The four of them sat on the tube like the maddest gang you ever saw.
The three men: one straight, one gay and one undecided as well as their girl. Ostensibly the straight ones' partner, but unanimously believed to be equally in love with either of the two other. The smell of the bonfire on their person, the spirits both alcoholic and human riding high in their collective system, a bubble penetrated by everyone on the train - but unnoticed by the four. After tube train dismount there are decisions to be made, the gay one and the undecided go to the bank and to get food, but not for them "the lazy cunts" the couple head off to the flat.

The flat sounds nice just by the tone of the voices as they form the words: are you going to The Flat? Sounds warm and quirky and Glasgow - with a crap view and a window for dangling from in supine student safety looking at the sky at all hours in the same frame of mind. Frayed and intellegent - Dumb and disfunctional. Potential and energy released and dissipated with no impact save on those who care to notice on a homeward walk with chips and curry.

Today's two party system suffers from a floating majority. This coalition an ever accelerating collision, as chairman of party A, I demand that order be restored. Call upon the speaker of the house whose deafening voice shall rend this illegitimate political union and create a true democracy, after all it's my word against yours and let us watch them spill black and green, sickly from chapped lips like chalk on roadsides down perfectly pressed white shirts/red ties or blue dependant on your parenting, we have to find a common ground to fight about my teeth and nails are growing blunt. Conflict is the currency of this debate lets demonstrate freedom and tear ourselves apart, Like slaves among lions lets bathe in teeth and gore and show them all we've got guts.

    "I'll be David and you can be Kate, no-one will think of that, it's too close to home". As she leaned over the table, I noticed her nerves in her eyes but I could see she trusted me. "We can sleep in your car for a bit until we get somewhere decent", she just nodded and smiled looking up and down from her sandwich to me. Her hands were girlish and demure with clipped nails and white skin covering slender bones, her watch was a blatant bulge in her grey cardigan. These moments passed slowly as I tried to communicate my excitement in calming, reassuring messages, attempting to hide my inexperience with a macho show of 'I've thought of everything'.
     "We'll use the money my dad gave me to get a hotel room after a bit and from there I can look for work", another shy smile with so many words pushed up against the wall of her teeth I swear a few almost slipped out but no, just a squirm from her hands in mine as she wriggled them out to grip her sandwich and take a bite. White bread, chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise. "When I get a job, there'll be no stopping us, we'll get a house, get married. We'll be totally set!". She smiled with a mouth full of sandwich and wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin taking a sip of her juice. "Want a bite?" she asked, "No thanks, looks good though!"
     I continued rattling on through my plan, to drive north to a smaller town, to get work as a sign painter and find a cute little house in a main street, to learn to drive myself and buy a bigger car so we could travel together and see everything. I had never felt like this before, the elation of someone hanging on my every word, sharing my enthusiasm and taking it in. Believing in me, trusting me and wanting to be near me. If it's truly possible to be drunk on power, I was completely wasted. On the other hand a whole new set of emotions had welled up during my tirade, protectiveness, care, love and honest affection for the beautiful creature who sat across from me and overcame her fear of people watching her eat slowly with each bite. I knew I was in the right place. Her silence confirmed her partnership with me, to her maybe this plan was all a flight of fancy but to me, this conversation was a binding agreement, as good as a blood bond. We were going to conquer the world together and it started now.
    The waitress came by and asked her if everything was okay, she blushed as her mouth was full and I graciously stepped in replying that everything was great and ordering a glass of water. "They still use handpainted signs up there, I've got good handwriting and a little bit of experience. It's not just about the money you know we'll have so much fun.", Just a mumble, but accompanied by such an astonishing flash of her eyes I was momentarily speechless.
    The glass of water arrived just in time for me to take a sip and charge on with my verbal barrage, "Dad said I'd be crazy not to do something with my hands, it's my forté he says." I took a pencil and notepad out of my bag, flipped past a few pages of scored out names to the page headed "These pseudonyms will keep us safe" and ticked the space beside Kate and David scoring out Gerald, Susan, Brian and Janet. She finished the last of her sandwich, paid the waitress and flashed me a smile - "I have to get home now" She said, the shock of her words after such a long period of nothing but my own voice was confusing at first, but I gathered my thoughts and replied "Me too, mum's making dinner and I have english homework". We noisily slid our chairs out, pushed them in behind us and walked out of the café hand in hand.