"Please let me in!"
Jack stood on the top step of the flight, looking up to the window above. The sun was just starting to dip below the roofs of the other houses around the square, and the street had fallen into shadow. A cold wind was threatening to blow, bringing with it the promise of a chilly night. This was not the time to be locked out of one's house.
Jack put his shopping bag down by his feet and reached for the door knocker, to hammer smartly on the door. "Come on! Let me in!" He stood back and looked up at the window once more, hoping to see some sign of life from inside the house. There was none. Jack swore.
"Such language!" A passerby - a lady of advanced years, who was accompanied by a small dog - glared at Jack. "And in public!"
"You can piss off too!" Jack retorted. He ignored the woman's protestations and knelt in front of the door, so he could pry open the letter box. "Please!" he called though the slot. "I'm sorry! I want to come in!"
The sound of echoing footsteps could be heard from somewhere inside the house. Jack got to his feet and pulled a pair of packages from the shopping bag: a bottle of rosé wine and a box of Belgian chocolates.
The front door opened. Jack smiled and held out his gifts. "I brought you these. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
The woman at the door smiled and took the offerings. Jack made to step over the threshold, but the woman stopped him and handed him an overnight bag.
"Maybe tomorrow," the woman said, then closed the door in Jack's face.
From somewhere on the other side of the square came the yapping bark of a small dog.
