The heavy, sweet, cheap perfume filled the hallway, ruining the fresh scent of a September afternoon streaming in through the window. When Edit smelled it, she would have preferred to retreat back into her office. Her already sensitive nose was further challenged by her condition.
Laughter struck her with such force that she barely managed to bring her hand to her face in time. This was her latest method when it wasn't enough to clench her mouth shut, and she couldn't bend down to hide her teeth.
The wind picked up the moment her feet touched the wet sand, as if it had sensed that the woman in her late sixties had begun her daily five-kilometer walk along the long, 1,100-meter stretch of beach.
Julia nervously tugged her favourite top off the clothesline stretched between the two windows. She did not want to miss the bus to the airport, but she could not leave the garment that made her feel like a goddess at home. The clothes-peg fell out of her hand from the haste, but she did not even have time to look at the plastic piece falling twelve stories.
She already regretted wearing synthetic trousers. No doubt that she was the prettiest in them, but still. She did not like synthetic fibres, even though they were almost unavoidable, especially with her figure. Sure, she could buy a light linen dress for a fortune, in which she would look like an elegant cow.
Anna was walking tiredly towards the office building. All her morning routine had been messed up. She was angry and wanted to cry. She missed the hot latte, the slow awakening clutching the mug, the ritual of shuffling between the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom in a pair of panties. She had not even eaten breakfast because she felt it was embarrassing.
Ivett was standing at the bus stop, shaking with cold. She hated the winter. She also hated having to hate it. She had loved it when she was a child. Back then, she could not wait for her cheeks to turn red from the cold while sledding and snowballing all afternoon. But since she could not afford a decent winter coat, she could not enjoy the cold season.
Bella angrily threw her phone into her bag. Éva cancelled the morning gathering, so now she had to go with Kriszti alone. However, the girl could hardly get on with her. As in Bella's presence, Kriszti felt an irresistible urge to talk about money without stopping.
Bálint knew he had to do it. He owed it to his wife, even if he was reluctant. Every part of his protested against couple's therapy, but he wanted to cooperate. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that there were a lot of unsaid things, but he would never have initiated the sessions.