Twenty

Nina bit her lip and looked at me but didn't answer.

I shrugged like it didn't bother me that she ignored my questions whenever she felt like it. 'Dole bludging works for some people - I guess,' I said. Harsh? I didn't think so.

She stopped and frowned at me. 'I was working...' She couldn't seem to decide what to do with her arms and hands, dangling them straight down then twisting them together and finally making fists that almost met in front of her abdomen. 'I... got fired...' she said, in a voice barely audible above the rush of the waves.

'Pffttt, I've been fired. No biggie. Get caught photocopying your arse?'

She turned away and looked out over the white crests of swell. 'My boyfriend died in a car crash. The last time I talked to him - I - I shouted at him - told him he was a useless prick... that I wouldn't forgive him this time. He'd forgotten to pick me up... again... They think he was hurrying... when it happened...'

I swallowed. 'Oh.'

She turned her head away again but I caught the glint of tears in her eyes.

'So, have you ever photocopied your arse?' I asked.

Twenty One

Nineteen

What could be bugging Lisa out? Maybe she was bummed at the thought of being with Mike after pashing me. Maybe she was going to break up with him. But what about the story Gary had told me? - how Mike had found that opened condom wrapper in their house - one that wasn't his. I wondered whether to try and tease more info out of Nina. I hocked another shell at the seagulls and decided against mentioning Lisa any more, in case it seemed suspicious.

'So how come you're not kind of doing anything now?' I asked after another long pause in the conversation. In fact it was more like having several unconnected mini conversations with the same person rather than than one long conversation. I kind of liked it - sort of blog style where short posts are best to keep a reader's attention.

*snigger*

Twenty