Level 25 (1)
Jin lets another large mouthful of whiskey slide down the back of his throat. The photo in his hand gently slips from between his fingers and comes to rest facedown on the floor. The stereo skips. A low-range throb from the ceiling fan transforms the room into a beating heart. The first time he saw her, the small crowd had already dispersed. The damaged car had been towed away. The sound of sirens had become nothing but an echo. All that remained was a dark patch on the tar and pieces of broken glass. Akuji stood by the side of the road as if nothing had happened. It was a late, humid afternoon. Jasmine hung thick like sulphur in the air. They were separated by four lanes of rush hour traffic surging violently to and fro like an angry ocean. He didn’t notice her at first, the lights in her eyes; the smile on her face when she spotted him exiting the apartment block. Against her own judgement she had spent considerable time deciding what to wear that morning. The purple dress hugging her full figure looked new for the first time in years, but it was her bare feet that caught his attention. When their eyes met he noticed the paralysis immediately. Disconcerted he nearly missed his bus. Akuji was still standing in the same spot when Jin turned around in his seat to look at her. Her one arm was raised. She was waving.
