DUVET

‘Oh,’ she said when the door of the lift opened. ‘Hello.’
She got in the lift.
‘Hello,’ I said. ‘How are you?’
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’m at a meeting in the Deaf Centre had to nip back let the dog back in someone said something about a dog and I remembered that he’s been out all this time so I went back and he’s had quite a run around, anyway,’ she said, ‘that’s a big bag.’
‘It’s an old duvet,’ I said, ‘been in a box a year or so and I thought it was time to get rid of it as I’m clearing out the place.’
The lift nearing the ground floor.
‘You should leave it by the Deaf Centre or the park so someone can find it and use it or you could take it to the hostel,’ she said.
‘That’s what I was going to do,’ I said. ‘Take it to the hostel, leave it there, you know, don’t want it to get wet or anything.’
We walked to the corner of King Square, by the Deaf Centre. She went in. I carried on to the hostel front door and pressed the buzzer.
‘Yes?’ a woman’s voice.
‘I’ve got a duvet here,’ I said leaning down to talk, ‘been in a box a year or so, I was wondering anyone here might be able to use it?’
‘Oh yes,’ she said. ‘Bring it in, bring it in.’
I pushed the door when the buzzer sounded and walked into he foyer of the hostel. She stood behind a counter, three or four young men the other side, one of them was saying something.
I put the bag with the duvet down and said, ‘Is it okay here?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
The young men paid me no attention.
‘Okay,’ I said and left the building.