It was 12 pm.
She left her house
in the shadow
of the overcast.
The sun was still shining
though now
it hid behind a cloud.
Arriving at Ms. O'Malley's
she wavered around
a little bit
as she waited for
Anna Lee.
She had to pick up
Tommy's present
from her.
She hoped
to herself
she wasn't laying around
with some man.
It was sisters
before misters; they promised this to each other
long ago
when their parents were still dating.

But Anna
was a loyal friend
in a fake world.
She considered herself
lucky
to have met her-
that fateful night
when the both of them
accidentally
caught their parents intertwined
in an unassuming position.
Anna had finished packing the cakes,
and she had finished her shift
at O'Malley's.
An innocent night
turned scandalous
at the turn of a doorknob.
But also began
the beginning of a lifelong friendship
that would last
till death
do them part.

She thought to herself she would die
if her father were to catch her
in an unassuming position
with Tommy or Arthur or Jermaine or Jack-
though that were not to happen for a while yet,
and when it did,
she would be far away
from Washington.

And the clock struck 12:05
and there was Anna
and her voluptuous shape
walking down Catterwahls street
towards the restaurant
And her face light up as soon as she saw her
though she assumed a mischievous
look on her face
as she began to tease her
for being late.
"Why, why, Anna Lee! Were you sleeping around?
I thought we agreed
on 12."
Anna's sapphire
eyes were full of sympathy
"Forgive me, Jayne,
my mother was very
tyrannical
this morning.
If I hadn't known any better,
I'd say she knew
we were meeting up."

She paid no mind
to the last part.
"You know
I can't stay mad at you long!"
These words came out
spontaneously.
She stood on her toes
and gave her friend
a flirtatious kiss
on the cheek-
though this was just for jokes.
She'd say she'd marry Anna if she could
and vice versa
but all this
was said in jest.
Besides
who would
want to be in an relationship
with their
best friend?