Chapter 30: delicatessen

My coat hangs on its peg in the staff room. Next to it is a grey three-quarter length coat that I have not seen before. The arm of the grey coat is resting over the arm of mine in a proprietary manner. Gently moving the grey coat, I take mine down and put it on. Emily comes into the staff room and smiles at me.

Hello, she says.

Hello, I say.

Just finished?

Yes. Just starting?

Yes. She reaches into the pocket of the grey coat and retrieves a hair clip.

We stand there for a moment. Emily puts her hair up, gathering dark handfuls into one bunch which she twists and fastens in one smooth movement.

I’ve got a new job tonight, she says, no bananas for me.

What’s that?

Helping out on the deli counter, the regular guy called in sick, the one who talks funny.

Talks funny?

You know, he “talks like that”.

Oh, you mean ‘Cock legs’.

Yes, ‘Cock legs’. Emily begins to laugh. Why do you call him that?

Well, that’s what it says on his name badge. She laughs again, and I smile. It’s a long story, I say, I’ll tell you another time.

It’s a date, she says, see you later.

I stand there for a minute, thinking over the possibilities of a date. When I leave, the night air is cold, and I pull my coat tight to keep warm. In the pocket of my coat there is a letter.