Writing Words - writing it is the only way of getting it written

"How did you meet your husband?"

Like she doesn't know that. Wasn't she His partner for years - He must have told her. Might be she want to hear my side, though. Anyway, since I didn't know anything about Him then, I can tell her the truth for once. Actually, it's a story I enjoy telling, I can't believe I haven't told her before how we met.

"We met in New York. We met in Central Park, it was early in the morning and I was stretching after my morning run. I was totally lost in thought, and I didn't realize that He approached me. When I finally saw Him He was very close already and about to raise both His arms - I thought He was some perv who wanted to attack me. The thing is, I had been to a self-defense class for women the weekend before, and I did the first thing I remembered from it, namely to hit attackers in the face. My hand landed on His ear with such force that he lost His balance for a moment and He had to lean on the tree that I had used as a footrest while stretching. 'Whoa, easy,' he said, 'all I want to know is what time it is. My stupid watch broke, look.' That's what he wanted to do earlier when I took his half-lifted arm as a sign of imminent attack. 'Oh my God, I am so sorry. I thought you - I am really so sorry. Will you accept my apology over coffee?' He said he would and we went for a coffee. For several coffees, really. He said He felt bad that I had to pay for all the coffee and water and the ginger snaps we had because He never brought any money for his run, and that's why He invited me for dinner the following day. We had been together ever since."

I accepted Karena's offer to move in with her without even looking at the condo. I'd rented the first apartment that was tolerable when I got to New York - I hate staying in hotels on my own. I never minded when He was with me, and we stayed in a lot of hotels. I wanted a place where I could leave anytime. The reason I took Karena's offer was not the money - He left me a lot of that. I wonder how He survives, he didn't take larger sums out before he disappeared, and He can't access the account anymore without alerting Them. I am sure They have tapped the bank account somehow. I guess He must have put some money aside in another account - most likely in Switzerland. Not that I needed His money in the first place - my travel guides sell consistently to keep me afloat, and I made a lot as a freelance travel writer while I jetted around the globe with Him. I could well afford to buy my own condo here, as a matter of fact. I don't want to tie myself down to the city at the moment, though - I need to be able to leave quickly when He makes contact. Lately I have been thinking that maybe it hadn't been the best idea to move into Karena's place, I don't think He will get in touch while I live here. On the other hand, They would have watched me anyway no matter where I lived. So every time the doubts about living with Karena pipe up, I quell them by thinking that I might well have speed up the process of convincing Them that there is no point watching me when I decided to live here.

I think this is part of Their training, as well. Whatever I try to get it my way, Karena has an idea to turn it against me. You can argue all you want, but They will always come up with a suggestion you cannot possibly turn down without contradicting yourself. I cannot tell her that I am not hungry, after all, my stomach has seen to that, and I don't want to tell her I changed my mind about having sushi because I crave it. There is something about the combination of aromas that makes me feel better instantly, no matter the circumstances. The texture of salmon and tuna sashimi makes me forget the world around me - for as long as I am sitting in Ivy's with a pair of chopsticks in my hand I am in paradise. As long as I don't look up I can even fool myself into thinking that it is Him sitting across the table, not Karena.

"It's a little like scrap-booking, I suppose. I just like to keep the receipts to document the price changes in groceries over time, and also to see what kinds of food I was into at a certain time," she told me the first time I saw her with her notebook, the receipts and the glue-stick. "I went to a frozen pea phase a year ago - look, frozen peas every time over three months." She handed me an older notebook and made a movement with her hand which was supposed to mean, take the damn thing and look at it already. Indeed, Karena had bought tons of frozen peas, and the Food Emporium receipts were over a year old. If that is not meticulous planning, I don't know what is. It is a weird hobby, as well, and I wonder who of Them came up with the idea - the person should definitely give fiction writing a go.