She makes a pfft sound through her teeth and sits back down. Headphones are in, face turned back to the screen. She doesn’t want to know, or she is used to pretending not to care.

Damn it.

Looks like I’m going to have to start paying my own way again. I pull out my purse and riffle through the contents. A few notes left. I’ve no real idea what I’ve done with the money I withdrew yesterday. I think I might’ve given Ivan some of that cash too. I’m starving, and my head is fuzzy, and I think the only thing I can do right now is get myself something to eat and drink, then think about what I’m going to do next.

The market is quieter than yesterday, and I’m glad. I don’t really want to start drinking beers with strangers at this point. I head through to the stalls I’d passed yesterday, selling meats and cheeses, and find one further into the maze, where people are sitting outside drinking coffee and eating from plates filled with salami, and boiled eggs and hard rolls. A young woman with a ponytail so severe that her eyes seem to be stretched wide is tapping on her phone, sipping her coffee. I gesture to her table and try to tell the stout, motherly woman behind the counter that I’d like the same.

I sit down at the table opposite the ponytailed woman, and she glances up briefly, then frowns, and looks back down at her phone. I’m not really bothered. I’m not looking for a new friend today. I’m still in shock, after last night and the way things ended with Carrie. I still can’t believe that she’s actually gone.

I’m still trying to keep the events of last night at the back of my mind, because if I let them affect me now, I know I won’t be able to cope. There’s definitely still alcohol in my system, mixed with the remnants of the sleeping pill; it’s clouding my mood. I roll up a piece of salami and pop it into my mouth, then I stir milk and sugar into my coffee and take a sip.