A Girl

I have been here every night.

Each night I part with my 90 bucks,
And sit, amidst heavy smoke,
Staring, at the flickering screen.

All these English words onscreen.
How does she read them?
I long to know.

She was a regular, like me.
Here every other night.
One hour, maybe two.
But as always, just the internet,
None of those games.

Had a special air about her, that girl.
She hated the smoke,
Even wore one of those funny masks once.
How do I put it,
That je nais se quois

And she went on MSN too.
Not the usual Chinese one,
But English.
I don’t seem to recall her username,
It’s often different.

I wanted to talk to her,
But I didn’t have the guts.
She uses English, for God’s sake.
I know only Mandarin.

I promised myself that I would make a move,
The next time I saw her.
But that ‘next’ never came.

So now I wait,
Every night at the café.
For her to step in,

Once again.