The Black Umbrella, by Molly Gregson
A black umbrella, embellished with a golden handle and monogrammed with ‘n.t’- his initials -lies askew against the table leg, the light of the candle reflecting its transparent beads, which are beginning to form a puddle on the carpeted floor. It is alone.
A woman, with white, blistering stilettos, stumbles out of the bathroom across to her table, beaming out of her perfectly reddened lips with total joy and excitement. Her red smile is greeted by the golden smile of the umbrella, which is still soaked in raindrops. alone.
She pauses for a moment, staring at the initials of the name she never knew, before picking up the umbrella, walking away from their complimentary bread and butter, and dumping him in a nearby bin, flipping the golden smile up side down as she does so, so the monogrammed 'n.t’ now reads 'f.u’.











