Excerpt: Four Faults

The piercing scream of a siren jolted Enid out of her sleep and hurled her out of bed. She stood in the forced darkness that good blinds provide. Red and blue dancing lights were penetrating the narrow slits for a brief moment before the dull gray light of a rainy West Coast day returned.
Enid groggily looked around. The black lacquered furniture and bare laminate flooring were accented with cityscapes framed in brushed aluminum. The condo. False Creek.
Early morning rush hour could be heard as the droning traffic, like so many bees returning to the hive, streamed by on the wet pavement.
Enid shook her head seeking to clear it. She had crawled into bed just before 3:00 am. Her colleagues from the bank had given her a proper send off. They went for dinner at Trafalger’s. The food, as usual, was superb, the service first-class, and the wine excellent.