1. Last night I was scheduled to close
  2. Before I arrived I knew it would be
  3. A very long night
  4. I drank some rose tea and a smoothie
  5. Later dark chocolate kept me company 
  1. The woman who approached me 
  2. Wore so much makeup 
  3. I had trouble taking her seriously
  4. Her daughter had cool blonde hair
  5. Pained crystal eyes
  6. Flawless skin, and terrible anxiety
  7. I gave her mother my number
  8. Hugged her, and watched them leave
  9. Thinking of someone else I knew
  10. Who could use a mother like that. 
  1. Customer 2 was trying on hand lotion
  2. She had big blue eyes and dry fair skin
  3. We discussed the scent of patchouli
  4. Which led us to the skin care section
  5. We were testing toners before I noticed
  1. A teenaged guy hanging around
  2. He was trying to treat his invisible acne
  3. Most products are designed for women
  4. But he said he didn't care about packaging
  5. It was then that he told me
  6. About his mother who suffers
  7. She has MS
  8. Then I realized
  9. Skincare was the superficial reason
  10. He was there.
  11. I could have hugged him
  12. But distance is safe
  13. As he was leaving he told me
  14. That he would fill out a survey
  15. If the store had one for awesome people
  1. The second woman returned
  2. To discuss pricing
  3. This led to the topic of battered women
  4. At one point we were both in tears
  5. Her father and brothers were abusive
  6. Her mother tells her it must be nice
  7. To have married the banker's son
  8. And to have enough money
  9. To buy whatever she wants
  10. Growing up she was called
  11. A fat stupid lazy cunt
  12. Her brother almost killed her
  13. She called the cops
  14. Before the trigger was pulled
  15. That makes her the bad guy
  1. I fell into bed last night
  2. But before that I spoke with my friend
  3. The drunk
  4. After an alcohol free week he bought some wine
  5. And lied to me about not returning to his old habits
  6. It occurred to me
  7. That I'm in an abusive relationship with him
  8. Since I'm scared
  9. To stop interacting.
  10. Monday is my day off
  11. I'm going to make some appointments
  12. Call my old therapist
  13. Start knitting, take walks, pray, get in to see her.
  14. My life is better than ever,
  15. But hearing that woman say she had to promise her husband
  16. Not to kill herself
  17. Prompted me
  18. To reach out
  19. Since the two halves of me
  20. Desperately want to be whole.