DIRECT ACTION

‘I saw him in the office,’ she said. ‘Walking around. She was outside. Smoking.’
‘You seen them there before?’
‘Yes. Both times he was shouting at her saying, “fucking this, fucking that...”’
I’d not heard her say, “fucking,” before.
‘...this time though I went down and said to her, “why do you let him speak to you like that?” She just looked at me, kept on smoking. Then I went in to the office and said to him, “do you have to talk to her like that? I can hear every word you’re saying,” and he said, “sorry,” so I said, “well, I should think so.”’
‘Did he stop shouting?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘he did.’