Those who live by the shawarma

Fada’s Shawarma House, the sign read, 100% ethically sourced meats. Betty walked past the shop every day on her way home. The smell of freshly baked flatbread and roasting meats was inviting. Fada saw Betty from inside the shop and gave her a friendly wave. Betty shook her head. Betty had gone vegetarian together with her partner, Matthew. Twenty-six, fifty-two combined, was the number of weeks they had stayed meat free. They were both animal lovers, so it had felt like the right thing to do. She still craved meat, but it wasn’t right to take a life just to satisfy those cravings.

Arriving home, Betty started dinner. She was making Matt’s favourite: red lentil curry with a side of salad. He was going to come home for dinner tonight before heading back to the office. Matt had been so busy lately; important business meetings with international clients. Betty was so proud of him. Betty inhaled the aroma of garlic, onions and peppers as she sautéed them; the smells of cooking were invigorating. They had both been feeling so much healthier since they began eating fresh food. Betty hummed happily as she cooked.

The phone rang just as the curry finished simmering. It was Matt.

“Babe, I won’t be able to make it home for dinner again, something’s come up at work.”

Betty was disappointed but tried not to let it show in her voice.

“Do you want me to drop some dinner off for you?”

“No, you stay home,” said Matt, “I couldn’t ask you to come all the way here just to drop off food.”

“It’s really not a problem,” Betty insisted.

“I’ll be fine. I won’t be back until tomorrow morning.”

He hung up. Betty returned to the kitchen. Some of the lentils had started to stick to the bottom of the pot but she didn’t care. She doled out a portion onto rice and sat down in the kitchen to her meal. It should have been spicy, aromatic and warming, but she wasn’t in the mood to taste any of it.

Betty grazed mechanically on the salad until she spotted the memory stick sitting next to the fruit bowl. She stopped. Swallowed. That was Matt’s memory stick. He needed that for his presentation tonight. Betty took the memory stick, packed the curry and rice into a reheatable box and set off for Matt’s workplace with a smile on her lips.

Betty gave Dave, the security guard, a wave. He pressed the button to let her in.

“Bringing Matthew dinner again?” Dave asked.

Betty nodded.

“And his presentation,” she added.

Dave grinned. “What would he do without you?”

Betty grinned. She went through the gates towards the lift and selected the eighth floor. The building was quiet after hours. As the lift climbed, Betty imagined how happy Matt would be to see her after a hard day’s work. She adjusted her curly white locks so that her hair was just right. The lift opened to an empty office space. The room was dark, save for the light that peeked out from under the door of the far office. She heard muffled sounds coming from that direction. As Betty took a step out of the lift, an ominous feeling gripped her. She stepped closer and heard a woman giggle. She stopped, heart racing. Then she heard Matt’s voice. Another step. She heard a soft moan. Betty hurriedly crossed the rest of the distance to the door and barged in. Her senses took in everything. Paperwork pushed off a desk onto the floor. The surprised gasps. The smell of cheap perfume.

Matt frantically tried to put his trousers back on, while the woman hurriedly pulled her shirt over her exposed udders.

“Betty, w-what are you doing here?” said Matt.

“I brought you your favourite: red lentil curry!”

Betty flung the curry at Matt’s face. She threw his memory stick on the floor and crunched it under her heel, then stormed out.

The anger didn’t last. Tears stung Betty’s eyes as she walked home. She felt broken and betrayed. As she walked, she was hit by the familiar smell of roasting meats. Twenty-six weeks. That was how long she had gone without meat for that bastard. She walked into Fada’s Shawarma House. Fada smiled as she came in; his smile turned to a sympathetic frown.

“Betty, what has happened? You must tell me.”

“Matt… he’s … he’s been cheating on me.”

Betty let out a sob, then burst into tears.

“That swine!” said Fada.

He came around the counter, put an arm around her and helped her to a seat. She couldn’t get any more words out and continued sobbing. Fada disappeared for a moment and then came back holding juicy slices of lamb wrapped in fresh flatbread.

“Eat,” he urged, “you will feel better, Fada promises.”

Betty took the shawarma. Her stomach growled. A small part of her said eating meat was wrong, Matt or no Matt. But the smell was intoxicating. She closed her eyes and bit into the shawarma. The world spun. She felt like she was falling in slow motion, and then reality slammed back into place. Her body felt strange.

“This one here just gave consent,” an unfamiliar voice yelled.

Betty slowly opened her eyes. Disorientated. Wires and tubes detached themselves from her head. A feeding tube full of grass juice was pulled from her mouth. Around her, sheep were hooked up to a machine. She looked down in alarm, her hands were hooves. No, her hands had returned to being hooves. With the wires gone, the human thoughts began to dissolve.

“Good,” another voice said, “take her for processing.”

Betty bleated in protest.

The men tried to herd her towards a long line of trucks transporting sheep. But she didn’t want to go. Wasn’t sure why anymore. There was writing on the side of the truck. It read: Fada’s Shawarma House, 100% ethically sourced meats.

Simon is a scientist at the University of Leicester; he spends his days finding reasons to turn things fluorescent. Some of his science writing is most certainly fictional, especially if it’s the University’s Biological Safety Officer asking. You can find him liking cat pictures on Twitter @SimonFung7.