Stanzas: Monthly Chapbooks May 2015: Equality | Page 21

‘I’d appreciate more than on little favour, yeah,' she said.
Michael paused to regard himself in the mirror; left side shaven, right side Santa
Claus.
‘It’s just that; we’re supposed to be a team.’ She said, ‘That’s not easy when you
don’t even listen to me.’
Michael gulped and without breaking eye contact with his reflection slid the razor
along his right jaw until – nick. A trickle of blood smeared along the razor’s path, and
with it Emily became more insistent.
‘You need to start talking to me, Michael.’
It was too much. Michael’s toes began to clench and his teeth gritted. He gasped
and muttered a curse.
‘Shut up,’ he said.
‘When will you realise I’m not going anywhere?’ Emily was shouting now, ‘You
do this every time; you fight and fight and fight but you can’t just scare me away. I’m
part of you Michael, deal with it.’
Knock, knock, knock.
Alison.
‘It’s open!’ Michael said.
Alison fell in clutching two paper bags and after