“I’ll see about having a word with old Paget in the employment area, to see if they can put a bit of heat on that bastard, Leroy, to get him to turn up to work tomorrow.”

“It’d be appreciated,” said Chris, rubbing his back and rasping into his right hands, which meant that he then had to grab at the cage to prevent it from crashing into the vats.

“They’ll take your licence away, if you don’t smarten up your driving a bit,” said Jacobson.

“Is that a promise?” asked Chris.

*      *      *

Friday, 9:07 PM

Chris sat in a corner of the room, with Rita on his left-hand side, and Sonja on his right.   He felt uncomfortable having both girls with him, but more uncomfortable at even being at the meeting.   Chris had had a job for five months, so he felt out of place every time he attended an Out of Work People’s Action Group meeting.   Yet they encouraged him to keep attending.   “As a protest against the working conditions at your job,” Henry had advised.   And Chris had to admit that things were pretty terrible at his work.   Also, Chris told himself, he was helping Rita and Sonja settle into the meetings.   But the truth of the matter, he knew, was that Chris himself had never settled into the meetings.   The only reason that he had ever attended was as an excuse to see Gabrielle.   Although Rita and Sonja helped to fill part of the space left by the desertion of Cindi — a former girlfriend — it was sultry Gabrielle that Chris really lusted after.

“Hello, Chris,” said Gabrielle, breezing over as though she had read his thoughts.   “I’m always so very pleased to see you here.”

Chris wondered whether there was anything behind the words, or whether, like the person who asked how you are then looked aghast when you dared to actually detail your ailments for them, Gabrielle was only making casual conversation.

“Thanks,” he said.   “I’m always very pleased to see you too.”

Gabrielle stood staring at Chris, and he wondered whether he had allowed the lust to seep into his voice?   After a few seconds, which seemed to Chris like at least a half of an hour, Gabrielle said, “There is red wine over there if you would like some?”   She pointed toward a small coffee table, which stood against the wall, diagonally across the room from where Chris sat.