“Who drew on this banana?” . Francine giggled as she picked up a large banana from the pile on the stall.
“I can see a face on it– It’s you Louis” she screeched as she whirled round in the middle of the fruit market, twirling the banana between her fingers.
“ OK,” she giggled again, throwing an accusatory look at a middle aged couple who were walking by “ It was you two dope heads wasn’t it?” she wiggled the banana in front of the man’s face as she spoke. The pair hurried by, heads down, not wanting to engage in any conversation with the unhinged and unkempt teenager who stood in front of them transferring her weight from one foot to the other in a peculiar little dance. Her eyes were like black pools and her head lolled to one side.
“Francine, stop it” said Louis. “ There is nothing on the banana – it’s just a banana!” Louis tried to grab it back, looking apologetically at the stall holder, who by now was gesturing and shouting in an Eastern European voice” You want that fruit, you pay for it!”
“Come here Francine” Louis grabbed at her wrist and whispered in her ear
“ You've not come down yet. Let’s go back to the apartment and relax”
Francine looked at Louis, her eyes filled with tears. Her legs began to buckle as she put her full weight against Louis’ rough jacket. “ I want to go home, I want Maman” She wailed.
Louis knew that both their paths were already drawn out for them. He held her close to him. “Your Maman is not here Francie" he said quietly ." We will go home now Francie. We won’t have to worry about anything anymore”. The stall holder muttered something in Polish as he grabbed the fruit from Francine's limp hand.
Louis swore at him and put a protective arm around Francine's waist as he half carried her down the dirty and stinking alleyway towards the apartment they shared with Jean. The alley was where the stallholders left their stalls when the market closed for the evening. The smell of rotting food was overpowering, yet sometimes, it was the source of a meal to Francine and Louis. He sighed deeply as he recognised the depths to which they had both sunk as a result of their stupidity and greed.
Jean opened the apartment door and Louis deftly lifted Francines inert body over the steep threshold.
" How is she?" asked Jean, taking one of Francine's arms " Mon Dieu! You two are crazy people. Why are you doing this? You were supposed to stock the cargo, not use it " The anger in Jean's voice aroused Francine who was violently sick as they stood in the hallway.
Above her groaning Louis turned to Jean shouting " Tell that to The Canadian!"
Louis swore at him and put a protective arm around Francine's waist as he half carried her down the dirty and stinking alleyway towards the apartment they shared with Jean. The alley was where the stallholders left their stalls when the market closed for the evening. The smell of rotting food was overpowering, yet sometimes, it was the source of a meal to Francine and Louis. He sighed deeply as he recognised the depths to which they had both sunk as a result of their stupidity and greed.
Jean opened the apartment door and Louis deftly lifted Francines inert body over the steep threshold.
" How is she?" asked Jean, taking one of Francine's arms " Mon Dieu! You two are crazy people. Why are you doing this? You were supposed to stock the cargo, not use it " The anger in Jean's voice aroused Francine who was violently sick as they stood in the hallway.
Above her groaning Louis turned to Jean shouting " Tell that to The Canadian!"
Another highly innovative use of the banana - as a hallucination. Very good. You are really getting to know these characters. Some good use of detail to delineate character. Possibly a little too much use of exposition - telling the reader things rather than showing them - as in 'You're still high as a kite from the LSD' - they both know what she's taken and therefore it doesn't ring true as dialogue (also Louis is French and wouldn't say 'high as a kite'?) Good opening nevertheless.
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