continue our days like this. I realized how I could help her, how I could get her out.

Leaning forward I let the hot water rush down my back, forehead against the cool tile wall, the plan is fool proof. My shower is over and I step out in a towel. Shes awake. My heart slammed hard against my chest as I saw what she was doing.

"Where did you get those?!"

In her shakey hands were the drugs, the needle already done its job, fell to the floor. It worked fast. I could see her eyes glaze over and she went limp. I quickly went to her side holding her in my arms, I tried to keep myself together, my hand pushing back her damp hair. My lip quivered as I tried to find the right words, things just spilt out stupidly in a rush she didn't understand. She couldn't hear me.

"I love you, will you marry me?"

The question fell on deaf ears, she just stared at me, her expression vacant, and she was gone.