The Night Before I Knew Him
she mouths, barely audible.
I almost laugh. Almost.
I steady myself instead. That’s what men like me are supposed to do. Be steady, and composed. Be the calm before the storm, never the fucking storm itself.
We reach the stall.
I count to three under my breath, push it open with the mop like I’m breaching a crime scene.
And there it is. The damn roach.
Big, and ugly, sitting near the drain like it pays rent.
I move the mop, ready to end this—