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didn’t come back I phoned for some. But I thought I’d order something different in case you came back with the curry.’’ He smiled winningly at her.
    When she had nothing to say but kept staring at him, Ed’s smile faltered. ‘‘What’s wrong? Don’t you feel like pizza?’’
    â€˜â€˜No Ed, I really don’t feel like pizza.’’ As soon as she said it her stomach hurt with hunger. But there was no way she was giving him the satisfaction of asking for a slice. Annoyingly, she knew he’d gladly, unquestioningly, give her half, or more, of anything he had. The problem was that he had nothing of any value to Laurie. His needs were simple. He spent his dole money on take-aways and computer games. All he did was play games, watch TV and sleep. He always appeared to have just woken up, picking at the sleep in his eyes and scratching at himself. Luckily he was unable to grow a beard as shaving would be a real issue for him. She had a mental image of him with a rumplestiltskin beard and felt a giggle coming on.
    â€˜â€˜Have we got any drink here?’’ She should capitalise on this surge of good feeling.
    â€˜â€˜What?’’ Ed had moved back to the computer. ‘‘Oh forget it. Just forget it,’’ she muttered.
    No response.
    â€˜â€˜For fuck’s sake. Ed! What does it take for you to pay the slightest bit of attention to me?’’
    The script was so well worn and boring. She was like a cuckoo in a clock coming out at prearranged times always making the same noise. She realised Ed had put the headphones back in again. Would it be possible to strangle him with the cord, or would she have to work on her upper body strength first? God, who was she kidding? Ed would probably help her. He was so amenable as long as you weren’t asking him to make something of himself.
    She was still standing in the doorway. She looked around their living room. They’d finished university more than five years before but were still living like students. At least then they’d had a student social life. Now they were the only ones of their circle left in town.
    The bedroom had piles of stuff everywhere. Clothes were heaped up at the end of the bed, next to the wardrobe, next to the chest of drawers. Magazines and papers were dumped on the bed amongst the unmade bed clothes. The most galling thing about all the crap was that it was Laurie’s. She had no one but herself to blame. She knew this couldn’t go on. Or rather, it could go on forever and ever, amen.
    She took off her clothes and dumped them on the floor with all her other clothes from the week. She yanked the duvet back, flicking the bed-top detritus to the floor. She sighed loudly to no avail.
    â€˜â€˜If you think you’re going to carry on doing that while I’m trying to sleep, you’ve got another thing coming.’’ Nothing. ‘‘Ed!’’
    â€˜â€˜U-huh?’’ He pulled the ear buds out and turned to her.
    â€˜â€˜You’d better go and wait for the pizza in the kitchen. Some of us have to get up for work in the morning.’’
    â€˜â€˜Okay. Good idea.’’
    She wondered sometimes if he was tone deaf. As in not being able to hear the tone in her voice. He patted her leg through the duvet as he walked past. She felt a bit bad about being nasty to him until she realised he was actually fishing around for his Gameboy which was somewhere within the covers. Ed left the room, neglecting to switch off the light. Laurie pulled the cover over her head and fell asleep thinking the same thing she always seemed to think when she fell asleep these days.
    What fresh hell would tomorrow bring?

Fairly bright and early
Cold and Cloudy
    She woke up before the alarm went off and lay looking out of her side of the bed. From there she had a view of the bedroom doorway which was open on to the hall. She could see both the