The Fuzzy End of the Lollipop

The Fuzzy End of the Lollipop: Chapter Seven

Once Sally allowed Maya a few inches closer to her heart, they began to hang more and more. On Tuesdays, they usually ended up in Peckham, queuing to see the latest blockbuster. The cinema was old and run down but the rowdy, opinionated atmosphere made up for its less than five-star appearance. Unlike the tight-lipped screens Sally was used to, this cinema thrived on audience participation. People cheered or booed at crucial moments and depending on what they thought at the end, they would either swear or applaud at the screen.

The first time they went there Maya whispered, "Whatever you do, never get the popcorn."

Sally laughed, "Why?"

"I used to work here. The place is full of mice."

"Eeeww!"

Maya shrugged, "All the big buildings in London are full of them, they live upstairs where it's kept."

"That's gross."

"Yeah, I know, the popcorn is stored in these big plastic bags and the mice nibble on them."

"Okay, okay, no popcorn."

"But you have to get a drink though, or I will feel bad."

Sally scrunched up her face, "What? Why are there so many rules?"

"I love this place. There is basically nowhere else in London where I can afford to go to the cinema. It can't shut down. Just think of it as a little donation."

Sally rolled her eyes, "It's not a charity."

"You don't understand. This place helped me so much after my gran died. I came here like nearly every day. It's the best place to be when you're sad. It's dark and you don't have to talk to anybody. I would get a gallon of Coke Cola and just watch. I always felt better afterwards." As soon as Maya said this Sally began filing through the set responses that she used every time Maya spoke about her feelings, but luckily the woman at the counter beckoned her over before she had a chance to respond.

Since her apology, Sally had tried to convince herself that Maya's openness was a good thing but it still continued to shock her. Each time Maya brought up her depression thousands of questions stampeded towards the tip of her tongue but before they spring boarded into existence she would snap her mouth shut and say something eloquent like, "shit man that sucks."

Of course she had better words but anything more elaborate intruded into a place where Sally assumed she had no right to be. As their friendship evolved, Maya had explained that she had been taking antidepressants since the death of her grandma, who she had lived with until three years ago. Sally had grown used to this story and worked hard to show her sympathies but recently Maya's sharper anecdotes had been targeted at her mum who she rarely saw. Parts of her story crossed with Sally's but the majority of it travelled on its own plain, so instead she continued to pat Maya's shoulder at arm's length, fearful that anything more would hurt what they had.

After Sally bought her ticket, she turned and saw Maya walking towards her clutching a bucket of Coke- a - Cola. "You're obsessed with that drink," said Sally, shaking her head in both awe and exasperation.

Maya took a big slurp, "It's the best!"

"Have you ever seen what happens when you drop a coin in a glass of Coke?"

"Don't!" Maya threw her palm in Sally's face, "Don't talk about it, I am addicted, there is nothing you can do." Laughing, they queued up to get their bags checked.Whilst the man rummaged through Sally's rucksack her heart lifted slightly, as though all the laughing she had done over the past few months had made it a few grams lighter.

After the film, Sally turned to Maya and asked, "Do you want to go and get a drink or something?"

"I can't," replied Maya as she rummaged around in her bag, "I need to go to the pharmacy."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Again? Maya, you go there nearly every day."

"I have run out of Iron tablets."

 "And? they are just iron tablets,"

"Yeah but I can't stop taking them,"