Being French

by Christine Redderoth-Roderick
(Connecticut, USA)

Agnes said she was French.
She was not.
She met Tom and although not
instantly attracted to him,
he won her over with his charm.

When he asked her to dance, she fell apart.
Dancing was something she never
shared with her husband

And as he sat behind her she was
careful not to look the way she felt.
Tom never stopped touching her.
He used her name every chance he could.

When he asked of her husband
she blushed at the question.
She answered truthfully although
she wished the truth was different.

She became drawn to Tom.
It was something she couldn't resist.

When Tom spoke French she
feigned to be someone she was not.
Tom became that forbidden obsession and
isn't that what being French is about?

She wondered and thought about him daily.
She called on him to meet her.

They drank,talked and as the hours grew
so did her affection for him.

She wanted more than he could
give her that night and this she appreciated.

He kissed her in such a way that
her knees buckled,causing her to weep at
the thought that this might be
her last night with him.

As she drove away all she could think about
was his sweet smell and
the prospect of feeling those lips
against hers again.