she woke up in a cold sweat
the nightmares were still haunting her
plunging her back into an unhappy consciousness
sadness clung to her night and day
she forced herself to get out of bed
showering and dressing while numb
eating a bland tasteless breakfast
no pleasures brought by the simplest things in her life anymore
she preferred working from home
avoiding the awkwardness of being face to face with others
especially those who picked up on her true feelings
she could expertly hide behind a fake smile in the video conference calls
by mid afternoon she was winding down her online tasks
she held her breath when an email popped onto the screen
it was from an old friend she had not seen for many years
someone she still had very strong feelings for
she opened it with trepidation
he was coming into town and wanted to catch up
he suggested they meet for dinner on Friday
she accepted his invitation without hesitation
she slept soundly that night
waking up with thoughts about seeing him again
breakfast actually tasted good
she wore a genuine smile in the video conference calls that day
She arrived early for the dinner reservation
a martini settled her nerves
she saw him enter from across the room
he had aged well and was still dashingly handsome
he politely kissed her cheek while hugging her tightly
she almost feinted from being so close to him
he sat down and ordered a gin and tonic
are you ready to pick up where we left off were his first words
Cheeky Monkey Poetry 