She stood up as he entered,
Asked him to sit down, wondering: ‘Does he know?’
Blurted her usual speech, hard-edged, soft-centred,
Ending: ‘...to let you go.’
He startled her by smiling.
‘Do you rehearse them in mirrors, hon’?’
Stood up, winked and left. She tinkered with her filing,
Thinking: ‘Thank God that’s done.’