Stories

About the author:

Fiona J. Mackintosh

Fiona is a British born writer who has lived in the US for over 25 years. Her stories have been appeared in, among others, The Washington Review, Harpers & Queen UK, Metropolitain and District Lines II and she has been longlisted for Plymouth University’s 2015 Short Fiction Prize.

The More Things Change

Story type:

Flash Fiction

Story mood:

Cynical
Unsettling

As the dancing gets wilder, I slip outside for a smoke. Under a bare bulb, by a rank and fermenting wheelie bin, I light up, longing to take off my fancy shoes.

He comes after me as I knew he would. I hand him my ciggie, lipstick-marked, and he takes a long pull.

“That kind of day?” I ask.

“You could say that.”

“Lovely service.”

He hands the ciggie back.

“Bit of a blur to be honest.”

“Your mum looks happy.”

“As a pig in shit.”

“Women and weddings, eh? Who can explain it?”

He looks away, towards the car park.

“Not you.”

Smoke so deep in my lungs it burns.

“No. Not me.”

He turns to go inside, back to his waiting bride, then pauses.

“Next week? Usual place?”

I drop the ciggie onto the wet concrete where it flares and dies. I nod.

“I’ll be there.”

THE END

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