"The Muse" - short story

“Have you told your wife about us?”

“My wife? Why do I have to tell her anything?”

“She probably suspects that you’re cheating on her.”

“I’m not cheating!”

“A married man and a much younger woman meeting for coffee every evening? Some people would consider that cheating.”

“We’re not doing anything we’re not supposed to be doing. We’re just having fun.”

“You’re not being honest with her. She assumes you’re coming to this coffee shop after work with the intention of writing, when you’re actually spending time with me. If you haven’t told your wife about us, you’re cheating.”

“My wife trusts me. Totally. After you leave, I’ll start writing.”

“Why do you have coffee with me, anyway?”

“Because sitting here, drinking coffee, I get ideas that I can’t get at home. I use them in my writing.”

“What kind of writing?”

“Short stories, mostly.”

“Am I giving you these ideas? What am I, your muse?”

“You’re not!”

“Are you writing about me?”

“No, never.”

“Let me see one of your stories.”

“They’re not finished. I still have a lot of writing and editing to do.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I really do write stories! My laptop is full of them, although none have ever been published.”

“I bet your characters are based on me.”

“They’re not.”

“I would think you’d be getting inspiration from your wife but apparently, I am the one motivating you to write.”

“You keep saying that, but it’s not true. I write fiction. Everything I write is made up, coming solely from my imagination.”

“Or from me.”

“Say, what’s that shiny thing on your blouse?”

“Just a brooch I really like. Stop changing the subject. Tell me now, seriously. Where do your ideas come from?”

“I’m sitting here in the coffee shop, talking to you, drinking my coffee, overhearing bits of conversation from the other tables, eavesdropping on the customers. Listening to the roar of the coffee grinder, smelling the smoky aroma of freshly poured roast coffee. Everything around me is the source of my inspiration.”

“Don’t you want something more?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come home with me now.”

“No, no. I’m here to write. I’m not cheating on my wife.”

“We’re not going through that again. I’m leaving.”

“Aren’t you going to finish your coffee?”

“I think we’re finished.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Yes. We may be finished today, but tomorrow would be alright. Same time, same place?”

“Okay.”

“I don’t know how you would accomplish any writing without me to inspire you. After all, I’m your muse!”

 

* * * * *

 

“Hi! Is dinner ready?”

“Very soon. I just got home myself.”

“Wonderful. I’m starving.”

“How was your writing?”

“I made a lot of progress on my story.”

“I look forward to reading it.”

“As soon as I finish...”

“Was she there?”

“Yes, she was.”

“And she gave you some ideas?”

“She always does, although I would never admit that to her face.”

“Great!”

“She said something today.”

“What did she say?”

“She suggested that I’m cheating on you.”

“Cheating?”

“Because I’m a married man—a happily married man—and she’s so much younger than me.”

“Should I be worried about something? Did you do anything more than drink coffee together?”

“No.”

“Have you ever gotten together with her outside the coffee shop? Have you gone home with her?”

“No, never! It’s not like I’m having an affair or something. You’re all I’ll ever need.”

“Good. I trust you.”

“I am always honest with you. Let me give you a hug.”

“A hug? You’re being affectionate all of a sudden. Should I leave dinner for later?”

“I’m just suggesting a hug.”

“Okay. Let me take this brooch off first so that it doesn’t get in the way.”

“That shiny thing? Come here.”

“Oh! Apparently, your writing session turned you on!”

“Well, that can wait.  Seeing you here, in your role of my wife making dinner, that’s what really turns me on. Let’s eat.”

“First, let me see what you’ve been writing.”

“I told you—I still have a lot of writing and editing to do.”

“Let me be the judge of that. You can put on the finishing touches later.”

“It’s a draft. Not the final version of the story. I’m still working out how to describe the story’s main female character. She’s a lot like you, actually.”

“Your characters are always good. Where do you get your ideas?”

“From you, only from you.”

“Let me see your story.”

 

* * * * *

 

“Have you told your wife about us?”

 

“My wife? Why do I have to tell her anything?”

 

“She probably suspects that you’re cheating on her.”

 

“I’m not cheating!”

 

“A married man and a single, much younger woman meeting for coffee every evening? Some people would consider that cheating.”

 

“We’re not doing anything we’re not supposed to be doing. We’re just having fun.”

 

 

# # #

Originally published on CommuterLit.com.

Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash.