She pulled a soft pancake from a catering pack of fifty and dangled it like a wet flannel. That‘s a burrito. Fill it, deep fry it, melt cheese on it, it‘s an enchilada. A tortilla that‘s been filled is a taco and a burrito that you fill yourself is a fajita.‘

So what‘s a tostada?‘

We‘ll  get  to  that.  Don‘t  run  before  you  can  walk.  Fajitas  come  on  these  red -hot  iron platters.‘ She hefted a greasy ridged-iron pan, like something from a blacksmith‘s. Careful with  these,  you  wouldn‘t  believe  how  many  times  we‘ve  had  to  peel  a  customer  off  these things. Then they don‘t tip.‘ Ian was staring at her now, grinning goofily. She drew attention to the bucket at her feet. This white stuff here is sour cream, except it‘s not sour, it‘s not cream,  just  some  sort  of  hydrogenated  fat,  I  think.  It‘s  what‘s  left  over  when  they  make petrol. Handy if the heel comes off your shoe, but apart from that . . .‘

I have a question for you.‘

Go on then.‘

What are you doing after work?‘

Benoit, Jesus and Kemal all stopped what they were  doing as Emma readjusted her face and laughed. 

You don‘t hang about, do you, Ian?‘

He had taken his cap off now, and was turning it in his hand, a stage suitor. Not a date or anything,  you‘ve  probably  got  a  boyfriend  anyway!‘  A  moment,  while  he  waited  for  a response, but Emma‘s face didn‘t move. I just thought you might be interested in my—‘ in a nasal voice —unique comedy stylings, that‘s all. I‘m doing a—‘ finger apostrophes —―gig‖  tonight, at Chortles at the Frog and Parrot in Cockfosters.‘

Chortles?‘

In Cockfosters. It‘s Zone 3 which seems like Mars I know on a Sunday night, but even if I‘m  shit  there  are  still  some  other  really  top  notch  comics  there.  Ronny  Butcher,  Steve Sheldon,  the  Kamikaze  Twins—‘  As  he  spoke  Emma  became  aware  of  his  real  accent,  a slight,  pleasant  West  Country  burr,  not  yet  wiped  away  by  the  city,  and  she  thought  once again of tractors. I‘m doing this whole new bit tonight, about the difference between men and women—‘

No doubt about it, he was asking her out on a date. She really ought to go. After all, it wasn‘t like it happened very often, and what was the worst thing that could happen?

And the food‘s not bad there either. Just the usual, burgers, spring rolls, curly fries—‘

It sounds enchanting, Ian, the curly fries and all, but I can‘t tonight, sorry.‘