Monday 26 December 2016

English A level

A 2007 essay I wrote, with the challenge being to adopt the style of another writer. I went Hemingway.

I bring you "Terminal Diagnosis"

The couple closed the door to the consultant’s office behind them as they stepped out into the corridor.  She settled her bag on her shoulder, and adjusted the coat she was carrying over her arm.  They paused briefly, standing outside the office.  She looked up at him.
“We should eat,” she said.
He stood, looking down at her.
“It’s lunch time, we could eat here, in the hospital Plaza,” she said.
The man nodded.

They began to walk down the wide, utilitarian corridor together, holding hands.  At the end of the corridor, she gave a perfunctory glance at the overhead signs, and together they turned right, no words exchanged.  They stopped at the metal doors of a lift, and she pressed the call button.  The lift arrived and doors opened onto the empty place.  They stepped in, hands disengaged as they turned to face the doors.  She pressed the 0 button and they descended to the ground floor.

As they left the lift, they held hands once again to walk along the wide corridor, passing other patients and nurses walking in pairs.

The hospital canteen was not busy when they arrived; there were four empty tables, and three people at the self service counter.  She took a tray and joined the queue.  He followed behind, one hand in his jeans pocket.  Sandwiches were displayed in a glass counter, which she leaned towards, lifted the lid, reached in and picked up a packet.

“What is there?” he said.
She scanned the labels.
“Well, you’d probably have ham salad or cheese and pickle,” she said, “do you want the cheese?”
“Aye, that’ll do,” he said.

She put the second packet onto the tray and moved along the counter.
“Can I ‘elp yer?” said the woman behind the counter.
“Could I have a tea and a coffee please?  The coffee black,”
The serving woman poured the tea and coffee into mugs and placed them on the counter. 
“Thank you.” she said
The young woman put the mugs onto the tray, and carried them over to the till.
“That’ll be six pounds forty please,” said the cashier.
The man took his wallet out of his pocket
“I’ll get this,” he said.
He handed the cashier a note and she passed him his change
“Thanks”.

The woman walked with the tray to an empty table, put down the tray and stood waiting for the man to join her.
“This’ll do.” She said.
She hung her bag and coat over the back of the chair and sat down, the man sat down opposite.

Methodically, she took the food and drinks off the tray, placing the coffee on the table in front of him, the tea near to her, and a sandwich in front of each of them.  Looking down at the table, she began to open her packet.  He too looked down and started to open his sandwich.  After taking a bite, she looked across at him, whilst reaching for her mug.  He looked back at her.

“Well, that’s that then,” he said.

She looked down and picked up her sandwich.  He continued to look at her, chewing.  She looked up at him, biting into her sandwich.  They continued to eat in silence.

“What do we do now?” she said.
“Shouldn’t you be getting back to work?”
“I think they’ll understand,” she said, “I’m not sure I want to go in now.”
“You shouldn’t miss any more time.”

She sipped her tea, he looked at the table.  An older couple walked by.  As they walked past, they briefly looked down at the younger couple sitting at the table, eyes resting momentarily on the angry red question mark shaped scar running down the man’s head.

“How are we going to tell your mum?” she asked
“I don’t want her to know,” he said.
“but,” she said “oh.

“Are we going to have cake?”
“I’m not really hungry,” he said
“Me neither.”

She pushed back her chair, stood up, put on her coat and picked up her bag.  He too stood up, they held hands and walked across the cafĂ© to the exit.  She took the car park ticket from her pocket, put it in the machine and paid the standard fee in exact coins. 

“Are you going to put your bob-hat on?”
“It’s cold out”.

He covered his head with a woolly hat, his appearance made ordinary as the still raw incision marks on his bare scalp were hidden from view.  She smiled up at him. 

They stepped outside through the automatic glass doors, and then walked across the car park together, holding hands.  As they stopped at their car, she took the keys from her pocket and they released hands.  She unlocked the passenger door and turned to her husband.  She put her arms around his waist, and leaned in towards him.  He put his arms around her shoulders and they hugged, bodies held close.  She leaned her head back angling her face upwards towards his and they kissed on the lips.

She withdrew, moving backwards a short step, and their arms returned to their sides.  As she walked around the car to the driver’s door, he opened the passenger door and got in.  She got in the car, shut the door, and put the key in the ignition.


“Let’s go home” she said.