LADY IN RED

I am finally going to rest tonight, I have decided it is the right moment to stop the clocks and disconnect my phones.

My hot bubble bath is awaiting, I light some scented candles and I get in the water. I take some big breaths while listening to Sixpence None the Richer's Anything. I am not in the mood for singing tonight, I just want to relax and let go. Some people don't understand how exhausting my life is: life is, after all, a game, and if you are not a good player you keep on taking risks and losing. And I'm not a loser, never have been, it's just that I am not lucky. Or maybe I'm not clever enough to play the cards I've been given. I've been trying hard to get better at this. I have watched other players win and leave the table, even though some of them had cheated. Every time a new game starts I'm there, waiting for my hand to be better, but the best cards I get are an ace-queen high or a king high, that is, garbage.

So I'm giving up, I'm exhausted. I feel sleepy now, my pain killers are starting to kick in. I make sure all of my dress is under the water. I close my eyes. This is it. I finally get to rest.

MY NAME IS LUKA

I couldn't face watching myself on the mirror; instead I stared at the marks on my body. The bruises spoke to me, they made me feel ashamed of myself, they were speaking out loud now, ... I didn't think this would ever happen to me, I never thought he would do this to me.

He had come to my door late last night, visibly drunk and angry. I opened the door and suddenly I was thrown onto the wall, his hand on my neck and I saw the rage in his eyes. I didn't say nor do anything. I didn't shout, I didn't kick him, I just let him punch me until I was lucky enough my neighbours came in and pulled him away. He left, I didn't call the police.

My marks were now shouting at me. It's difficult for me to describe the pain I felt, my body was aching but my soul was the one thing severely damaged. I knew I hadn't done anything to deserve that, but I should have known better, this should have never happened, this could not happen again. I packed a small suitcase and flew back to my town the next morning. I just ran away.

He wrote me a letter every single day. He sent me flowers. He asked me to come back, he apologized, he said he loved me.

Don't ask me why, I went back to him. He never hit me again, but he was cruel to me in many aspects I am not going to describe now. Eventually I found out he had been cheating on me for months, and it was then when I put an end to the relationship.

His marks are no longer on my skin, but I still have some left inside, whispering to me.

IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY

I had a thorough look at the drink I had in front of me. It was pale yellow with a small head. It smelled of fruit and flowers. I took a sip: it had a simple, balanced taste, and full carbonation with no real finish.

He had a look at the dress he was dating that evening. It was a gorgeous strapless summer dress. There was some stone embroidery attached to it. The fabric seemed soft to touch.

I concentrated on the noise that was coming from my beer. It was quite annoying, crisp and bright, and had a different timbre in the low and high range.

He had a look at the bust he was dating that evening. It had lovely blue eyes on a pale face and a sweet smile. Its hair was up in a ponytail and its shoulders were covered in freckles.

"Call me another time", Mr. Budweiser said.
The bust never did, I guess it wasn't that thirsty.

RIDER ON THE STORM

It all started as summer storms do, just a few drops, the kind that don't get you seriously wet, the ones you actually enjoy after a period of no rain at all. I didn't get my umbrella because I thought I wouldn't need it, and although practically everybody said to me it was a bad idea to walk under the rain, I decided to do it.

At first I took pleasure in getting myself wet, but before I knew it, I was soaking. I could have stopped under a few trees I found on my way, but you know what they say about trees and storms,... I actually didn't care that much about the rain because I thought you were in my same situation.

But you weren't, were you? I waited for you under the grey clouds and, as it got dark, I realised you were one of those guys who never risk catching a cold, silly me.