Free It's Only Temporary by Jamie Pearson Page A

and just smiled at her. There may well be a job here in the future, but not for me. I finished off the day and said goodbye to everyone. Walking home I realised I had forgotten to check my emails; how on earth did I allow that to happen? Now I would not be able to do so again until Monday, a whole weekend away.
    Using Dan’s timetable I elected to catch a bus to the supermarket rather than walk home. Once there I purchased enough food to get me through the wee kend and some more Earl Grey. As I wandered the isles with my hand basket my mind was preoccupied with the events of the day and my frustration at not checking my emails. As a result I had been filling my basket in an absent minded manner. When I looked down at what I had selected to provide for myself for the weekend I realised I could not afford it. Smoked Salmon, steak and fresh vegetables did not equate to living on benefits.
    Reluctantly I placed the majority of it back on the shelves and resigned myself to own brand precooked mini sausages, baked beans, bread and processed cheese. To my dismay I realised that I had very little money left over even after making these economies. Possibly enough to buy something to eat on Monday night but that still left two days with no funds until next week’s payday.
    Arriving home I felt exhausted and after having something to eat fell asleep fully clothed on my bed, I was awoken a few hours later by the sound of Alfie making his way upstairs again. The room was dark but as I had not drawn the curtains it was illuminated by a street light. I drew the curtains, got undressed and climbed into bed properly, I told myself to enjoy the weekend’s peace although I was dreading the impending teaching on Monday.
    The next morning I made myself some toast for breakfast and considered what to do with the day. Generally my weekends would have been spent in the university library, maybe at a gallery or a museum, with an opera or play in the evenings. This was not an option anymore and sun was shining and I realised that spending a day in my room would be horrible so I elected to have shower and go for a walk.
    Having a shower meant braving t he communal bathroom; previous visits had made me realise that minimising the amount of time in there was the key to surviving the experience. I had been washing and brushing my teeth at the sink in my room and trips to the toilet were made as infrequently and quickly as possible. I gathered my wash kit and a towel, put a T shirt and shorts on then tentatively checked no one was around before venturing into the landing. I carefully pushed open the bathroom door to check it was unoccupied and stepped inside.
    The aroma that assaulted my nostrils was like nothing on this earth, holding my breath I opened the window and gasped as the fresh air blissfully entered my lungs.  Good grief what on earth had caused that smell?
    It seemed to be emanating from the toilet and I decided against investigating any further. There was no lock on the bathroom door so I quickly undressed and entered the shower; discretion was the better part of valour here as I did not want to draw attention to myself. This objective evaporated as soon as I turned on the shower, which seemingly was set at a temperature several degrees below freezing. As the water hit me I let out a scream that had any passer by heard then they would have been justified in reporting it to the police as a potential murder in progress. Eventually the water temperature reached the giddy heights of merely being cold and once I had caught my breath I began to shower.
    The door opened and Alfie walked in, I was about to warn him that it was occupied but he did not seem to care.
    ‘Morning mate,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Blimey it’s freezing in here, why is the window open?’
    ‘The smell,’ I said.
    ‘Oh yeah, that would be me! Too posh to push? Nah not me mate, too drunk to flush more like!’ He said as he burst out laughing.
    I peered from behind the