Page 24 of Everything That Kills Me
“I listen to podcasts too.”
“What was the last one you listened to?”
“About Lord Byron.”
“Tell me one strange fact about him.”
“When he was a student at Cambridge, he was unhappy dogs weren’t allowed so he turned up with a tame bear instead.”
Jack snorted. “And a quote from him?”
“The heart will break, but broken live on.Or for something less profound…Always laugh when you can, it is cheap medicine. What about you? What was the last podcast you listened to?”
“About the global arms trade.”
“I want to ask if there’s a global legs trade too but…eh.”
Jack chuckled. “You can probably guess who’s the largest exporter of arms but can you guess the next one?”
“America’s the largest?”
“Yes.”
“Er… Then China?”
“No, Germany, then France.”
“I’m surprised.”
“Any thoughts on who’s top of the illegal trade?”
“I have no clue.”
“Yemen, Afghanistan, Central African Republic.”
“Now off my list of places to visit, no matter how enticing their swimming pools.”
He heard Jack chuckle.
They passed a man walking a dog and Zeph said, “Hello, cutie!”
“Talking to the guy or the dog?”
Zeph almost fell over.
“Do you have any pets?” Jack asked.
“No. Georgia’s allergic to cats and my stepmother doesn’t like dogs. I’d love a dog but I’d have to leave it behind when I went to uni. Cambridge have wised up since Byron’s time. No animals allowed—well, maybe assistance dogs in some instances. What about you?”
“No pets.”
“Favourite food?”
“Peanut butter.”
“Mine’s toast and marmalade.”
They talked most of the way to where the walkway ended. Zeph noticed he was more out of breath than Jack, but then he wasn’t surprised. Jack was a machine. They sat on the edge of the curved concrete sea wall with their feet dangling over the beach and drank their water. Zeph cleaned his glasses on his T-shirt. They were still smudged.
