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Is this what you want?
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he asked
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And I said yes
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So he took his skin off for me
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It happened just before dinner
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I'd bought a fresh cut of lamb for a recipe I wanted to try
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He always liked it when I cooked.
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I could see everything
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he was beautiful
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Some things were no different
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lovemaking, for example, was the same
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just two people showing each other what they really look like
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of course, some things were new
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The sheets needed to be washed each day
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they took in the smells of his open body
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and released them long after he had gone to work
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I had to clean the house more often
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A few hours a day if I could
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It was the least I could do
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At night he got cold so easily
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I'd say to him, at least it's not winter
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And we would smile
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But we both knew it was coming
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I tried to be understanding, but I was boiling.
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And gas isn't cheap
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He said he wasn't having luck with clients
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I said they were the wrong clients
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the right clients won't care, I said
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the right clients will understand
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he said we'd run out of money if we only waited for the right ones
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I said he'd figure it out
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some of his old friends came by
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they asked him about his skin
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just normal questions you would ask
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do you miss it?
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does it hurt?
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he'd answer yes or no
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simple answers
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it was unlike him
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he loved words
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loved to use many when a few was enough
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but either he had less to say now
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or he felt he was already saying it