Before I Get Eaten

"Men and women are all the same."

“I fall in love every single night,” she whispered.

Paul looked into her satin eyes, confused.

“You what?” he asks. He was momentarily lost her eyes but that statement pulled him right  out of his trance. A smile danced on her lips.

“Life is short,” she said no longer looking him in the eye. “Love is...easy. So, I choose to fall in love every night.”

He said nothing. Just stared at this woman, this girl that he knew nothing about at all.

“So are you in love with me?” The question feels funny leaving his mouth. But she answered without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“So let me get this straight. You bat those eyelashes at unsuspecting suckers like me so that we’ll ask you out….and then what? You fall in love and then what?” He’s laughing half heartedly, waiting for her to say “April Fools!” or something. But it’s December.

“Then, nothing. I fall in love and then the next night, I do it all over again.” She’s smiling at him, but it’s a cautious one.

Paul sits back on the park bench and closes his eyes. The date was going so well until now. She almost seemed perfect.

“Listen,” she says, hoping he’ll open his eyes. But he doesn’t.

“Some people paint, some people travel, and I...I fall in love. It’s all the same, really.” At that, he finally did open his eyes.

“So you fall in love every night.” It’s not a question, but she nodded  her head in response anyway. “Then..what about us? The poor guys who never get a chance or enough time to fall in love with you too?” He was no longer laughing. The pair starred into one another’s eyes for a long moment; Paul waited on her answer. An answer she failed to give. So tad bit louder, he asked again. “What about us?”

She was standing in front of him while he sat on the park bench in front of her, as his eyes searched for an answer. Becoming a tad bit uncomfortable with their differing levels, she moved and sat beside him instead, taking his hand in hers.

“You have the same 24 hours in a day,” she said softly. “You could choose to love me too.”

Paul could feel his frustration threatening to make his voice louder so he paused for a moment before speaking again. It didn’t really help.

“So you fall in love every night of your life. I have to know. How does it feel when no one loves you back?” He regretted the words as soon as they left him. Her eyes shifted downward as she reached for her purse and stood up. She realized the date was over. Placing her bag on her shoulder and recreating their difference in levels by looking down at him sitting on the bench, she simply said, “Men and women, they’re all the same. They use you until the new shinier version of you comes along and then they discard you and throw you to their dogs like scraps. I chose to love every night and leave before I can be eaten.”

Then she turned and walked away. Paul still said nothing, he couldn’t. He watched as her silhouette became smaller and smaller and then finally, he simply looked away.

“Hey!”

He turned his head back in her direction to see her waving for his attention.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

And then she was gone. Before she could be eaten.