Page 60 of Little Miss Fortune

FUKO

What would’ve happened if he wasn’t there?

TOBY

Sorry?

FUKO

What would have happened if Rufus needed the toilet?

TOBY

We probably would’ve waited.

FUKO

This just feels like an inefficient system. What if he was stuck in the toilet for half an hour? What, you would have just waited in the lobby without the ability to go up to your apartment?

TOBY

That hasn’t happened yet.

FUKO

Of course not, people do not think about risks before they happen.

INT. TOBY’S BOUGIE APARTMENT – NIGHT

The lift opens straight into the apartment. The apartment is a page from Architectural Digest. Dark wood furniture doesn’t have a single harsh angle, rounded edges and low lighting against the exposed brick. It’s clean, but books are scattered everywhere. National Health Service brochures are stacked under a paperweight, hiding their contents. Kitchen is spacious, clean but clearly cooked in often. There are various games under a console. Pictures are stuck around the mirror.

FUKO

(whistles, badly)

Not bad for a bachelor pad, pal.

FUKO takes her shoes off by the entrance, scans the pictures. One has caught her attention—it’s the view of the Toyama Station’s south entrance.

The view is very similar to the one she has herself.

THE END

The memories of that day rush in, interrupting the imaginative flow of the script that alcohol planted.

‘Toby, where did you say you stayed in Toyama?’ I look closely at the picture.

He is pouring himself some whiskey from a crystal decanter, gesturing to ask whether I want one as well. I shake my head.

‘There was a hotel by the station, why?’ He takes a sip.

‘Would you call yourself a little bit of a slag?’

My question catches him off guard. He chokes on his drink and coughs, then nods. ‘I’ve partaken in some endeavours in the past.’

‘Right. Did you partake in them in Japan, by any chance?’

‘Why do you ask?’