Through a casual encounter with him –
Did it finally hit me,
The truth of it all.

We met as if by chance,
Each just happened to be there.
Soon we got to talking,
It really had been long
Since we last talked –
But he did not waste time
On petty pleasantries…..

He asked of my exploits
With a certain glint in his eye,
Which made me hesitate to answer.
He asked again, this time
Pointing to a female patron
While asking.
It hit me hard what he meant –
What could I say?

I’d grown up believing
That two people were meant to be,
And remain true to each other;
One man, one woman.
Grown up believing
That the ever elusive emotion
Called love actually existed.
And it was to be cherished and exclusive…
And I told him as much.
He laughed, gazed in amazement,
And laughed again.

He asked that I meet him at his place
The very next day.

As I stood and looked
I thought of how easily
That could be my friend,
My girlfriend, my cousin,
My niece, my sister
Or even my daughter.
I saw his silly grin of satisfaction
And immediately looked away,
It was all too much to bear.
I walked away defeated –
The truth was unbearable,
And so I walked on.

Some time after,
We meet again.
This time he has another –
I don’t ask questions .
Still it is as before…
I am still alone…
He is, well….him…
And as I listen and smile
At the lies she is fed,
I cannot help but pity her –
Another player in his game,
They excuse themselves,
The highlight of the evening,
I presume.
As I watch them walk away,
I wonder who it is I really pity.