n her chest. Behind her, a large queue snakes towards the center of
e cranes her neck to try and look at the till, before looking back to
ext. Her skin is so fake-tanned and dented by acne, she looks like a gigantic orange. Next to her, Sash could be
o Sash and blinks slowly, one eyelid slightly
y. Clack goes the chewin
says. "I put money i
Sash may have overlooked a crucial piece of informatio
y to ignore the question, she just continues to look across to Sash as though
ngers on the long since stopped conveyor belt. A child
h says. "It must be a p
he assistant rubs her fingers along the black stripe of the credit card and langorously re-swipes it. Any slower and her heart would stop. The till hum
n, emphasizing the firs
"Come on", he says. "That's four t
?" the assistant asks, ha
ak, a punnet of strawberries, a health food bar to eat on the way home. She rifles
says. Others nod their heads in agreement. One s
s", Sash says, trying her best to foll
oks at Sash and then she looks at the till.
though expecting to find a reasonable answer there. Instead, all she gets is a sp
says, holding on to her hat while she passes,
e fucking sun?" she mumbles, the
skinned man taps enthusiastically on upturned
ten, losing herself pleasurably
a smile, and tilting the top of his head downwards, in a way in which Sash mista
iately embarrassed she can't tip him. As if she's already outstayed her welcome, she heads
ient amount for the train ticket home. Digging it out of her purse now, she realizes for the firs
opposite, regards her with a mix of fear and excitement, as though he's heard something he's not suppo
veling on his own. She looks at the health food bar and then ha
gh a toughened plastic window co
d then shuffles along the compartment, his company issue trousers frayed at the
pitted pavement slabs not designed for high heels, and by the ti
forming part of the apartment's design. She fights her way past them, kicks her shoes off in the hallway and swi
s Co
ists with her bare toes in the worn carpet. Her head ha
n", sh
s belly and his ankles. It's as if he has been beamed down from a
art of his wrist where a watch wou
good time"
vers on the periphery. For all his bulk and presence, he's reserved, and a little bit timid. To be polite,
e says. "It's just been
nths", Martin says. "I
l the end of the m
h is twenty eight da
e week?" Sash