Just Like You

Chapter 20: Strawberry pie

The armed guard had been standing at the front door of the warehouse since late afternoon, and was not due to be relieved until dawn. The pay was very good, allowing him to spend a lot of time in taverns when he was off-duty, and to buy just enough expensive things to make girls with high breasts and low standards think, or be prepared to act as if they thought, that he was more interesting than he really was, but the excitement of being allowed to carry a gun – and, if necessary, use it – had quickly worn off.

He now thought his job, which essentially consisted of standing up straight for a very long time, must be the most boring in Luxalia. At night there was nobody to talk to and nothing to see, and his back hurt when he returned to his tiny apartment just after the other members of the palace staff had woken.

In the fading light of early evening, a figure approached, and the guard felt mildly thrilled that his tedious occupation might, for the first time, prove to have some actual purpose. He became more excited when the figure came close enough to be identifiable as Miresa, who was viewed by many Luxalians as a superstar. She was also, the guard thought, very beautiful, though since the death of her husband she had shown no sign of interest in any other man. If she ever did, he probably wouldn’t be an ordinary guard, but there was no harm in dreaming that he might be this particular ordinary guard.