Busted

'Marissa,' Peter, her boss, said, interrupting her conversation with Zara. They were standing in the work kitchen while Zara warmed her lunch in the microwave. Dirty dishes stacked in a wonky tower on one side of the sink; clean, dry dishes on the wooden draining board, with a stained tea towel over the top. Peter…

Unapproachable

'You do it, Jen,' Brett had said, before leaving the expansive conference room. 'You're the most senior employee here.' Brett and the rest of Jenny's colleagues are at morning tea, the mumble of dissent echoes with the whir of the coffee machine. Now, with false bravado, she storms forward: chest puffed, shoulders pulled tight, eyes…

On tour

'Follow the guidelines, please and there will be no trouble.' This was the tour guide. Dressed in a polo shirt with an indeterminable logo, cargo pants, and hiking boots, he looked the part. Even down to his wide-rimmed sun hat that covered his stick-out ears and the fat flab at the back of his neck.…

Anniversary

'Happy anniversary!' The two words were sung out by my best friends as I walked into the restaurant and approached the reserved table. These three ever-reliable women had arrived ahead of me, ready with a bottle of Prosecco and beautifully wrapped gifts. I smiled my thanks. Swallowed my guilt. 'Aaaw, you guys are the best.…

Words don’t come easy

Inspiration comes in many forms. Or none at all. Today, for me, it's the latter. I'm supposed to be working, yet after only a week's hiatus for the Easter break, I am coming up short on ideas, words, sources, everything. It seems there is an unauthorised ban on structured, coherent thoughts inside my brain. My…