Harry and Sam

My friends, Harry and Sam -

They stumbled into each other as they came around the corner from opposite directions. Harry and Sam stared at each other in surprise. They looked each other up and down.

They were both covered in paint all over; on their skin, in their hair and on their clothes. Paints of all different colours.

It was the first they had seen of each other since their cat, Boomer, had died of old age. They had lived together. They had been deeply in love. But this had changed when Boomer died. They didn’t say anything about his death to each other.

Sam decided she would never go back home after work, the day the cat died. She would never go back again. She left everything behind and moved to the sea.

Harry decided he would never go back home after work, the day the cat died. He would never go back again. He left everything behind and moved to the sea.

As they stood on the corner, they both had that feeling that sometimes seizes you all the way through as you look in the mirror and don’t recognise what you see looking back at you. Everything tumbles and your spirit strains against the confines of your body.

Still standing there, Harry and Sam embraced, their cheeks sticking together from the paint.

Their hearts beat in unison and they closed their eyes and floated through everything. Their separate thoughts sat side by side, unknown. They opened their eyes. They went to the beach and had a memorial for the cat. They stayed by the sea and looked for new jobs.