Photo © David Griffin
"Today starts off like this. A man walks into the coffee shop, well-dressed, bearded, bespectacled, newspaper under his arm, and he appears normal, even gregarious: Geez it’s warm in here, is what he says .... Dara gives a nervous laugh and says, ‘Oh yeah man, I suppose it’s fairly cosy alright.’ And he, the bearded man, says, ‘Do you have the heat going? Full blast?’ Now this is a warning sign, if anyone’s counting – but today, more than other days, is about picking battles."
'Today' --a new story by emerging writer Aileen Armstrong takes place in the warmest coffee shop in a wintry city, a crossroads for people whose lives are in limbo. This is a humorous piece, familiar to anyone who has experienced that 'waiting for my life to start' feeling. Armstrong's début collection is forthcoming from Doire Press. CLICK HERE TO READ 'TODAY'.