The Primrose Path

The edge is nearly upon me
Though I fear not
My eyes are open

 The Primrose Path (revised)


It was a hot night in East Falls, the only sound around was the thumping bassline of Diamond’s jet black ’94 Escort. She was more beautiful than most chicks from around the block; the kind of girl you would pick first out of a crowded room. Magnetic green eyes, light brown curly hair, and a crooked smile to boot….

Butterflies did backflips in her stomach on the drive down to his place. She couldn’t believe she was actually going to this party. She had to pick a big fight with her man to free up the night. Things were nearly in place for her to leave him for good. She was sick of being his figurative and literal punching bag. He was probably high right now anyway, curled up to his true love, Grand Theft Auto. The two of them hadn’t slept in the same room for months. They often went days without so much as a word to one another. Tonight was for her, though. She needed a break from the insanity of her life.

Diamond’s blue jeans were just-right-tight, she had a fresh manicure, and she smelled like peaches. The summer sun had given her caramel skin a delicious deep glow. Her ears pounded in her head as she felt wave after wave of adrenaline. Or maybe it was the ecstacy she had taken earlier, it was hard to tell. Whatever the case, it made her have to pee. Her tires screeched a sad song as she nearly did a donut into the parking lot. Hey, there is such a thing as making an entrance, right? She quickly turned off the car and blew air out of her mouth. The street was eerily quiet. Diamond’s feet made creaking sounds as she walked up the pissy hallway. Every other step was sticky and she caught a delightful whiff of Raid. She already skeeved the place, but knew she wouldn’t turn back. She had already come this far; at the very least she had to have a look-see.

The rhythms of merengue mixed with hip-hop on the opposite side of the door put her mind at ease. Diamond made her way in, nodding heads at some kids she knew from school. She held a brief conversation on the topic of gender-specific corporate manipulation with an uber-feminist from her mass media class. She thought it best to grab a drink; the night was young. Bacardi seemed like a safe bet.

She looked up from pouring to find eyes on her. Staring. It was him. Sergio. She barely held on to her cup. His hazel eyes and heavy gaze made her knees weak. He was definitely an East Coast girl's dream, six-foot-two with muscles and tattoos, y’know, the works. He was working the urban poet look quite well. Thrift store T-shirt and jeans appearing to be very broken in. He was rocking some brown Pumas and quoting Kurt Vonnegut. Diamond inhaled him.

They had met in ethics class a while back, and discussed the profundities of life in a non-Starbucks coffee shop on many occasions. He was perfectly on her level like no one she had ever met. Even in the beginning of her current relationship, when things were at their most divine, it was never this deep. No other dude had ever soul kissed her. Sergio reached out for her hand in one smooth motion and pulled her close.
“Want to see something?” He whispered into her ear.
“Yeah,” she replied, without skipping a beat.
All the faces in the room became a blur as he took Diamond’s hand and led her to the top floor of the apartment. He forced open a dirty, cracked window and motioned for her to go out. She poked her head out first to investigate. She had a fleeting though about falling off the roof and careening to her death.

There was a small ledge, and to the right, an angled roof. An afghan had been spread out, even a couple of pillows. She smiled to herself as she pretzeled her way out of the tiny window and carefully crept over to the blanket to get comfortable. The night sky was illuminated with stars, a rarity in these parts; more than she had ever seen. She was so busy being lost in the heavens she almost forgot about Serg, who had made his way over to her, and was admiring the view as well.
“I come up here all the time,” he said with a slight sigh. “It’s always so crazy in there; my roommates, the parties….” “Some days I just want it to be quiet.”
“I can dig it,” Diamond whispered, and closed her eyes as a warm breeze swept across her face. It was almost perfect.
Diamond thought about Sergio. His juicy lips, the freckles on the bridge of his nose. His jaw was incessantly twitching. It usually happened when he was trying to figure something out. She looked down at his hands. She loved men with nice hands. She thought it said something about them.
Their little moment was interrupted by the window being forced back open. A tiny pale face framed by a cascade of wild black hair peeked out.
“Hey guys!” “Watcha doin’ out here?” squeaked Lilly, a friend of Sergio’s.
“We’re talking.” “Go back in, Lil.”
“Well hurry up your love connection, man. It’s time to get your smoke on.”
Sergio turned back to Diamond. “You wanna go in?” he asked.
“Naw. I like it better out here. You go if you want.”
He glanced away, then back to her. “I wanna be wherever you are.” He tickled her chin. Up to now, nothing physical had ever occurred between them. There was an entirely different life waiting for Diamond back at home, but right now, it didn’t matter. 


Valerie de Angeli