As Josie left the building, she noticed that it had started to cloud over and the temperature had dropped considerably. Feeling chilly in her jacket, she decided to take the bus down to The Slug - In any case, she didn't really fancy walking whilst carrying the pile of books. Hugging them to her chest, she walked through the arch under the big screen which oddly enough was showing some footage of a sandy beach at that moment - she laughed to herself - was this some kind of omen? As she headed towards the stop, she saw the number seven rounding the corner and decided to make a run for it, dodging people and traffic as she jogged over the road. She might not have caught it at all if it hadn't been for a woman fumbling with her change and apparently having some kind of altercation with the driver. Josie stood behind her, slightly out of breath, half interested in what the problem was, half thinking that she should probably start making use of the gym membership her brother had paid for her as a Christmas present.
"The snail, " The woman was saying to the driver in accented English, "It's called the snail, you know, a Pub. The seven. To the snail."
The driver looked bemused and began to reel off a list of road names, none of which the woman seemed to have heard of. Josie regarded her - she was about the same age, but taller, and more stylish. Her hair coloured two tone, red and black and she wore a cream coloured fake fur jacket. In her hand she held a book. It was a guide book of Ireland.
Josie leaned forward towards the drivers cab,
"Excuse me, sorry - I think she might mean "The Slug and Lettuce" - on Palmerston Road?"
"Oh yes! Yes that's it! I'm confused, sorry, I'm confused - slug, snail. Slug and Lettuce - I remember me."
The driver rolled his eyes but he laughed and gave her a ticket, then checked Josie's pass.
"Thank you," The woman said as they went to sit down. "I sometimes, I, my English, I sometimes don't remember the words."
"No problem," replied Josie as they took seats opposite one another. "Where are you from?"
"Latvia," She replied, smiling, "I'm student here."
"Oh right, great." Said Josie. She looked at the guide book. It seemed a bit of a coincidence but something compelled her to ask the question.
"This may seem like an odd question but....you don't happen to be a member of "The Holiday Club" do you?"