"Christ it’s stuffy in here," Julia complained as she draped her cardigan over the back of her chair in the small, cramped restaurant, which the three long time friends had, for some inane reason, decided to have their weekly night out at. Julia was an accountant, she worked for a medium sized firm in the city, while Penny was an engineer working out at DSTO (much to her disgust) and Kirsty was a qualified journalist, but spent most of her time freelancing and writing job applications.
          "Jeez I'm so sorry, we'll go to McDonalds next time," Penny huffed, reaching for her glass of wine.
          "All right then," Julia and Kirsty chimed together.
          "You two have no sense of adventure," Penny declared.
          "I have a sense of adventure, Julia said resolutely. "It's just at home in front of the telly right now."
          "Must be with mine then," Kirsty grumbled as she poked at her meal and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
          Penny sighed and drank the rest of her wine; she thumped the glass back on the table. "I need some new friends."
          "You just need laid," Kirsty mused allowing herself a sly smile.
          Julia cracked up. "And you can talk huh?"
          "My long abstinence has not been self imposed, believe me," Kirsty countered.
          "I just want a man. I mean really, what do I have to do? Wear a low cut lab coat and god forbid, fuck an engineer," Penny wailed and received an annoyed look from a well dressed woman at the next table. "What?" Penny hissed in the woman's direction. The woman narrowed her eyes and then turned back to her meal.
          "Rather an engineer than an accountant," Julia perked.
          "I'd rather the guy with the crotchless tracky dacks in the dole queue," Kirsty chirped. "Sure, he smells like liqueur but his form is filled out immaculately."
          "You so need to get a job," Julia chided.
          "And don't give us another spiel about how you're a struggling writer and no one appreciates your talents here," Penny huffed. "You could have moved interstate but no, didn't want to uproot the cat."
          "He's a nervous flier," Kirsty grumbled as she sipped her soft drink. Julia cracked up again and set both Penny and Kirsty off. Penny threw a napkin ring at her and it bounced of Julia's boobs and onto the floor and everyone lost it again.
          "God, I think we're destined to be single," Penny sighed. "Who's going to want us, I mean really?"
          "We could join a dating agency," Julia suggested. Penny and Kirsty shot her daggers. "Fine, we could have found you a nice truckie called Des, Pen," Julia huffed.
          "Oh gee, thanks," Penny groused.
          Kirsty looked at her watch. "Are we done? There's a bus in ten minutes."
          The three friends looked at their half-eaten meals. "I've got mudcake at home?" Julia announced.
          "Ten minutes? We'd better go," Penny perked and shot to her feet.

          The three women hurried up Hindley Street toward the bus stop, through the busy Friday night crowds. Julia and Penny talked excitedly together as they quickened their pace. Kirsty, who was shorter and never in a hurry fell behind as she started daydreaming about what she'd eat when she got home. Her pleasant thoughts about mudcake were interrupted when she was knocked to the ground.
          "Fuckwit," she cussed.
          "Shit, sorry," gasped a man who held out his hand for her to take.
          "Oh like hell you are," Kirsty spat as she got to her feet. "I'm not fucking invisible you know."
          "Hey, I said sorry," scowled the man.
          "So, what do you want? A round of applause?"
          "Fuck you, I was just being courteous."
          "If you were being courteous, you wouldn't have knocked me to the pavement."
          "You know you're right, I was out to get you. There's a fucking lynch mob positioned in that alley across the road. We're going to set up patrols to roam the streets with the fucking intention of having you go arse over tit at every available opportunity."
          "Oh very funny, what the fuck are, you a comedian?"
          "Yes and I'm running late for my fucking gig now because you decided to crack a hissy fit," snarled the man.
          "Oh," Kirsty muttered, slightly stunned. "Sorry."
          "Like hell you are," cussed the man as he turned and hurried up the street.
          "Are you quite finished?" Julia huffed, "We're going to miss the bus."
          "Huh? Oh shit," Kirsty gasped and they started hurrying again.
          "No wonder you're single," Penny piped up. "If that's the way you address every good looking guy you meet."
          "The prick knocked me over," Kirsty scorned.
          "And apologised," Julia countered as the bus pulled into the bus stop. "RUN!"

          The three women bolted, in heels, for the bus. Kirsty nearly stacking it but being saved but Julia who shook her head but wasn't surprised. They fell breathless into facing seats.
          "There's a reason we don't run," Penny panted. "I think the left side of my body has gone numb."
          "Do you think you can strain your boobs?" Julia asked as she readjusted her cleavage "And dickhead nearly tripped again."
          "Shut up, there was a stick," Kirsty huffed.
          "Oh yeah, King William Street is just filled with trees," Penny breathed.
          "I didn't say it was a big stick," Kirsty pouted.
          Julia and Penny gave each other an amused look as the bus made its way through the city and back toward Elizabeth.