Suddenly Stephanie, who had her eyes closed, started giggling, and opened them.

“What?” said Angela.

“I was just remembering that bloke who thought we were lesbians,” she said.

“Oh god.” Angela rubbed her forehead.

“Forgotten?”

“Until now, yes!”

Stephanie laughed.

“I suppose he had good reason to think it was a gay bar. I mean, most places called Rainbow are gay bars.”

“Did he really plead with you to be bisexual even if you weren’t a lesbian?”

“Yes. He followed me all the way to the toilets. I had to stay in there long enough so he’d go away.”

Stephanie grunted. “Yeah, and come and pester me.”

“I don’t know what a straight guy was doing in there if he thought it was a gay bar, anyway.”

“Same reason we were.”

“Maybe it was just his chat-up technique.”

Stephanie sighed. “It’s been so long since I got chatted up I wouldn’t have been able to tell.”

“Hey.” Angela grabbed Stephanie’s hand. “You’re free to play the field again now. There’s nothing holding you back.”

Stephanie withdrew her hand and smiled. “I think I was just using it as an excuse, anyway.”

“Ciggie?”

Stephanie nodded.

Angela put her handbag on the table in front of her and opened the clasp. She pulled out her purse and a little folding make-up mirror before she found the pack.

“How much do you think you spent?” Stephanie asked.

Angela grinned. “Easily over a hundred and forty.”

“Yes, a hundred and fifty sounds about right for me too.”

“That’s including trains as well.”

“Of course.”

Angela took a cigarette out with her teeth and offered the pack to Stephanie. Then she lit their cigarettes.

“Goddamn it, it was worth it!” Stephanie suddenly declared.

Angela laughed. “Every penny.”

“It was a great night.”

“Fantastic night.”

“We should do it again.”

“Yeah, you should get cancer more often.”

Angela realised what she’d just said immediately.

“I didn’t mean that, Steph.”

Stephanie shrugged. “I know.”

“I meant, we should find something worth celebrating again. Do this more often.”

“I know.”

“Great night.”

“Fantastic night.”

They smiled at each other through the smoke.

After they had finished their cigarettes they didn’t talk and when, about fifteen minutes later, Angela found she had something to say, Stephanie was asleep in the seat again. Angela didn’t wake her. It wasn’t important enough to wake her. It was so trivial in fact that Angela knew if she didn’t say it now she would forget it by the time Stephanie woke up.

Angela knew it wasn’t just the all-nighter and the drink there consumed that had taken its tool on Stephanie. The cancer had left her looking older, Angela thought. But when Angela saw her own face reflected in the glass, it didn’t look too different from Stephanie’s, even without eight months of cancer treatment. Perhaps time had finally caught up with them both. School, university, work, transfer, promotion; things had happened so fast Angela hadn’t paid much attention to the passing of time. But they weren’t twenty-somethings any more.

The afternoon drew on. The train stopped at several stations until the next stop was Cambridge.

Angela was glad they were almost home. There was just something steady, straight-forward and sure about the concept of the place. It was only fun to leave for a while.

Stephanie woke up.

“Good morning,” said Angela.

Stephanie looked out the window. “Where are we? How long was I asleep?”

“You managed to miss most of the journey, but don’t worry, it’s not like you missed much.”

“I don’t feel too good, babe.”

Angela frowned. “We’re nearly there.”

Stephanie nodded and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later the train pulled into Cambridge rail station. Angela realised Stephanie was asleep again.

“Stephanie,” she said. “Steph.”

Stephanie stirred and shook her head.

“Do you think you’re going to be sick?” Angela asked.

“I just feel really tired.”

They waited until everyone else had got off the train, then Angela stood and helped Stephanie up.

“I think we should get a taxi,” Angela said.

“That suits me,” Stephanie slurred.

She got dirty looks from station staff as Angela helped her onto the platform. Angela realised Stephanie did look very drunk, but it had been hours since their last drink.

The taxi rank was empty, but there were black cabs parked along the road that led toward the city centre.

Angela opened the door of the first.

“I don’t want any puke in my cab,” said the driver.

“She’s not drunk,” said Angela. “She’s not going to be sick. She’s just tired.”

“If she’s sick, it’ll cost you extra.”

Angela sighed. “All right.”

She helped Stephanie into the back seat. She slumped sideways. Angela pulled her upright and got into the cab. Stephanie felt limp and weak.

“Are you sure she’s okay?” the driver asked.

Angela put Stephanie’s seat belt on to hold her up. Stephanie’s head lolled back over the top of the seat.

“Where to?” said the driver.

Angela hesitated. “The hospital,” she said quietly.

“Didn’t hear that.”

“The hospital.”

Stephanie opened her eyes. Her eyes didn’t say no.

Angela sat down next to her and put on her belt. The cab headed into the city centre. She picked up Stephanie’s hand. It was cold but sweaty.

“Think I overdid it?” Stephanie said.

“We all have to cut loose once in a while.”

Stephanie smiled and closed her eyes again.

They stopped at traffic lights. Angela caught the driver watching Stephanie suspiciously in the rear-view mirror.

“What’s wrong with her?” he said.

“She’s just finished cancer treatment. The doctors just gave her the all-clear. We went out celebrating. She just overdid it a bit. The treatment took a lot out of her. She’ll be okay.”

The driver frowned. “She doesn’t look well to me.”

Angela didn’t respond. All the problems in all the world would be solved if all the experts weren’t driving cabs.

The cab didn’t stop again until it reached the hospital. Stephanie was asleep again. Angela had had something to tell her when they had been on the train. She remembered she had something to tell Stephanie, she just couldn’t remember what.

“£6.80, please,” said the driver.

Angela let go of Stephanie’s hand to open her handbag. Stephanie’s clammy fist just lay where Angela dropped it.

“Keep the change,” Angela said.

She gave the driver seven pound coins.

NOTES:
The penultimate two stories have contrasting themes of impending death and the promise of new life, just to fit in that entire spectrum of existence into a story that was an attempt at covering the breadth of human experience in the space of one day. This woman was based on a real person who was sitting in the same busy train carriage as myself one journey. She was with a friend and they had obviously been out celebrating, but she was chatting merrily to everyone. I quickly picked up that she had just got the news that her cancer was in remission. I expect her future was a lot more rosy than Stephanie's.