Last Light

by Claire Kent

My breasts jiggle as I move,

BFFR simply no need

I wake up once or twice, barely orient myself to my surroundings, and then fall right back to sleep when I catch a whiff of Travis.

GIRL

He makes one of those odd, soft snorts I’ve heard from him once or twice before.

Is he a pig?

“Will you teach me? To do better? I know I’m small, but I don’t want to feel helpless. Will you show me?”

she is SUCH a pick me

He snorts softly.

CAN HE STOP SNORTING

If a man has a woman willin’ to put her mouth on him and he whines about her techniques, then he don’t deserve her at all.”

FEMINISM!!!!

And love might be the biggest risk of all at the end of the world.

He immediately recognized that I was upset and wanted to do something about it. It’s nice. To have someone in your life like that.

But I have learned a couple of things since the world fell apart. And one of them is this. If you love someone, you better hold on to them as tight as you can.”

Macks so cute

“Darlin’. I’m doin’ a terrible job of sayin’ this. I’ll try again. You’re not gonna lose me. Not unless you want me gone. I’m gonna do whatever you do. If you wanna join Maria, then I’ll trail around behind you like a lost puppy. Me and the dog. Or if you wanna hook up with Mack or some other man, I’ll make myself a third wheel and I’ll practice deep breathin’ so I don’t beat the man’s face in for gettin’ to touch you like I… Or if you wanna stick with the caravan after all, I’ll learn to be patient and put up with not bein’ in control. You’re not gonna lose me, Layne. But I’m tryin’ to tell you that you don’t have to fuck me to keep me. You have me, even if you never want me to touch you again.”

UGH <3

I told myself from the beginnin’ I could never… never ask you for more, ’cause I never wanted you to feel obliged to give me anythin’ you didn’t want to. I made myself hold to that from the first day we got together, and I’m gonna keep holdin’ to it now, even though I’m in a panic ’bout losin’ you. You got choices, Layne. You’re not stuck with some old hillbilly who never went to college and who can barely understand all your poems and who never shoulda been anyone to you ’cept the guy who fixed your car. You’re not stuck with him just ’cause he’s the only one you got.”

I was wrong. I know that now. The world was never ending. What I assumed was the last light of the sun was always my beginning.