If I had Only Worn My Nikes
She wore them with jeans and a pull over
The thought being she looked good but not great
New shoes to a concert? I couldn’t she said
Rummaging through her closet smelling of leather, wool and a hint of cologne
She changed her outfit all together
Once, twice, third times the charm
Ripped jeans, black crop, black pumas
Perfect
As an introvert concerts are overwhelming
Hundreds of bodies
Hundreds of minds and actions out of anyone’s control
This time would be different she thought
I’ll dance, I’ll forget those around me, I’ll simply feel alive
She grabbed her fanny pack
And hoped into the uber
Over here on the left ok miss?
Yes she said
The floor boards were pulsing
The crowd echoing the performer
This is why she loves concerts
The visceral feeling of an escape
A common connection between complete strangers
Like that of religion only with drugs and Booze
She danced
With women with men
She danced with confidence with ease
She got pulled up on stage to dance with the performer and others who’d been pulled onstage
What a night she thought
Who are you she thought
She could tell time with the amount of sweat dripping off her body
A few hours had past
Dancing with one person to another
a man grabbed her waist
Why not she said
They danced
They laughed
Before she had time to notice
He was on to the next group the next girl
From the corner of her eye
She noticed the man arguing
Thinking nothing of it
She made her way across the stage
In a matter of seconds
Woosh
Slap
Stinging
Ringing in her ear
“I’m sorry”
“I’m sorry”
She hears
That man
He hit her
Square on the cheek
Hard
She lost her balance but before she could fall
Whoosh
Slap
Stinging
Ringing
Pulsing
“I’m sorry”
“I’m sorry”
She hears
It became clear
The man had a girlfriend
It became clear the girlfriend saw him dance with her
It became clear he felt the need to hit her out of solidarity for his girlfriend
She couldn’t get off the stage faster
Running
Breathing
Heart pumping
I just need an uber
Where the fuck is my uber
She said
Click
Slam
She nuzzled her way into the corner of the black leather seat
The driver?
He knew something was wrong but he didn’t know what to say.
She sat there staring out the window Holding back tears
Gripping her stomach
Feeling her face pulse
There’d be a bruise in the morning
A little to the left of her right eye
She feels relieved at the sight of the public trashcan outside her building
Stop here please she said
Already holding her key she opened the door and ran up the stairs
A shower was all she wanted
Going to bed was all she wanted
She opened her front door
Ran into her room
Ripping her close off as fast as possible she noticed
On the floor by the closet lay the jeans, pullover and new shoes she thought she might wear
She paused
She thought
I wonder if it had been different if I had just worn my nikes
Hand built ceramic Nike Cortez sneakers