u s e y o u r h a n d s

At first, all she saw were his shoes, one untied and the other on the floor. She followed them up and up to his hands clutching at the rope around his purple, pleading neck. In all honesty, she was not surprised. Slow and then speeding fast, she realized he was not dead only dying. He must have just done this. At her feet, the note. There was time to skim, which she did. No affair. Not a heroin addict. Just in despair and longing for anything else. Anything but her.

So she let him have what he asked for.