The Girl Across the Lobby

Danna Reich Colman
1 min readJul 26, 2024

“Do you think that girl is pretty?”

“You’re pretty,” he says.

“Thank you, but that’s not what I’m asking.”

“Yes,” he says. “She is very pretty.”

I always admire beauty and take great pleasure in it. I know he will find the girl attractive before I ask. She has a lovely face and is young and fit. Many men have thought me beautiful, as well. I know my lover thinks so now.

The girl is looking at my lover standing beside me. She smiles. I wonder if he is returning her smile. I enjoy seeing other women attracted to him; it fills me with pride. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder. I hadn’t felt threatened until now.

We walk out of the theater lobby and turn to each other. My eyes beg the question, “Do you really think I’m pretty?” He takes my face in his hands exactly the same way he has done many times. He looks into my eyes for a very long time, saying nothing. He kisses me tenderly and takes my hand.

“You leave me breathless,” he says. “Every time I look at you, I fall in love all over again.” I wish that were true.

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Danna Reich Colman
Danna Reich Colman

Written by Danna Reich Colman

Writer, author and copyeditor. “What doesn’t kill us gives us something new to write about” ~ J. Wright