The Good-Morning

Another transposed piece from semester two. A story transposed from John Donne's Poem "The Good-Morrow"

It’s warm as I lie here in our bed, the sun just beginning to glint through the curtains, the light catching on that photograph of us on top of the television.

            You remember the day we took that? We were with Annie and David at the work party. You’d just whacked me in the face with your handbag and as you bent down to apologise I kissed you and you kissed me back.

            In hindsight I guess I was luck you did kiss me back, because that might have gotten awkward the next day, and that was the last thing I wanted, I already loved you by then.

            To think, our whole relationship was sparked by that one moment of reckless courage, imagine if I hadn’t, where would I be now?

            I never had much luck with women, until you.

            There was Jo, blonde Jo. I met her in Waterstones, we both reached for the same book and we struck up a conversation. I can’t remember the book but I remember it had a wok on the front cover, so it was probably a cook book, which is odd as I hate to cook.

            We ended some months later on the tube, it was summer I think because we were talking about holiday destinations and she kept suggesting the most obscure and frankly childish activities, she had the most amazing imagination, which I ended up hating.

            Her face is distorted in my memory; it was a while ago after all. I just remember that blonde hair flowing behind her as she stepped off onto the platform, not even a backwards glance.

            Then there was Alex, crazy old Alex, a proper head-case, but she was a laugh riot. I admired how easily bored she became of things, people, places, jobs. I liked that she was always searching for something she truly loved. Well you can imagine what happened there.

            Charlie was different, Charlie I wanted, Charlie I desired with all my being. She played games, games that drove me mad. For two months we flirted back and forth, she would build me up until I could explode, the lingering looks, those times in the stock room, and the photocopying room where my wildest porn-fuelled fantasies seemed that much closer to being realised.

            When I got her, it was never the same. All that confidence she used to swagger around with collapsed into nervous anxiety. She drove me mad with “where is this going?” and “what do I mean to you?”

            I’m going to admit I cheated, a lot, until I had eaten away all the bonds that kept us together. It ended with my alcohol-fuelled confession to Charlie at dinner. It was gone midnight before she stopped crying and shouting. It was the worst breakup I’ve ever been through.

            Then there was Leslie, Robin and Jamie, all in a short space of time, all equally unremarkable.

            Sam was the first girl since Charlie that I let myself fall for, it was a shame that she never seemed to quite feel the same.

            We tried out the bondage stuff; I must confess it’s a fetish of mine; it had crept in from deep down.

            She was truly a breath of fresh air, she let me see what it would take to keep a couple together, deep, tight, bonds.

            In the end I’m glad the bonds that held us together dissolved as they did, I would never have been able to be with you.

            These bonds are tight babe.

            You were next Abbie. You brought me into life again. God I’m lucky to have you. These last eight months you’ve saved me. I never want to let you go, just lie in bed forever.

            I wish I could just fill my world up with you, quit my job and leave the world to everyone else, you and me babe.

            Plus then you wouldn’t be around all those guys at work. I’ve seen the way they paw at you, and I’ve seen the way you flirt with them, harmless you say, harmless I know, but still. They found it so hard to believe when you quit.

            Yeah, I wish I could just keep us here always, chains maybe? No, nothing quite as severe as that,

            Oh, there was Elliot too. She was my guilty pleasure, my childish indulgence. She reminded me of a girl I fell in love with at school. I had to have her.

            We went out for four months. She took me back to Ireland to meet her parents. I think it was then I realised that we were too different, she was country through and though and I was a city boy. It sounds like it could be song or something, a whirl of romance, two people from different worlds and all that.

            In the end she left me for Ireland. 

            I know that its different with you Abbie, you’ll never leave me, I’ve tamed you, like I tamed Charlie, but you didn’t break down like her, It definitely feels more natural with you, you didn’t seem to struggle as much.

            Hello…no sorry she’s not here at the moment…yeah just popped down the shops…I’m not sure…you want me to give her a message? Yeah sure...okay will do…yeah…bye Jayne…

            Your mother says hello, she says she’d like to pop in tomorrow. Well we don’t want that, stupid busy-body. I’ll call her in the morning and say you’re ill, alright?

            What is that on your face? Is that the bruise from yesterday? God that has gone a funny colour, good thing you don’t have anything on today. Not to mention, you know, we have the whole day to ourselves again.

            Ha, I can see myself in your eyes, hello little Kevin! Can you see yourself in mine?

            You are a lady of leisure my dear Abbie, one day I won’t have to work either and we can spend everyday like this. I know you love me, maybe you could say it more often? I’m not mad, I just like to hear it, and you never say it.

            You know it can be like this forever, we can just stay together here in this bed, just lounging around and wasting the day. It’s my favourite way to spend time. You have no idea how happy I was and how perfect you seemed when you told me that day you drove me back from work that you liked to lounge around too, and then we just did it, climbed into bed.

            That was eight months ago, it feels like it could be much longer.

            You look more beautiful now than ever. I like your hair messed up like that, and I did always tell you that you suited no make-up, and, if I’m being really cheeky, you look better now you’ve lost some weight. I love how your eyes always sparkle recently.

            It reminds me of that day we spent by the river, before we were even dating, it was Annie and David’s wedding, we were enjoying the sunshine and the champagne. I felt so connected to you, we talked about everything, and nothing. Yeah, that day on the river bank is my favourite memory of us, even since we got together.

            I’m glad how easy it was to show you that all we needed was each-other. How easy it was to strip away all that excess life you didn’t need, til it was just us, the only ones that truly matter.

            God, what did we do before we loved each other? all those childish, insubstantial relationships that don’t compare to this.

            As you stare into my eyes I am glad to see that the fear is gone. You aren’t scared anymore are you? You’ve come to realise that we are truly meant for one-another, twin souls.

 

Reviews

[unspokenguilt]

Whoa! this is a creepy sort of cool. A part of me is picturing him talking to a dead body, lol.
Nicely done!