trainers, not bothering to untie them first.
Feeling slightly warmer but no happier, she pulled open the curtains, squinting out at the morning traffic, already near gridlock, and then walked quickly out of the bedroom and towards the small kitchen area.
The coffee she made was black and strong and filled the large Simpsons mug. By the time she was halfway through it she was beginning to feel awake and alive. As she rinsed the empty mug under the tap, she convinced herself that this was only a temporary lull in her career.
“A few bad photos don’t make me a bad photographer.”
She was in a better mood as she opened her darkroom, ready to trash the photos from yesterday, forget about them.
As she reached up for the first one she hesitated. She looked closer. She took it down, picked up the magnifying glass from the tabletop and examined the image, looking not at the two arguing men, but at the crowd behind them. At one figure in that crowd. A figure wearing a black, double-breasted business suit and a wide-brimmed hat, tugged down over his eyes.
“What are you doing there?” she wondered aloud. “Strangely familiar.”
She hurried out of the darkroom, taking the photograph with her. At her work desk she stared at the corkboard, at the beach photograph she had pinned there the other day. Where she felt she had seen this man before.
He wasn’t there.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
She examined the beach scene under the magnifying glass. The families, the sunbathers, the swimmers. But no man in a business suit. No wide-brimmed hat tugged down over the eyes.
Could she have imagined it? Surely not. She had seen him. She knew she had seen him.
She looked closer, harder at where she felt he had been standing on the beach and shuddered.
There, on the sand, were two large, heavy footprints.
“I’m telling you he was there and now he’s not !”
Karen, mouth half-full of hotdog, spat the last word out, along with a spray of food.
Jackie glanced at her friend as they walked away from the fast food stand, back towards the office building where Jackie worked. She was worried. She knew Karen had been struggling a little lately with work not coming in as fast as she wanted it to. She knew the whole issue with that bastard Steven had knocked her into a downward spiral. But she had never imagined she would become delusional.
“You do realise that what you’re saying just isn’t possible?”
“It happened.”
“People do not just get up and walk out of one picture and into another.”
Karen shrugged, not wanting to discuss any further whether it was possible or not. She knew what she had seen.
“Listen.” Jackie stopped and placed a hand on her friend’s arm. “There’s a few of us going out tonight. Why don’t you come along? It’ll be fun. It’s ages since you’ve been out on the town.”
Karen shook her head and gently pulled her arm free.
“I’m not ready for a night parading myself around the clubs looking for men. Not yet.”
“You make us sound like sluts!”
They paused, looking at each other, before both broke out into laughter.
For a moment neither could speak, until the laughter subsided a little. Karen wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Thanks for the offer though. Seriously, I couldn’t afford it, and I really don’t want to put myself in the firing line with men again.”
“Karen, you look good. I mean, even when you dress down you look good! You put yourself in the firing line every time you walk out the door.”
Karen smiled. “Thanks. And thanks for pointing out I’ve ‘dressed down’ today, as you put it! Go back to work and stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”
Jackie checked her watch and started to hurry away.
“I’ll call you later, ok?”
Karen waved and waited until her friend had disappeared into her office block, then she turned to start a long, slow walk home.
She stopped. Her stomach clenched. Her heart seemed to pound in
Feeling slightly warmer but no happier, she pulled open the curtains, squinting out at the morning traffic, already near gridlock, and then walked quickly out of the bedroom and towards the small kitchen area.
The coffee she made was black and strong and filled the large Simpsons mug. By the time she was halfway through it she was beginning to feel awake and alive. As she rinsed the empty mug under the tap, she convinced herself that this was only a temporary lull in her career.
“A few bad photos don’t make me a bad photographer.”
She was in a better mood as she opened her darkroom, ready to trash the photos from yesterday, forget about them.
As she reached up for the first one she hesitated. She looked closer. She took it down, picked up the magnifying glass from the tabletop and examined the image, looking not at the two arguing men, but at the crowd behind them. At one figure in that crowd. A figure wearing a black, double-breasted business suit and a wide-brimmed hat, tugged down over his eyes.
“What are you doing there?” she wondered aloud. “Strangely familiar.”
She hurried out of the darkroom, taking the photograph with her. At her work desk she stared at the corkboard, at the beach photograph she had pinned there the other day. Where she felt she had seen this man before.
He wasn’t there.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
She examined the beach scene under the magnifying glass. The families, the sunbathers, the swimmers. But no man in a business suit. No wide-brimmed hat tugged down over the eyes.
Could she have imagined it? Surely not. She had seen him. She knew she had seen him.
She looked closer, harder at where she felt he had been standing on the beach and shuddered.
There, on the sand, were two large, heavy footprints.
“I’m telling you he was there and now he’s not !”
Karen, mouth half-full of hotdog, spat the last word out, along with a spray of food.
Jackie glanced at her friend as they walked away from the fast food stand, back towards the office building where Jackie worked. She was worried. She knew Karen had been struggling a little lately with work not coming in as fast as she wanted it to. She knew the whole issue with that bastard Steven had knocked her into a downward spiral. But she had never imagined she would become delusional.
“You do realise that what you’re saying just isn’t possible?”
“It happened.”
“People do not just get up and walk out of one picture and into another.”
Karen shrugged, not wanting to discuss any further whether it was possible or not. She knew what she had seen.
“Listen.” Jackie stopped and placed a hand on her friend’s arm. “There’s a few of us going out tonight. Why don’t you come along? It’ll be fun. It’s ages since you’ve been out on the town.”
Karen shook her head and gently pulled her arm free.
“I’m not ready for a night parading myself around the clubs looking for men. Not yet.”
“You make us sound like sluts!”
They paused, looking at each other, before both broke out into laughter.
For a moment neither could speak, until the laughter subsided a little. Karen wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Thanks for the offer though. Seriously, I couldn’t afford it, and I really don’t want to put myself in the firing line with men again.”
“Karen, you look good. I mean, even when you dress down you look good! You put yourself in the firing line every time you walk out the door.”
Karen smiled. “Thanks. And thanks for pointing out I’ve ‘dressed down’ today, as you put it! Go back to work and stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”
Jackie checked her watch and started to hurry away.
“I’ll call you later, ok?”
Karen waved and waited until her friend had disappeared into her office block, then she turned to start a long, slow walk home.
She stopped. Her stomach clenched. Her heart seemed to pound in
Similar Books
