Man Bitch

by Craig Snyder

I

Man Bitch meets the girl with large shoulders outside Krispy Kreme donuts, in sunshine.  They talk and wait for the bus together standing 16 inches apart, with variations up to 24 inches.  Man Bitch notices the large shoulders and likes them.  Feelings of fullness, 33% manliness, and the idea he may be completely fucked, are generated in the Man Bitch brain.  Man Bitch starts to feel like he is on heroin or something and is going to die, but he doesn't.  He has the sensation of becoming a large vibrating egg.  He smokes nervously and wishes he were taller.

Man Bitch lives in a small apartment with three other people.

The girl lives in a garden apartment with one other person.

Surrounding them at all times are tall hard buildings.

The very tall hard buildings march up the sky and are steel and cold.  The buildings scream at Man Bitch.  The screams are generated by steel under terrible compression.  Man Bitch screams back at them and feels dehumanized by his culture.  He experiences uncertainty about his place in the world.

Man Bitch calls the girl and she comes over and they fuck and fuck and fuck, on a Murphy bed.  The very tall hard buildings march up the sky and are cold.  Man Bitch cups the girl's left breast in his hand.  He feels warm and protected and sleeps without fear.

The girl does not sleep but sits up in the Murphy bed and texts her friends with thin white fingers.  She takes a picture of him sleeping and forwards it.  What do you think? she texts.  He's cute, right?

She folds the phone and places the hand back on her breast and sleeps.

Man Bitch dreams of rolling plains and prairie grass and buffalo.

The girl dreams of American Idol and the new iPhone and Dancing with the Stars.

II

On Halloween they go clubbing without costumes.

Man Bitch has dance routines which are subpar and he gets nervous in crowds.

The girl texts and texts and texts with thin white fingers.

Man Bitch gets super fucked off vodka.  Blue strobe lights are flashing.  Man Bitch sees the girl as a series of framed images: blue, frosted, now moving towards him, now telescoping away, headed for the bathroom.

November passes.  In December the frequency of fucks drops 50%.

Man Bitch begins to text, trying to echolocate the girl like dolphins on Animal Planet.

Where are you?

Hey! she texts.  Sorry!  She is often sorry in December, in texts.

The last fuck occurs in January, in early night.  It is mixed with 83% sorrow on the part of Man Bitch and 16% cool sympathy on the part of the girl.  After, on the street, he watches as she gets on the bus and cranks her hand like 'call me' and disappears between the tall hard buildings.

Man Bitch zips up his coat and pulls on his hood.  He starts his iPod clone and turns and walks away and gets on another bus.  He sits in the back because he's high and it's better that way.