Stalker

My mobile went off at work today. Lucky I was in the loo or I’d have had to switch it off without answering. Or maybe not. It was that guy Pete from the Day Centre.

‘Hi Jazz,’ he says, as if he’s some kind of a friend or something, ‘It’s Pete.’

‘Pete who?’ I said, even tho I’d have known that cracked up voice anywhere.

‘Pete, Pete who got you soup,’ he says, ‘and guess what? I think I know where you can find that Danny guy of yours.’

I hang up. He’s got nothing I want and that girlfriend of his is crazy – she’s on some poison I’d say. The next thing I know there he is looking through the shop window at me, same old trenchcoat but the knitted hat has gone and it’s a black cowboy hat tilted over one eye and a grin like a bloody pirate. I wave him away but he comes right on in.

‘We musta got cut off,’ he says, ‘that’s unless you hung up on me. You wouldn’t do that Jazz, would you?’

‘Too right I would,’ I say, ‘please fuck off.’

‘That’s a nice way to talk to an old friend,’ he says. ‘Don’t you want to know where to find your boyfriend?’

‘I’ve already found him,’ I said. ‘Anyway, how did you know I was here?’

He grins again, tho maybe it’s more of a leer, teeth lost either side, all that’s missing a black patch over one eye and a gold earring.

‘I’ve been keeping an eye on you,’ he says, ‘not much goes on without ole Pete knowing.’

Lucky for me Adrian, the manager comes over just then, asks if he can help and bloody Pete fucks off. ‘Keep in touch,’ he says, winking.

I half expected to find him waiting for me when I finished tonight, but thank the stars and stripes he wasn’t. I hope he doesn’t know where I live – he can’t do or he wouldn’t have thought I’d want to know where Danny is. Less than a week to go now. I’ll be sorry to lose this job. I like wrapping things, making them mysterious and pretty.