‘Next to the lettuce.’
I help with setting up until she’s recovered enough to get behind the stall, her wide smile already in place.
The market is quickly becoming busy. The sun has brought out the salad hunters and the butcher’s at the end of the road was heaving. The whole town will smell of burnt sausages and sunburn by the end of the day.
Kate folds down the top of a brown paper bag, passing it over to the harried-looking woman rocking a pram forwards and backwards. Kate takes the change and rifles around inside her brown apron’s pouch, passing over a handful of coppers. After five more customers, once I’ve heaved the rest of the stock out of the back of the van, there is a small lull. Across from Kate’s stall, Gary the Geezer is shouting his wares – buy one knock-off Calvin Klein and get another free.
‘So, where did you go last night? Shag the leggy brunette?’ She covers her eyes against the sun and takes another swig from her bottle.
‘Alice, and no.’ I sit down on the crate next to her, hiding a yawn with my hand.
She lets out a low laugh. ‘I’m guessing from your delightful mood this morning that she blew you off?’
‘None of your business.’
She snorts. ‘That’s a yes then.’
‘It’s not a yes, actually. She…’ I think back to the night before, which is becoming more and more surreal the more I think about it.
‘She gave me her address. She’s starting a new job, fresh start and all that.’ I don’t know why I don’t mention the rest of the night, or the ring.
‘Oh. And are you going to write to her?’
‘Yeah. I mean, maybe?’
‘Yeah, maybe?’ Kate watches me. ‘And what will you say?’
I pause. It’d been harder than I thought, putting pen to paper, like. Drawing was easier. And what exactly am I supposed to say? Hi, I can’t stop thinking about you. Hi, my life’s a right mess now…
‘Hello? Earth to Michael?’
‘Just, you know…’ Kate offers me her bottle and I take a long sip. ‘Stuff. About my life, I suppose… Boring shite really.’
‘You think this is boring?’ She gestures to the busy market. ‘Yorkshire’s finest, taking their lives in their hands for the best in not-so-designer gear?’
‘Maybe I’ll write to her about that.’
‘Well, if you want to tell her I’m selling three punnets of grapes for a quid, then I’m sure she’ll be just dying to write back saying what a bargain it is.’ I shake my head as she writes a new price sign on the back of a piece of cardboard and props it behind the grapes.
‘Do you think I should?’ I pull at my ear.
‘Tell her about my bargains?’
‘Write to her, like? I mean, it’s not like anything can come of it, right?’
Kate sits next to me, popping the lid back on the pen.
‘Why not?’ She tightens her blonde ponytail.
‘She was—’ I tap my leg with my thumb ‘—different.’
‘How?’
‘I don’t know. Like she doesn’t belong here.’ I gesture to our surroundings. ‘She was…’
Kate takes a bite out of an apple, leg bouncing in her jeans, then laughs. ‘Oh, bloody hell. You’ve got the look.’
‘The look?’
