peace

he was pretty sure that the piece of furniture – too wide to be a couch but too narrow too be a sofa - outside of the elevator at the hotel outside of princeton was put there for form and not for function since in all the times they’d been there he’d never seen anyone sitting on it or in it. the bell rang and the doors separated and they planned to or assumed they’d walk to their respective rooms on opposite ends of the second floor all of a sudden and almost in unison they squeezed into the brown and gold seat. he was surprised at how comfortable this piece of furniture was especially since it was function over form but maybe it was just her.

the booze may have been the cause for the pause as he was still feeling the effects of the beer and she of the tall blue thing that had the word pool or beach in the name or maybe they were just not quite ready to go their own way for the evening and the gravitational pull that they shared was enhanced by alcohol and stories of the pain of the past that was still lurking in the present.

over dinner and under the influence he listened to a story of a big fist hitting her small nose because she had the audacity to tell a former lover that she thought britney was a no talent slut and why would he get so pissed off anyway because it’s not like he was justin or k-fed or that other guy in between and how could his mother defend his actions in the emergency room waiting area. during the car ride back to the hotel she tried to reassure him that being single after so long would be refreshing and fun and that he’ll be happier than he’d been in a while and you don’t need a woman in your life because they only fuck things up and she ought to know because she is one and maybe she was right.

the elevator doors continued to open and close and as strangers got on or off they couldn’t help staring down at them because they probably hadn’t ever seen the seat used before either and who exactly were these two idiots. the staring turned to leering as her tears started to flow and his were therefore not far behind because even though she was not his he felt her like he hadn’t felt anyone in a long time or maybe ever. when someone tells you that they have built a wall around them self to keep out the bad shit as mascara streaks down flawless cheeks your only recourse is to gently wipe the tears away and onto your jeans as you explain that if you build that wall to protect yourself you also are walling the pain in with you and you’ve got to let it go.

whether she believes this or not the wall will stay because she took such a long time to build it so tall and strong and he’s happy that once in a while he gets to go inside and when he finally has to leave he hopes that he can lead some of the pain out of the wall just like the pied piper led those kids into the mountain.

he didn’t want to break the gravitational pull because newton wouldn’t appreciate it but her husband would since he probably wouldn’t like to be one of the people getting off of the elevator and seeing her head on his shoulder and her nose on his cheek while the two of them were at peace if only for a moment.

and after he pulled her to her feet and spun her in the direction of room 218 he remembered that three times that day he’d gotten on the elevator and known that she was waiting for him in the lobby not because he’s psychic or intuitive but because the scent that was now on his sweater had engulfed and permeated him in the elevator making him wish that his room was on the hundredth floor.