Hotel Ambrose

Chapter 17: Jack

"Oh it's you," Bill said, looking over his shoulder at me as he locked up his shop for the night.

I nodded. It was, after all.

He didn't say anything for a while, just fucked around with his front door. There was a yellow stain on the sleeve of his white shirt.

"I didn't have anything to sell you for a while," I explained.

"Got anything now?"

"Nar, sorry."

He pulled a big bunch keys out of his pocket. He let them lie in his open hand while he picked through them with his other hand. I noticed that his hands were shaking. It made the keys whisper against each other.

"Have you seen Sophie?" I said.

"Sophie?" he said to the keys. "Oh, the girl. Yeh, I saw her."

My heart leapt in my chest. "When?"

"Yesterday."

"She didn't ask about me?"

"No."

"She didn't leave her phone number or anything?"

"No." Bill found the key he wanted and tried to push it into the deadbolt. It took him a few tries.

"Well if you see her again can you tell her I dropped by, and I'll be back, and can she leave her phone number -"

"Sure," Bill cut in, but he was looking down the street. He pushed the keys back into his pocket. "Bye," he said.

"Bye."

He did look at me then. I realised he was waiting for me to leave first. So I went. I glanced back at him from time to time. He watched me the whole way.

That was the last time I saw Bill. When I came back a month later his shop was closed up, and when I asked next door they said that he had died. Heart attack. I wished I'd had something to give him that last time.