Sharpening My Acting Skills At Lyndee's Diner

Lately having conversations with him feel like
a rerun episode of Friends.
I’ve seen this one a hundred times
it’s not my favorite and
I know some people don’t like it
I know some people dislike it.
It’s not entertaining, it’s overplayed, the acting is bad, the characters boring..
But
lately having conversations with him feel like
a swim in an ice cold lake.
The water is clear as shit, no mud is stirred.
Nobody is swimming in an ice cold lake.

Two little girls would run to the lake after it rained
they knew nobody was there.
They had the whole lake to themselves
And they would swim and dive to the deep black bottom
holding their breath
They didn’t care that it stung their skin, their eyes, their lungs.
And they had the lake. All alone.
But
lately having conversations with him feel like
ordering soup at a fast food spot.
They’ll always look at me weird when I say it
a cautionary reaction, or maybe they’ll just laugh.
She got the chili from the senior specials when she was ten years old.
How odd.
But she missed the taste and the burgers were bad.

It rained on the way there
it hailed on the way back
her bike had a basket and no gears
and she still ordered chili at the fast food spot.
But
lately having conversations with him mean hearing a story
for the third time
for the fourth time
for the fifth time
except this time
when he meets my eyes, his are scared.
He is so scared
and he is scanning me
terrified to know if I’ve heard this one before
because he has no clue.
I smile. I nod. I respond.
Because this time when he says
did I tell you~
I am so happy to say no.