Under Your Skin

12/22/13


The rugged apartment was permeating in the Sun. The light beamed in through the stained window and unraveling curtains like a slanted wall. Outside was blown out, and the light was filled with dust particles, flowing through the air.

Two men sat opposite each other in the living room. Norman, 31, the older of the two, had a grizzly, untrimmed beard, slightly overweight, and he was worn by a wrinkled plaid shirt and ripped jeans. Norm sat upon the cracking leather couch. In his hand was a rusted nail clipper, and with it he went at his fingers. With no regard, nail bits fell from his hands like saw dust.

Patrick just stared at Norman’s hands, wide eyed. Unlike Norman, Pat was 19, muscular, and his finely worn attire proved him a hipster. Though sitting in the love seat at the far end of the apartment, Pat was far closer than comfortable to Norm. Pat hated living with Norm. He found him repulsive.

Bone dust snowed away, littering Norm’s clothes and couch surface. Pat’s right eye twitched.

Norm moved to his toe nails.

“Fucking hell. Can you cut that out?”

Norm looked up, confused. “I am.”

“No, I mean stop that. Or at least clean up after yourself.”

“Why, exactly?”

“Because it is disgusting. I don’t want your crap all over where I sit too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t do it again.”

Norm looked around the apartment.

“Too close for comfort?”

“Pardon?”

“You do realize we’re breathing each other in, right?”

Now Pat looked confused.

Norm sighed. “See the sun light. All those particles in the air. That’s dust. Dead skin cells. Yours and mine. And every second we sit here, breathing, we’re breathing in each other, and we’re shedding as we speak. It’s a cycle. We can’t get any closer than that, can we?”

Pat stared at the sparkling dust, his face distorting as if to vomit.

“Oh please don’t do that." Norm responded to the convulsion. "I wouldn’t want you to get all over me. God forbid we get too close.”

Norm cleaned up his mess, dumped it in the trash can, and then walked to the front door, opening it and disappearing into the sun light.

Pat growled. “Great, now I’m the ass.”