Our first fight

“Here’s the thing,” I said to Rachel. “You think that I think I’m better than you.”
She eyed me incredulously. “But that’s not why you hate me. Here’s why you hate me.” I paused for dramatic tension. “You think that I’m better than you.”
It took her a second to process the information and then WHACK! She caught me hard on the jaw.
I wasn’t expecting to get hit. Well, maybe just a slap if I’d really got to her, but the surprise of the fist to the chin brought a tear to my eye.
Then she got on top of me and tried to wrestle me to the floor. We were in a bar called Shandy’s. The lights were fluorescent and the drinks were mostly cocktails. The music was chillout and dub, while the mood was generally blissed out.
And there we were, a couple of hyenas, cackling away at each other and scratching at each others skin, trying to bruise and gain advantage.
I had hold of her hands, so she couldn’t do any real damage, but she managed to shift her knee across the top of my thigh and wedge it down close to my groin. She was getting pretty near to real damage now.
As she dug her fingers in to scar my wrists, her knee finally reached its target and I jerked forward. My forehead crashed into her nose and she fell backwards towards the glass table.
I managed to grab her body back from the edge and we both slid sideways, off the bench seat and onto the carpet, the main thoroughfare between the bar and each of the booths filled with patrons.
I placed her carefully down and waited for her to open her eyes. She scrunched her nose like a child or a mouse and then smiled, showing me her straightened teeth.
I smiled too and we kissed and rolled about there on the rich blue carpet for what seemed like hours.

Conversation fuel

“Pirates are comical creations,” said Ginny. “All day long swinging from ropes and having cutlass fights. I haven’t much time for them.”
What does she mean, ‘she hasn’t much time for them’? Has she ever met a pirate? The only pirate she’s met is the Chinese guy who comes around when the football’s on and asks if you’d like to buy a knock-off DVD.
I know Matty is thinking the same thing. Good old Matt, good old Matthew - he always wears his heart on his sleeve and has scrunched up his face like he’s been dealt a terrific fart, face-first. That means he thinks she’s full of bull.
Susan is next. She sits primly, her hands about her legs. I’m sure she wears stockings under that polite exterior. Little minx - she taunts us men with her sexuality, never quite boiling over so that we’re never sure - perhaps she is frigid? Perhaps Dean is correct?
I think Dean tried it on with her - it doesn’t matter, does it? Dean’s not here and I am and so are you.
So, who else is here? Well there’s Pollo, yeah you think you know about him already, but you’ve never seen him at a party. He looks like a suit, but he’s a parlour demon. I once saw him cupping three asses and not one his own!
Heggarty is behind the bar tonight - did you notice? Yeah, he’s been watching you, but he hasn’t served a drink? Maybe he’ll serve you? Go over and see?
Ha - as if you haven’t got money! I’ll swap whatever’s in your pockets for the contents of mine anyanyday! You crack me up. So tell me what the big man said to you when you asked to know the rules of dice.
Yes! Funny as… You can’t help yourself can you? Just like the time when that band stopped playing and asked you to stop singing along.
I know, it’s not the same at all, but I just wanted to bring it up again.
“Hey you guys, did you hear about the time when…”