working


look back to the clock. 5 to 5. okay. just 5 more minutes. that’s it, one more, one more. okay. well done. keep going. not long now. not long now.

3 minutes. going great. keep peddling. almost there. next please! next please! next please!

how are you. would you like a bag.
sorry did you want a bag. cash or card.
please insert your card. please enter your pin.
please remove your card. thanks bye.

do you mind just hanging on till this queue dies down a bit? just get the queue down and then you can head off okay? is that alright? you sure? thanks a lot cheers

next please! next please! next please! next please!

hi. bag? next. hi. bag? did you want a bag.
sorry DID YOU WANT A BAG.
next. how’s your day been mate?
not bad thanks did you want a bag can you put your card in. enter your pin pleaseENTER YOUR FUCKING PIN FOR FUCK’S SAKE YOU’RE WASTING MY TIME YOU PIECE OF SHIT

look back to the clock.
5.28pm. nice
tap
tap
tap
tap keyboard-keys
clock again. 5.35. nice. just 5 more minutes. no one leaves till 5.40. don’t look an idiot. there’s people properly pretending to give a shit here

5.38.
slowly pack up careful. not too fast
they.might.notice-zip. 
slow. steady
mate im off, i’ve wrapped that up and i’ll ping off the email to finalise in the morning
yeah i will do. no problem. it’s done. in fact ill email it you right now so you can see it. cool
yep.
yep.
cheers. see you tomorrow
FUCK OFF
FUCK OFF YOU CUNTS
IM FUCKING FREE


down stairs
                      into the streets, open air; still streetlamps,

people walking and talking,

                                                     limbs gently contorting

and stretching,
                            grace smiling specks whirl around, flock of bees to a pot of honey my god my lord my mum, is this the heaven they speak of? people live here

but next second, mind is racing sprinting zipping on steam engine trains and concorde screams,
                 electrons blown mad round a wire circuit

i can’t hold them in



it’s about a 10 minute walk and i can slowly tread over, take a quick breath after that long day, soak it in and stretch my legs a little. that’s really nice. really good. the gym is renowned for its swimming pool, one of the oldest in London, a pure gem of a room, replete with an arcing, mural-patterned ceiling hanging high above the water-level. the pool is bottomed out by small, inch-square tiles shading from white to a deep, royal blue across the pool’s width and the tiles glimmer and crackle in sparks of electric light switching on and off on the surface level. i get there and head to get changed. but i just can’t do it. i sit there for what feels like hours but for the life of me, i just can’t do it. i get changed once, twice, three times and then back again. i just can’t do it. i just can’t do it. my head needs to go home though home is miles out

home is in space


***

Hi what’s your name?

ALLYSSA AND YOU

tommy how you doing? You just started?

YEAH FIRST TODAY YOU SAME

yeah

YEAH HIGH FIVE MAN!

marching behind the battle-line, some pent-up raged-up sergeant, uniformed immaculate, focused, ready for business. loud clicks of his black plastic heel on the glazed brown floor HE’S HERE
can you go onto tops
excuse me. take these out please
what are you doing? no that’s not what we do here
can you hurry
you shouldn’t take that long over a sale
you really need to speed up now
just get out of the way ill sort it out
orders ringing from the dog’s mouth, the fucking prick wears that managerial badge like the crown of newly-annointed king, tall and fierce over a sea of flesh
HELLO WHAT YOU DOING THERE WITH THAT PIN LOOKS INTERESTING IM ALLYSSA BY THE WAY IM NEW HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE
EXCUSE ME WHAT ARE YOU DOING. YOURE NOT HERE TO CHAT YOURE HERE TO WORK GET BACK TO WORK
yeah i am working i was just asking my colleague a question about
GET BACK TO WORK

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