#demean

demean

a pothole filled with rainwater. infinite softness— see bloat, see naivete. black mold on shower corners, the detached legs of a centipede on the drain grate. the sag and black rings. a basket of blackened bananas. the sound of a dying battery in a smoke detector, the pinch of fingers in a car door. a stripped screw rusted, left behind in a rotting plywood wall. your decades of meandering drudgery. your dead end bloodline.

-kab

Two men are sitting at a table halfway down the diner aisle. The pink-haired man suddenly stands up and starts yelling.

"I name you Hector! Patron Saint of the Inadequate, Failed Protector of the Rattiest Rat Folk, Disgraced Liege of Those Who Are Cautionary Tales!!"

"You forgot heartless bitch," the man in the sequined grey shirt replies.

"You're that fucking too!!" The pink-haired man throws money on the table (I assume his share of the bill), then grabs his to go box and rushes out the door.

"Asshole," Hector says quietly. He pulls out his phone and sends a text. He then pushes his plate out of the way and puts his head on the table.

The waitress walks by and takes Hector's empty plate, then refills his coffee.

Hector raises his head, takes a sip of coffee, then softly bangs his forehead on the table.

I start examining my nails and try to act as if I didn't witness this entire series of events. I resist the urge to bite off a hangnail.