under fluorescent lights that flicker and hiss
there's a dental hygienist with a limp and a lisp
and she's scraping at the teeth in the mouth of a businessman
but her mind's not in it, somewhere else
and her eyes move across to the models of teeth on the shelf
past the charts and the medical gels
to the window and the people outside
on her way home from work
she'll be standing in line
she'll put the register tape in the bag with the wine
and the tv dinner
it's a lonely winter
and a long walk home from here
he's the manager's assistant at the kinko's downtown
not the one in the mall
but the one by the video store
that's where she's seen him before
but she doesn't remember his name
he puts his hands in his pockets when he sees her smile
she pulls her grocery cart to a stop by the potato chip aisle
haven't seen you around in a while
guess i've been laying low
he offers a ride
and she says ok
he's got a yellow chevette
she gets in
he lets the radio play
it's a song she heard earlier today
and she's tapping her knees to the rhythm of the wiper blades