Once he touched my pinky.
Once he mailed me a dried cuttlefish.
Once he posted comments on an outdated blog of mine, describing my face in the pictures with words you usually use for ripe fruit.
More than once he took my words to replace them with his.
Once he fed me Chinese pears and dark chocolate in the British Library. Once he gave me a box of childhood mementos. They were his once. Once he framed my picture.
Once he changed the picture in the frame.
Once he picked a lock for me.
Once he gave me rent money.
Once he read to me.
Once he wrote my name in codes, like a poem.
Once he signed his email siempre.
Once he showed me a picture of his late professor.
Once he took me to Chinatown for lunch and spoke about the dishes we ate.
Once he left me alone, once his wife came into the picture.
Once he never left me alone.
Szilvia Molnar lives in Brooklyn and works at a literary agency. Her writing has been published in Little Brother, Electric Cereal, and Butterfly Knives and Sea Salt. Her artwork has been published by Girls Get Busy, Flavorwire, Jezebel and Icon – El Pais.