TRUDY

You were on TV

Trudy stands in the downstairs hall and watches as Moji, her stepbrother Trystan’s cat, walks across her feet and towards his food.

Moji sits in front of the yellow china bowl, overflowing with cat biscuits, and turns his head to Trudy.

Moji stares at Trudy.

Yes Moji, it is weird you have my childhood cereal bowl, Trudy says.

What’s mine is … theirs, Trudy thinks.

What’s theirs is … theirs, Trudy thinks.

COOL! Trudy thinks.

Moji crouches and eats some biscuits, his long, fluffy tail twitching and wafting across the parquet floor. Trudy looks up and sees the plumber walking down the stairs. She watches him rock forward and backwards as he says things about the boiler and then other things relating to the electrical wiring.

It’s not a small job, fair play, He says.

It’s okay, sure, if you can do the boiler, please, Trudy says.

You were in the year above me at school—

If you know an electrician, or, Trudy says, her hands in her pockets, her fingers pinching her thighs.

You were on TV—

Yes. Thank you, Trudy says. If you know an electrician, or.

New Yurt?? Maybe?

Trudy puts a copy of Good Morning, Midnight face down on the table and picks up her phone.

I’ll transfer the money now, Trudy says. Yes … I did … I will… Okay. Dad?

‘Love you too’, Trudy thinks.

Trudy touches her phone and transfers money to her dad, Julian.

Trudy touches her phone, typing and then deleting a message intended for Hill.

Trudy looks at an email with the subject header New Yurt?? Maybe? from her mum, Sally.

Too much, Trudy thinks. Fuck off, mum, just—

Trudy touches her phone, typing and then deleting a message intended for Hill.

Trudy picks up Good Morning, Midnight and puts it back down on the table, face down.

Trudy looks at her phone and reads a message from her dad.

Trudy looks at her phone and deletes, unread, a new email from her mum.

Trudy touches her phone, typing and then deleting a message intended for Hill.

A barista brings coffee over to Trudy’s table and rests the cup on the metal table top.

An oat flat-white, the barista says.

Thank you, Trudy says, putting Good Morning, Midnight down on the table.

Is everything—

It’s great, no, it’s, thank you, Trudy says, her fingernails digging into her forearms, her phone flashing with messages from her mum, her dad, drug dealer one, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Pet Plan, drug dealer two, Co-op, others.

Caernarfon Diaz

Drinking straight from the blender cup, Trudy downs a smoothie made from avocado, kale, spinach, cucumber, pear and oat milk. She turns the cup upside down and places it in the sink, next to another upturned blender cup.

Too fast, too furious, Trudy, says to Ralph, her eyes watering.

Ralph walks away from Trudy and jumps onto the armchair next to the bay window.

Okay, Trudy thinks.

Trudy touches her phone, typing and then deleting a message intended for Hill.

Trudy picks up her laptop from the kitchen worktop, clicks play, and listens to Cameron Diaz shout at Al Pacino as she walks out of the kitchen and towards her bed.

Trudy looks at her phone, smiles, and types Caernarfon Diaz–

Trudy looks at her phone and types Oliver Stone you loon–

Trudy looks at her phone and types nothing.

Trudy watches Elizabeth Berkley attempt to solicit Al Pacino.

Trudy watches Jamie Foxx argue with Dan Quaid, LL Cool J, Al Pacino.

Trudy watches Al Pacino shout at Cameron Diaz, Cameron Diaz shout at Arron Eckhart, Dan Quaid shout at Jamie Foxx, Al Pacino talk quietly at first, build to a crescendo, and shout at a large group of men who include among them Jamie Foxx, Dan Quaid, LL Cool J, Arron Eckhart.

Trudy touches her phone, typing and then deleting a message intended for Hill.

Trudy looks at her phone and sets the alarm for 04:55.

Trudy closes her eyes, extends her hands out in front of her and shuts her laptop.

Wait

Trudy lets Ralph off his lead and watches as he runs towards the woodland area to the left of the car park.

Not too far, Trudy says. No, wait. Follow me.

Trudy runs, stops, waits, then runs as Ralph turns and gallops in her direction. The pair run at first on the gravel track leading to the beach, the south stack lighthouse briefly visible on the horizon, then up an embankment and back down into the woodland, running parallel to the beach. The dawn sun is rising. They run together, jumping over exposed tree trunks, nettles, brambles, slowing when they need to, sprinting where they can.