Four Foot Eight

Burnt Oak

Flying down the platform stairs, arms waving madly in an attempt to be noticed, a man in his thirties finally gets to the train as the doors sweep shut in front of him. He bangs his fist on the closed door as the train pulls away, leaving him behind. "Bugger!", he exclaims to the world at large, and sits on a bench to wait for the next one.

He picks at his jeans in frustration, pulling thread out of an unravelling seam. A shy-looking woman next to him remarks, "Bad idea, that. You don't want your trousers falling off in public, do you?". He looks at her in surprise and attempts to find a witty comeback, but the words suddenly aren't there.

Eleven months later they are married. Her parents don't approve.