AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The security guard is standing over the Asian woman. ‘What’s wrong with your arm?’
‘I work,’ she replies in broken English.
‘Not with one hand.’
‘I work hard. One hand or two hand.’
‘This isn’t a sheltered workshop.’
‘No. Please, I good worker. I show you.’ She reaches up for his arm, begging.
‘Get back on the fuckin’ bus.’
Tearfully, the woman is helped to her feet, and I lose sight of her as she steps on board. A guard padlocks the metal gate. I’m on the far side of the road as the bus pulls away. I study the factory, which has cement walls and a tin roof and security cameras. A small painted sign is propped in one of the windows: ‘Polaris Pelagic’.
I’m still thinking about the Asian woman when I reach the supermarket, which fronts a cobblestoned square. Boxes of fruit and vegetables are displayed on the footpath outside and the front window is plastered with discount banners and special offers. Inside, the aisles are barely wide enough for two people to pass and the shelves are crammed from floor to ceiling.
As I wander down the first aisle, I notice Addie and her frizzy-haired friend, near the canned goods. Their pushbikes are leaning against a lamppost outside. As I round the corner, Addie glances at the CCTV camera above her head and turns her back. At the same time, she slips something under her T-shirt, which she tucks into her shorts.
Later, at the checkout, Addie counts out coins to pay for a packet of chewing gum. A store guard is watching her – a young guy in a grey uniform with front teeth that push out his top lip.
As the girls leave, he stops them. ‘What yer hiding beneath yer top, Addie Murdoch?’
‘None of your business, Declan O’Keefe,’ replies her friend.
‘I’m not talking to you, Shona.’
He stands in front of Addie. ‘How about you untuck your shirt?’
‘You’re not looking at my tits,’ says Addie.
He laughs. ‘Yer got nothing to look at.’
The girls try to step around him.
‘Looks like I’ll be calling the cops,’ he says.
Shona looks anxiously along the street. I know she’s going to run even before she takes off, ducking under the guard’s arm, and sprinting for the automatic doors. Outside, she grabs her pushbike, bounces it over the gutter and takes several steps before swinging her leg over the seat and pedalling away.
A beat too late, Addie also tries to escape, but the guard grabs the back of her T-shirt. A can of tuna bounces across the floor and rolls to my feet. I pick it up and put it on the conveyor belt with my other items. ‘I almost forgot this. Thanks, Addie.’
The guard blinks at me. ‘She stole that.’
‘She picked it up for me.’
‘It was tucked down her front.’
‘It was in her hand.’
He points to the CCTV camera. ‘I have proof.’
‘I bet that’s not turned on,’ I say.
He stammers, caught in his lie.
‘How much do I owe you?’ I ask the checkout girl, who blinks at me like she’s been watching a performance that has suddenly stopped in mid-act.
She scans the can of tuna. Addie steps closer to me, pretending that we’re together, but only until we get outside. She holds out her hand, wanting her spoils.
