Klempner

What's the obsession with potatoes?

I called her Potato Face when she was a kid.

What does she look like now?

Jenny was no looker at that age…

… But she matured. Bloomed.

Juliana... Never the same twice.

I scratch at my beard. I’ve never liked facial hair in hot climates, but I don’t have a choice right now. Even so, the flourishing colony of lice that has stowed aboard adds an extra edge of irritation.

Lice…

Where the fuck did they come from?

Can rat lice live on humans?

Having a fucking good go at it…

I catch one, squeezing the revolting thing between my fingernails. It bursts with a Pop!

Only another 999 to go…

*****

The boredom’s the worst. Endless hours. Endless days and nights. I’ve no idea how long.

The only breaks in the monotony are Juliana’s visits: just long enough to sit, eat something at me, toss a potato at me.

No, not Juliana: Solana.

Why's she so obsessed with the name?

How many names have I used over the years? Worn like a suit of clothes to be discarded when the weather changes and something different is needed.

I’ve never been defined by my name.

But she sees it differently…

Something skritches and I jerk a look sidelong

It’s a rat…

Just a rat…

faced down gunmen, soldiers,

It’s just a rat…

dark openings, more scratching. And a nose

long enough into an abyss,

Who said that?

Nietzsche?

Depressing bastard…

comes equipped with teeth and whiskers. I come

*****

do you know what Stockholm syndrome

flickers over her eyes. She takes something from her lunchbox, unwrapping one of her usual dainties from a napkin. “What

a kidnap or hostage situation, the

you're getting attached

misread me...” Her head tilts. She pretending mockery, but I have her attention. “… But there's a reverse condition. It's called

“So?”

your only

think you’re my friend?” The napkin produces a brigadeiro. A flake of chocolate cracks off the small round cake, dropping back into the napkin and

do you keep

chewing, mouth hanging a little open.

you keep coming? If all you wanted was to watch me rot, you have your camera there.” I jerk

me to feed you? We can always

of potatoes and come once a week. Or even, once a month.

me. I continue. “Am I your only friend, Sola? Is that it? You've

giggling. “So, you're my friend are

sex-slave when she was a kid? That middle-aged hooker? You've not

her arms, sits back in her seat, arches

have changed. Who ever really changes?” I raise my gaze

“Solana…” she hisses.

over the rancid concrete, some of it dropping just this side of that painted line, now less than white. Even under the heavy make-up, her colour has

heel,

fallen food, ignoring the jab of pain in my ankle as the chain snaps taut, I snatch up the discarded meal from the filthy concrete, scrabbling to grab broken fragments of meat in one hand, a cake with the other before, with a click, the light winks out and I'm left in

my eyes adjust to the green blink of the camera. It hardly matters. My attention is on the wealth

bite taken from the corner. And I have half

anything like

For how long?

Weeks? Months? My sense of

I had

of empanada, then another, I ram the food into my

way and suddenly I’m no

to swallow, gagging on my scavenged meal, I barf it

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