Roofing

The wind came in sharp gusts, and each one made him wish he’d been a little more sensible with his choice of clothing before climbing up here.

He wanted to grab at the collar of a jacket, but he had none. Instead he was forced to squint and shiver as he scanned the windows opposite.

***

He knew which window she was going to appear in, and she was supposed to be there right now. She was due home from work, to light up her hall, take her shoes off go into the lounge and turn on the telly.

She didn’t do any of this, though. No lights were on. No one was home at all.

This didn’t worry him so much, it wasn’t the first time; she would be home soon. And in the meantime he could hunker down into the V shape of his roof, try to get a bit of shelter and have a smoke.

***

The lighter wouldn’t. Couldn’t. The fucker was jammed or dead or whatever happens to damned lighters when they stop working, which just seemed to make everything feel colder.

To avoid this now inescapable cold and keep himself busy he had a rummage in the kit bag; pulled out various tubes and boxes and got his equipment ready. It’s what he should have done first, really; it’s what he normally did first; but it hadn’t ever been his priority up on this roof.

The camera he pulled out was big enough for pretty much anything. Assuming overwhelming size meant overwhelming pictures. No expense had been spared by the department: A zoom lens (right up to almost like 15x zoom, or something), some kind of insane megapixel range, vibration reduction and more. It was fool proof and got in closer than anyone could, legitimately, ever have wanted.

he pointed the mammoth lens across the street and got himself comfortable on the incline of his roof’s V, carefully avoiding looking down at the harsh concrete below, and got ready for the task at hand.