Page 6 of The Politician

“Sorry, I was—”

“Is there any cash in the house, Mum? A tenner, or better still, twenty. Sorry, I’m gonna be late.”

It was great to hear the urgency in his voice, though it would have been more reassuring had he got out of bed earlier and been more organised in the first place. And who needed twenty quid for a sandwich? “There’s some change in the kitchen cupboard. In the mint tea box.”

“Okay, thanks. You’re a star.”

She listened to the silence for a few seconds before realising he wasn’t going to tell her whether he’d found the box or not. He’d gone. She took a pace without looking along the street as she pocketed her phone, knowing she’d hear from him again if he hadn’t found what he wanted. Someone’s shoulder caught hers and nudged her to the right. She juggled the coffee to keep from spilling it. Another commuter heading in the opposite direction to her breezed past her. She put her foot out to steady herself and felt the thud at the back of her heel. “Ow. Fuck.”

Sarah launched forwards and her drink flew into the air at the same time as a body tumbled past her right side towards the ground. A burning pain shot up the back of her leg, and it took her a moment to realise that she’d been struck by the front wheel of a scooter. The woman who’d been riding it now lay on the pavement in front of her wrestling with the rucksack on her back. The scooter sat the side of the road, half in and half out of the gutter. Sarah’s cup rolled towards the curb, freeing the lid and spilling coffee in a trail that took her drink swiftly down the drain. People walked around them as if they were a solid object. Sarah hobbled towards the cup and retrieved it.

“Shit,” the woman said, making her way slowly to her feet. She held her wrist and wore a deep frown. “Shit, that hurts.” She looked up at Sarah and blinked. “I’m, er, I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

Sarah picked up the scooter. “I’m so sorry. It was my fault. I stepped in front of you. Are you hurt?” She touched the woman’s arm. “You need to go to hospital. It might be broken.” Sarah held out the scooter.

“Thanks. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll stick some ice on it later.” She looked up at Sarah with a quizzical gaze and flushed cheeks. She pointed to Sarah’s feet. “How’s your ankle?”

Sarah looked down. If she’d been wearing high heels, she’d probably have ended up sprawled across the pavement, but her long boots had saved her that embarrassment. Her throbbing heel seemed insignificant. She studied the rider’s outfit and smiled. Many commuters wore casual footwear with a suit and changed their shoes when they got into work, but she’d not seen anything quite as luminous as the lime green trainers this woman was wearing. If Sarah had been facing the other direction, she would have spotted the scooter coming from a mile off. “Nice Converse,” she said, a warm sensation spreading across her skin.

“They started out white. I dyed them to match my shirt. I’ve got loads of pairs in a range of colours. I prefer wearing them with jeans than slacks.”

Her cheeks darkened, and she appeared skittish and restless. A shirt in luminous green would definitely not be missed, but it was currently obscured by the woman’s padded bomber jacket and scarf. She glanced around to give herself something less intriguing to focus on and to distract her thoughts.

The woman pointed towards the empty cup in Sarah’s hand. “I owe you a coffee.”

Sarah shook her head. “I think I owe you one after taking a tumble. I insist.”

The woman reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone. She studied it for a second, then looked down the road in the direction she’d been heading. “I need to get to work. I don’t want to be late.”

“I can get us a takeaway. I’m heading that way too.”

“If you’re sure?”

Sarah smiled. “Of course. Wait here a second.” Sarah took a pace towards Nero’s.

“Hang on.” The woman retrieved a reusable cup from her rucksack and held it up. “Snap.”

Sarah laughed. “How do you take it?”

“An extra shot white coffee with just a dash of milk, please.”

Sarah nodded. That was pretty much how she liked her coffee, though with a little more milk and sugar if she needed an extra kick start to the day. She’d been staring at the woman for longer than felt comfortable. The pleasant vibration in her stomach transformed into an acute sense of awareness, and she turned back towards the coffee shop. “I won’t be a minute.” As she put her weight onto her right foot, a dull ache moved up her leg. She slowed her stride and entered Nero’s with a slight limp.

Tashia frowned as she approached the counter. “Same again?”

She held up the two cups. “I dropped mine outside. Could you wash this and get me two coffees with an extra shot. One with a dash of milk, please?”

“Sure.”

Tashia produced the drinks at the slowest pace in the world, and Sarah headed back out the door as quickly as her foot would allow. “Here.” She handed over the cup and started to walk.

“Your foot’s sore?”

Sarah smiled. “I certainly didn’t consider environmentally friendly forms of transport to be quite so dangerous,” she said.

“Generally, they’re not. Unless a moving obstacle throws itself in its path, of course. I’ve not fallen off in months. The last time was when I tried to jump a curb and mistimed it.” She laughed.

Sarah slowed her pace. “That sounds painful.”

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