SMALL FAVORS FROM STRANGERS
emily siegenthaler
In the bitter cold I go to my old house. A girl answers. I introduce myself, a former tenant. She lets me in, we know how expensive the heat is. The house smells different. Like coffee. I wonder which room is hers.
I ask her about the mail. She hasn't received any of mine. She offers to take my number. She has dark eyes, and I like them. I give her my number. I wonder if her bed is soft, if she makes good coffee. The girl is wearing a thick white sweater. She tells me her name; she does not offer me any coffee. I hold out my hand, I say thank you.
Really I want to ask her, "If I had an acid nightmare and felt like my brain was broken and the next day I had a thesis paper due, would you sit down at the computer and help me write until I felt better?" I want to ask because I know she'll say yes. I want to come back to my old house with her living in it now and watch her live.
Emily Siegenthaler
http://emscreams.tumblr.com/
The Savage Detectives
Roberto Bolaño