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MIRANDA
The bathroom was above the kitchen and as Miranda brushed her hair before the mirror she heard Sam’s hip-hop start blaring out of the kitchen stereo.
She glanced at her watch. She didn’t have time to do any make-up and it was noticeable she wasn’t wearing any. As long as she didn’t see her own reflection all day, she thought, she’d be okay. She’d get to work and she’d forget. She just hoped nobody would notice. Perhaps she had time to pop into Boots. She glanced at her watch again. She didn’t.
Sam was lingering in the hallway with a piece of toast as she headed down the stairs. She didn’t say anything to him and slammed the front door.
She glanced at her watch again. A bus was due any minute. She walked double speed and reached the main road to spot the roof of a double-decker behind cars that were less than a minute away.
As she waited at the bus stop, her phone rang.
“Yeah?” she said.
“Hey, Miz!” It was Kelly.
“Look, I’m running late. The bus is nearly here.”
“Oh. So am I. I thought you could cover for me.”
“Shit. I was going to call you on the bus and ask you the same thing.”
Kelly laughed. “Yeah, I saw you leave last night. Stay for breakfast, did he?”
“Didn’t even stay for coffee.”
“Ooh, someone’s bitter.”
“Samuel and his prick mates were here.”
“Oh, god! And he met them?”
“Look, I’ll tell you about it later. I’m just about to get on the bus.” She stuck out her arm.
“Who are we going to get to cover for us?”
“Sarah?”
“Sarah hates you.”
“Well, I hate her.”
“What about Becky?”
“Yeah. She’ll do anything.”
“Yeah. Do you have her number?”
“Why would I have her number?”
“Aren’t you friends?”
“No! She just won’t leave me alone is all. Look, I have to go. Phone Sarah and get Becky’s number.”
She got onto the bus.
“Return to town, please,” she said.
“£1.70,” said the driver.
“Okay. See you when you get in,” said Kelly.
“If I get in.” She handed over the money.
NOTES:
£1.70 is considerably less than it costs to get a return from the Arterial Road in Southend to the town centre. At this point I was trying to think of it as a fictional town, though it would have to be within a reasonable distance of London, like Southend. It's not until later that I decided where.
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