Encounter

She used to stop me on the hall stairs
Her big eyes crying for attention
I began to leave my door ajar
She would sneak in to spy
I would watch her from inside the closet
One day I surprised her
Threw her on the bed
Made love to her
Pressed my key into her hand
I left the next day
Returned in a month
The apartment had been visited
Nothing was missing
A paper from the clinic said “gravid”
My key lay on top of the paper
I watched her come and go for months
As she grew larger
The baby was born in the summer
Her husband was so proud