The occupied window

Text C: an original fiction extract.

Arun's Saturday job required him to sit beside a café window with a book. The owner, Mel, had opened the café the previous week and wanted a photograph showing it in use. She offered him a modest payment and a drink in return for an hour which he had expected to spend reading at home. His friend Zed said he had found the perfect occupation: getting paid for looking as though he had somewhere to be.

Mel arranged the cup, moved a plant and asked Arun to turn slightly towards the glass. He had thought a person reading was a fairly uncomplicated subject. In the first picture, his sleeve covered the café's name on the cup. In the second, he looked too much as though he knew he was being photographed. Mel asked him to read normally. He found that knowing where the camera was made every ordinary movement feel like a decision about his hands.

Once Mel had the photograph, she returned to the counter. Arun expected to leave, but she asked whether he would finish the hour by the window. There were no other customers. He could still read and enjoy the drink, so he agreed. Outside, people glanced through the glass, saw an occupied table and continued along the street. One woman paused, read the menu and came inside. Arun felt unexpectedly responsible for her arrival, although he had said nothing to her.

The woman asked whether the other chair at his table was free. The café had several empty tables, but this one had the best light. Arun began to move his bag. Mel came over and said she was keeping that place clear for another photograph. The woman sat farther back. Arun looked at the unused chair, which now seemed more conspicuous than the one he occupied.

A little later, Zed appeared outside and waved. Arun gestured towards the door. Zed entered, ordered a drink and pulled out the empty chair before anyone could explain. They began discussing the book. For the first time that morning, Arun forgot to arrange his face. Mel returned with her phone and asked whether they could pause while she cleared the table behind them. Zed looked at Arun, then at the cup placed with its name towards the window.

Arun explained the job. Zed laughed, but less comfortably than he had when hearing about it earlier. He asked whether sitting there meant joining the photograph too. Arun had not considered that an invitation to have a drink might carry an additional expectation. He told Mel that Zed had come as a customer, not as part of their arrangement. She put the phone down and said they could discuss a picture later if he wanted.

At the end of the hour, Mel paid Arun as agreed. He asked whether the woman could move to the brighter table if she still wanted it. Mel offered, but the woman had already settled with her notebook and preferred to remain. Arun realised that correcting an arrangement did not rewind the morning.

He stayed for another drink with Zed, paying for it himself. The café was still quiet. Mel asked what they thought of the menu, and Zed pointed out a description he did not understand. Nobody moved the plant while he was speaking. Through the window, Arun could see the chair he had occupied reflected faintly over the street. It looked exactly the same now that being there had become his own choice.

You are Arun. Write your journal entry that evening about the café job.

In your response:

• explain what attracted you to the job and what felt different once you began
• explore your reactions to the woman’s request and Zed’s arrival
• explain how you handled the situation and what you now think about the arrangement

Base your response on Text C, developing its ideas in your own words. Write about 250 to 300 words. Up to 10 marks are available for reading and up to 10 marks for writing.