THE GIFT
Beryl’s just finished a perm. She’s left the air thick with ammonia-laced hairspray. Dressed in a bat-winged top and flouncy skirt too young for her age, she does a little jig as she gives the floor a sweep while The Swingers are busy counting the beat.
Wrapped to her chin in the black gown Beryl tied her in, Megan’s forced to wait. She tries to avoid her own gaze in the mirror stretching half the length of the wall. The cup of instant coffee Beryl made when she came in remains half-drunk on the counter in front of her. She’s meant to be catching the next city train, in time for her flight home. A quick haircut wouldn’t hurt, she thought half an hour ago when she stood on the platform with time to kill, having spent a few hours wandering up and down familiar streets, wondering w
