I know you used to be into me
Now you've got it in for me
(Babyshambles – In The Morning)
"Thank you." The man said, decisive and somewhat impatient. Frank buttoned up his coat and left. His performance had been bad, all ninety seconds of it. He should have taken off his coat, should have memorized the script, and shouldn't have sworn when he stubbed his toe. It was an audition for a children's programme after all. He had screwed up and it was all his own fault.
It was cold outside, with gusts of rain soaking his hair, coat and trousers. London looked drab and uninviting. He wanted a drink badly, but settled for a cup of tea in a nearby chip shop. The air was thick with grease, but he wasn't hungry. He lit up a cigarette instead.
He stayed at the chip shop for a long time. He spent his last change on two more milky teas and flipped through the pages of The Sun and yesterday's copy of The Standard. He scanned the pages for job vacancies for a while, to no avail. He quite fancied becoming a bus driver, but he didn't have a driver's licence. He'd been living in London for most of his life, didn't own a car and couldn't afford driving lessons. He doubted that he'd be eligible for the job of debt collector, since his own finances were a shambles. He even considered applying for the job of demolition labourer. Not because the job appealed to him, but because with his destructive personality he'd probably be perfect for it.
When "My Heart Will Go On" started playing on the radio, he left. He didn't feel any better, but at least his clothes and hair had dried and outside the rain had stopped. There was no sun, though. He didn't head for the nearest tube station, but decided to walk home instead.