they were learning each other.
figuring each other out.
there was no textbook, no equation, no handbook, no rules.
they were trying.
experimenting, testing, working.
they learned each other by trial and error,
secret by story by fear by passion,
baby steps, then bigger, then bigger –but still not too fast.
they asked questions
she wondered
he guessed
what made her smile
what made him laugh
when to talk – when to listen
when to challenge – when to accept
they reached in through their stomachs
and found each other's soul
hidden there in a nook behind the ribs
adjacent to the heart
a place where no one would think to go
they mapped out the geography
the ridges and the valleys
the depths of the brokenness
the mountains of elation
they charted and plotted
bar graphs of happiness
line graphs of events
data tables of everything in between
they turned each other into math, for a while,
before they knew better
they learned the contour of the other's face
where the light had to hit to reflect their eyes
the size of their hands
the shape of her mouth
the curve of his chin
the freckles, the dimples, the indents, the prints
some things they did wrong,
only to be expected,
here was an unexplored place –
the being of another –
they each knew to tread carefully
baby steps, then bigger, then bigger –
but still not too fast.
they were only learning.