Sloppy Kisses

I'm with friends from Portland who now live in New York. We're hanging out in a park at night and it feels a little wild, a little foreign like Thai outdoor food pods in Chaing Mai. I'm wearing a long wife beater and glow sticks around my neck. I feel like a whore. My friend looks at me with heated eyes. I think about walking down the street to my grandmother's house in Denver. My friend pulls me in for a kiss. It's sloppy and desperate. He tells me he loves me. I tell him I feel bad about his wife, who is also my friend, kissing him. But I would kiss and love her just the same, I say. His eyes get big. I walk away. 

The Dolly Madison Parking Lot

I'm getting ready for work and taking longer than usual. I decide to take the 6:30 am class at the gym and bring all of my stuff with me and my bicyle. The parking lot of the gym looks like the parking lot of a Dolly Madison ice cream shop that was close to my grandparents house in Denver. There are hundreds of bike parking spots, but they are filled with kids bikes, most of which have no wheels. Some sort of church potluck is happening in the parking lot as well. "Nancy made Thai food. She did her best to make it authentic." I hear a woman say. I look at the remand pink sweet looking food in aluminum containers and head inside, wondering if I should remove my red lipstick.