200 CCs - May 2016

The Other
by Nikki Boss
“When you come back, I will be here like this.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing to you but
everything to me.”
“Sarah.” I love how
he says my name,
Say-ruh.
“Come here.” I pull
him to me, my hands
cupping the back of
his neck. He pulls
away.
“I have to go.”
“You could stay if
you wanted to.”
“I can do anything I
want.”
“In the bathroom,” I tell him. He goes to fetch
them and I use the moment to light a cigarette.
Inhale deeply and let the smoke unfurl from my
mouth.
“Say-ruh.”
I ignore him.
“Say-ruh.” I will not go to
him.
“James.” I state his name
rather than reply. Take another
drag and let it poison me.
“You can lie in that bed all day
and it does nothing.”
I spit back. “I can do whatever
I want.”
The door slams. He is leaving
me again.
“Except stay with
me.” And there it is. It does not matter what I
want or what he wants; there will always be this.
He scans the room for his clothes.
Nikki Boss lives in New England with her husband, children, and too many animals. She
is currently a MFA candidate at Vermont College of Fine Arts and teaches middle school
English.
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