At the petrol station

VERONICA is paying for petrol.

ATTENDANT: How are you tonight?

VERONICA: Yeah, good.  Just tired.

ATTENDANT: I hear you on that one.  Just started my shift.

VERONICA: So you’d finish when the sun comes up?

ATTENDANT: Pretty much.

VERONICA: Can’t say I envy you.

ATTENDANT: Not many people do.

Silence as VERONICA waits for the transaction to be ‘approved’.  This is always a nervous moment.

ATTENDANT: Finishing your day?

VERONICA: Yeah.

ATTENDANT: Where do you work?

VERONICA: Oh, I just finished my classes at uni.  They’re on pretty late.

ATTENDANT: What are you studying?

VERONICA: Arts Management.

ATTENDANT: (scoffs) Don’t do that.  No money in the arts.

The transaction is approved.

VERONICA: Thanks for your advice. (Exit)

THE END.

Another teacher, another book…

VERONICA walks through the campus of Melbourne Uni in her tracksuit pants that she has practically been living in over the past few weeks.  She is so beyond the point of worrying about her appearance that even the hipsters look at her in awe.  She hands in her last assessment, clicks her heels and heads into the Uni bookshop.

There is no one there.  Books and readers are in no discernible categories, and to make matters worse, there’s a new set of subject codes to remember. VERONICA heads towards the service counter.

VERONICA: Hi.

RECEPTIONIST: What can I do for you?

VERONICA: I just need to make some enquiries on 3 subject readers that are meant to be in?

RECEPTIONIST: Code?

VERONICA: AGMT.

RECEPTIONIST: Number?

VERONICA: First one, 90011.

RECEPTIONIST: Nothing.

VERONICA: Second one, 90012.

RECEPTIONIST: Nothing.

VERONICA: And final one. 90008.

RECEPTIONIST: No.

VERONICA: Any idea when they will be in?

RECEPTIONIST: Nothing here.  Nothing here has been confirmed.

VERONICA: Is anything ever confirmed?

RECEPTIONIST: Nothing.

VERONICA walks away a tad annoyed, but happy to be going home regardless. She looks down at her piece of paper with the subject codes and realises that next time she should probably quote AMGT instead of AGMT, she might just get somewhere then.