Something New

I poured the wine into two glasses, watching her as I poured. She stared at the dark red wine as it flowed as though trying to see something that lay beyond it, decode some meaning in the act, learn some indication of her fate.

There was something gentle, delicate, about her that I had not seen for a long time, certainly not in this city. It made me wonder how she’d survived the journey. She had to be stronger than she looked.

I took one of the glasses of wine and sipped it. She made no move towards the other, even though the tip of her tongue had – briefly – licked along her lower lip. Still, she stood there in front of me, eyes lowered but not still. There was some tension in her body, which was understandable. After all, she was wise to be cautious, prepared for any eventuality, not knowing what to expect.

There would possibly have been some talk; some discussion, before I’d collected her. Perhaps there is gossip there in the back rooms away from the public arena, I don’t know. I’m sure she would have wanted to know more about me, before I collected her. Not, of course, that I knew much about her, but then I didn’t need to know much about her. That is, apart from the judgement I’d made as she first stood there, up on the podium when I decided whether I was going to buy her.