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Is this what you want?
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he asked.
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and I said yes.
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so he took his skin off for me
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It happened just before dinner
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I'd bought a fresh cut of lamb for a recipe I wanted to try
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he always liked it when I cooked
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I could see everything
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he was beautiful
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some things were no different
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lovemaking, for example, was the same
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just two people showing each other what they really look like...
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but of course, some things were new
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the sheets needed to be washed each day
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they took in the smells of his open body and released them long after he'd gone to work
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I had to clean the house more often too
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a few hours a day if I could
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it was the least I could do
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at night he'd get cold so easily
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I'd say to him, 'at least it's not winter yet'
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and we'd smile...
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but we both knew it was coming
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I tried to be understanding, but me? I was boiling
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and gas didn't come cheap
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he said he wasn't having much luck with clients
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I told him they were the wrong clients
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the right clients won't care, I said
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the right clients will understand
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he said we'd run out of money if we waited for the right ones
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I said he'd figure it out
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some of his old friends came by
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they asked him about his skin
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just the normal questions you would ask
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do you miss it?
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does it hurt?
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he'd answer yes, or he'd answer no.
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simple answers
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it was unlike him
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he loved words
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loved to use many when a few would suffice
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but either he had less to say now
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or he felt he was already saying it