Funny You Should Ask

by Elissa Sussman

I swallow back the taste of impending doom. It tastes a lot like a really good burger and a perfect sour beer. It tastes like Jell-O shots and popcorn. It tastes like expensive mint toothpaste.

I felt fluttery. All over. I didn’t like it. It was deeply unprofessional and a complete cliché.

The puppy shifted in my arms, craning her head so she could take a swipe at my chin with her soft, pink puppy tongue. I inhaled deeply, breathing in her puppy breath. Pure. Unfiltered. Good.

“Has anyone ever told you that you kind of look like one of those cat-clock things?”

There was a slight manic quality to him that seemed more noticeable in the car—like he was literally overflowing with excess energy.

The puppy shifted beneath the table, letting out the kind of sigh that was usually reserved for those contemplating the meaning of life.

He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.

part of me thinks that I should go easy on him, but another part of me thinks that I’ve spent way too much time in my life going easy on men.