You Know She Does

You know she does when your ratty old sweatshirt, the one you still love to wear all the time, the one you won that game with, is clean and folded in your drawer, instead of in the trash where you know she wants to put it.

You know she does when she turns to you first when she is sad or upset.

You know she does when she doesn’t tell her girlfriends all about the latest argument, she doesn’t try to make you look like a jerk the way your old girlfriend did. She keeps it between the two of you, and works to make it better.

You are sure she does when she holds her cousin’s newborn baby in her arms and looks at you in that special way she has and raises her eyebrows and, suddenly, you know she wants a baby with you.

You know she does when she stops trying to change you. Well, except for that ancient habit of leaving old pizza boxes under the bed.

You know she does when you come up behind her in the bookstore, cover her eyes and say “Guess who?” and she names every movie star she can think of first, then turns around and kisses you right there and doesn’t care who can see.

You know she does if, when your buddy is home from the war, she encourages you to go out with him; then in the morning just laughs at your world-class hangover, as she pops ibuprofen into your mouth.

You know she does because even tho she knows nothing about baseball, let alone the Red Sox, she cheers for Big Papi.

You know she does, that she really does, when you mess up – and instead of yelling, she is kind to you, and helps you fix it.

You know she does when she wears that short red nightgown to bed, then acts surprised when you want to make love.

Sometimes, you know she does when you are both sitting on the couch watching an old movie, and for no reason at all, she takes your hand in hers.

You know she does, when as she kisses you, she melts against you and then into you.

You know, somehow, every day, that she loves you.