– What I don’t get, Morag, is how come men can be so evil and ignorant they get like, entire countries to play with? But women – well, we get a fucking wart on our face so they drown us?

– Not totally true!

– Not far off. If you’re a woman and you had some kind of disability, or maybe you just smelled weird, then before you know it, you are being hauled out of your lifelong church congregation and put to death in front of everyone in the most inhumane way possible!

– You make me hate men sometimes.

– Not all of them. Not Craig or my dad. Not the good ones, it’s those other ones I hate, they can murder millions and get medals. They can commit the most heinous crimes and everyone around them is set on nothing but protecting them and pretending they are good and righteous and not just fucking despicably evil. They get gold bathrooms and private planes. It is not right! It has to stop. When will it be right, tell me?

Morag kisses my cheek gently and grabs my hand.

I follow her over to the wall and she gets cigarettes out the machine. We go back down into the main hall and I go over to the bar where he is.

He is next to us now.

I position us so he is looking at Morag only. She smiles at him. He is not looking at me. Men never look at me when we are together. Now I see the use in it. I point at two fruit cocktail drinks behind Cupid’s Corner bar. He has one with an umbrella in. The barman makes two more, identical to the others. I reach into my purse. Put down coins. In my bag, I unscrew the little bottle with one hand. He is talking to Morag now. I don’t hear words. I hear the room as if I’m in a swimming pool. The band sound like they are playing underwater. A warble of so many voices and feet tapping and clicking and hearts beating and slipping the liquid down into his drink. He takes his cocktail without looking – he is still spellbound by my girlfriend and he drinks it, fast. I feel panicked – what if I got it wrong? I don’t want to drink our drinks any more so I spill them both…

– Ivy!

– Sorry!

– Are you okay?

He leans over and I do not want to look back into his grey eyes but I do.

I nod.

Grab her.

– This rotating dance floor is so good! There is never a break between songs!