Al paced around his apartment, the heat thick in the air. 8:46 p.m.

He lit a cigarette and smoked it to ease his nerves. His frustration had begun to weigh him down, but he refused to let it take over his sanity. The only thought at this moment was her. What was it? What specifically kept her on his mind? What was the one thing about her that helped him maintain his sanity, or was it driving him further away from it? 'Should I? Shouldn't I?' The question ran over and over in his mind. The moment of indecisiveness was monotonous and endless. Al looked at his clock.

Al threw on a shirt, grabbed his keys and stepped out into the hallway, locking the door behind him. He took his first step up the stairs. He was a bit shaky. Why? He wondered. Would she remember him? Of course. They had talked before. It was a brief encounter, but she would remember. She told him 304 for a reason.

Al reached the top of the stairs. The dark red carpet continued down to the end of the hall. He took a few hesitant steps and slowly approached the door down the way. Music and conversation bled through the passing brown doors. Some doors remained open with men

She began to read. The story was about the man who enjoyed stalking a woman in the apartment of his apartment building. He would catch her off guard, hit the EMERGENCY STOP button, and kill her. Death wasn't an issue. He just needed a taste of blood. He was a maniac. That was all Al could retain from the short story. He was too distracted by the liberty behind her voice as she repeated the vulgarities of Bukowski. He liked every time she used vulgar language.

It was a pleasant walk. Never a silent moment. They reached their building. An old brick building. Vintage. It was somewhat quiet but not dead. She stuck the key in and opened the door, letting Al in first. Al then wondered when it would be the right moment for his move. Back to her place? Back to his? His palms were moist. His mind racing. How? What should I do, he wondered.

Al walked down the hall with his mind running wild with what just occurred, or didn't occur. It was a slow walk back to his apartment. He entered and stripped down to his shorts to fend off the heat. He lit a cigarette and paced around the apartment for a while before he tired out and lay on his bed. All he could do was stare at his ceiling and toss around for a while. Darkness. Silence. His mind replaying what could have been if only...

"We all usually lose faith in our ideologies when we're about to face life and break free from the chains of adolescence, and our caretakers," she explained. "You're twenty-eight. I'm eighteen."

Silence. No more music. No more words.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Chet Baker, Al Al, Calm Desperation, Dating Engaged, Take Silence, Forget Al, Equis Pretty, EMERGENCY STOP, Pigs Al, Olds Lincolns, heavy door, helped maintain, passing brown doors, grabbed keys stepped, doorknob door, silent moment, door flung, flung stood, dead bolt twist, al reached, doorknob door flung, reached top, bolt twist doorknob, glanced window, story enjoyed,
Approximate Word count = 2589
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)