Mortal Sin - Sin Book II

Chapter 12

I almost walked into the shambles of a man. He was standing just outside of the bathroom door. Was he waiting for me? Politely letting me finish my business in the sink before introducing himself? He was dressed in brown, a light beige which was darkening through wear, age and dirt. He stood, looking like a carpet remnant which had been left out in a back garden for the elements to have their fun with - a heap of material with no real shape.

"Erm... Hi?"

I was at a disadvantage. No, really? I didn't know there was anyone else in the house, though I'd assume Jasmine's presence was a given. Another person, rather than head-munching rabbits, casually asking if I was okay in a nod-as-you-pass kind of way, threw me. Did he know me? Was he my friend? My brother?

"You finished in there?"

Again, I was thrown. I expected an introduction, not what was basically a 'get out of the way, I need to go pee'.

"I have," I said.

"Cheers," he said as he walked past me into the bathroom.

"Do you live here?" I asked before he closed the door.

He stood, looking me up and down. He seemed to be weighing up either me or what he wanted to tell me. Did one tip the scales for the other? Did his first opinion of me dictate whether truth would win out over lie? I'd only asked a simple question. Surely it wasn't too difficult or important to just say 'yes' or 'no'.

"Sort of," he said hesitantly.

Oh. OK.

"Oh. OK. Well, I'm... " My turn to pause. "John."

"Barry," he said. "Gotta go."

And the door was shut. It wasn't technically in my face, but it was still abrupt. I was a stranger to this man (or perhaps I wasn't) and myself. He'd not acknowledged knowledge of me when I told him my name - though that was a name I'd chosen very recently rather than one given to me at birth by my parents - so I could assume, even if I was known, my moniker wasn't. I would have thought he'd take a moment or two to interact with this interloper into his home, regardless of the pressure on his bladder. Check the TV and money under the mattress were still there, or something. Find out if I was here to check the electricity meter reading.

But no. Urination was the name of the game, and I had lost out to the ceramic chalice.