I don’t see her come in.
She comes up to the counter and asks for two cups, smiling the entire time. It’s more her eyes.
She comes back out from the theater some time later and buys something—a water bottle maybe; candy? She walks back toward the door and looks over her shoulder and smiles. I don’t have my glasses on, but I can see she’s smiling and looking to me to look back at her. My stomach hurts for real.
Break: I can get my food and come back and eat it before her movie ends. I’ll make sure I clean the theater when it gets out. My glasses are on.
The first few people leave, so I go to sweep while the credits roll, looking down. There’s a man with her in the next seat. She’s looking at me and smiling as I walk up and down the aisle. I wait a few rows back while the rest plays out.
She walks past me with him right behind. I can’t say anything. She’s smiling and looking at me, of course.
I take their two tickets left in the cup holder. J6. Everything else goes in the trash. The End.
The broom and dustpan go back in the closet. The lobby’s empty. I go back behind the counter. She comes out of the bathroom and out the entrance door. As the door closes, she looks back over her shoulder, through the shrinking gap of the doorway, just to make sure I’m still looking. Out of sight.
But together with whoever, the two of them walk back along the row of glass doors. I can’t move. That’s it. Exit. I look out the window like a dog waiting for master until it’s time to get back to work.
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