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I grab a et ho et to work My alariant red nu e Underneath the desk, ertips acrossextra keys as I work on a report forcontemplatively on my lip

Six o’clock couldn’t come sooner

At ten to five, I end my work early, jump into the shower, then put on the exact outfit he had first requested: a crisp white dress shirt with the details on the collar and cuffs, black dress slacks that hug ner black leather belt, shiny dress shoes (the sa the “captain”, actually), and a royal blue tie I fix up my hair nice, which is rare, since I usually leave it a mess or else slap a hat on I even put on my fancy white mirror cufflinks, plus a studded tie clip for extra class

I look like a fucking tall glass of cool water when I gaze at myself in the mirror

But these clothes aren’t

No routine is on my mind

Just Richie and a rendezvous at the nicest park between Mayville and Uptown, right on the cusp of class and sass, rich and wasted, high and low

I get there with fifteen to spare I stand on the corner where I’d expect Richie to show up—if he even shows up at all He hasn’t answered the ein he ht we met

A fewon a bench at the east entrance to the park, where I stare ahead at a fast food joint across the street, squeezed right between a bookstore and a jeweler When the clock hits six and I’ of serious doubt in my heart

That pang turns into panic when it’s ten past six and I don’t see Richie anywhere I’ in particular while keeping as cal on ht be back in Mississippi, having given up completely on me after I vanished No explanation None owed, either To him, I was just another cheap lay he never laid, but instead, fed a seriously expensive grilled cheese sandith truffle fries and a slab of sinful cake My only parting gift: some captain’s hat that isn’t even a real captain’s hat

As fake as the fantasies I conjure for my clients