 out from radios and stereos.  The faint red glowing of cigarettes, like distant stars burning brighter then fading away into nothingness.
Reminding you of summers working in your father’s delicatessen. Doing double duty as short order cook and working the counter. Cutting smoked meat alongside your old man. Then around eleven o’clock, after cleaning the kitchen and mopping the floor, biking past torch-lit lawns and people sitting on balconies, front steps or newly tarred driveways. Biking through different neighbourhoods just to clear your head. Your father half-asleep in front of the TV when you got home. Jack Paar at his desk, partially obscured by a black and white blizzard of static.  Wearing either one of her pretty summer dresses and drinking a tall glass of something cool. Or in her housecoat smoking one Du Maurier after another. Hair uncombed, eyes constantly looking away.
The Marlboro burns down to the filter.  Breaking up into sparks when it hits the dark street. Then dying altogether.
A couple of days after you settled in you were surprised to get a phone call from your sister Rachel in England. She found out where you were from your father in Florida who had been contacted by Roz in New Jersey. All this long distance criss-crossing on your behalf. Now everyone knows. You hadn’t spoken to Rachel in years. Even with her British accent she sounded the same as ever. She had always taken pains to pronounce words properly, which gave her a bit of a reputation as a snob at school, and so the accent never sounded altogether foreign to you. As kids she never called you Marty like everyone else. Always Martin. – It’s so frustrating how far apart we all are from each other. I wish I could jump on a plane right now. You explained to her about the work card costing twenty-five dollars and she promised to send the money the next day. She was very specific that she would only send enough for the card. Her way of saying she trusts you. But also asking you not to let her down.
No, you’ll buy the work card. Find a job, any job. No more sales. You’ve had enough of that kind of pressure cooker. You think again about working in your father’s deli. Flipping burgers, making sandwiches, washing dishes, mopping floors. Good wholesome mindless work. The only way you can ever hope to wipe the slate clean.
– Well, if it ain’t Marcel Marceau. Partly illuminated by the cold flickering of a street lamp. That tear-shaped bruise. She is wearing an over-sized Superman tee shirt knotted up at the breasts. Jutting shadows of ribs and the glint of a belly button piercing under the lamplight. She puffs on a king-sized cigarette. – Just coming off the late show? Her red mouth opened wide enough to let out a throaty cackle along with a stream of smoke and spittle.
Your jaw is rigid. Fists bunched into pockets. You could just turn and go inside, but you stand your ground on the wooden porch. Saying nothing.
– What’s the matter, can’t you talk for real? Or is a vow of silence one of your ways of working the steps? She takes a long drag and blows the smoke into the street lamp’s light. You watch the smoke swirl and spread like an exotic plant blooming.
 Turning yourself over to a higher power. Been there. Done with that.
The smoke dissipates into gossamer tatters. You shift focus to the tear-shaped bruise. – How did you get that?
– Someone hit you?
Turning her cheek away from the light. – Birthmark. Always had it. 
Allowing yourself the hint of a smirk. Planting feet firmly. You take your hands out of your pockets and let them hang naturally. – You wouldn’t have an extra smoke?
The cigarette dangles from her crimson mouth. Fishing out a flip-top box of Benson & Hedges from her bra strap. – One of these?
– Can you spare one?
She holds up the pack as if posing for an advertisement. – Tell you what. Some friends of mine at the end of the street are passing a bottle around. Why don’t you come with me and join us for a little drink. No one will know.
Barely shaking your head.
– I can’t hear you.
– I just want a cigarette.
– Then you know where to find me. She replaces the pack in her bra strap and walks away. You reach for the door handle behind you. To stop from going after her. To stop from smashing that ugly purple face, forcibly taking the cigarette pack.
Inside, you stop at the wall phone by the front desk. Pick it up and listen to the dial tone. So many people you could call. But for now it’s this reassuring drone.
Sounding like a narrowing line. Telling you you’re still on the right side of it.
Steven Mayoff lives on Prince Edward Island, Canada. His fiction and poetry have appeared in literary journals across Canada and the U.S. and in Ireland, Algeria, France, Wales and Croatia. His two books of fiction are the story collection Fatted Calf Blues (Turnstone Press, 2009) and a novel Our Lady Of Steerage (Bunim & Bannigan, 2015). Upcoming is a poetry collection Swinging Between Water And Stone to be published by Guernica Editions in 2019.
“Las Vegas sticker” by jericl cat is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Erin-Marie Gallagher November 20, 2020	Comment, Europe, Features, Latest News, Slider Images, UK Comments Off on Inside Edge: Do international breaks disrupt momentum?
Nick Haynes from Form Labs – a division of Bettorlogic – rounds off the week with a breakdown of the week’s sporting activity. He assesses whether there’s any truth to the idea that international breaks have a negative impact on domestic football and how Tottenham may fare against Manchester City.
The international break can be perceived in different ways by clubs and fans depending on their form heading into it. It’s either a case of ‘perfect timing’ as it offers the opportunity to give the squad time to regroup and potentially break a rut, or it’s a case of ‘halting momentum’ as breaking the squad up can disrupt the positive routine that they’ve managed to get into.
Either way, it’s long been the impression that international breaks have an impact on domestic football, though we look further into whether or not there is any truth in this.
Blindly backing all teams after an international break would clearly play into a sportsbooks hands, though a more savvy approach and backing teams that head into the break in form, can reap rewards as the break can often have an overstated effect on momentum.
Prior to this season, taking teams that head into international breaks in the top four of either the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A or La Liga, backing such sides would have seen a 6.38% profit since 1998/99 taking average odds, with a best odds guaranteed would see more than a 10% take on investment, and caution should be taken when pricing up top four teams on their return.
In the Premier League, this was somewhat disproved after the first international break in October, with top four sides Arsenal and Leicester both losing, and league leaders at the time Everton held to a draw.
Aston Villa were the only side in the Champions League spots to take three points, with that coming over Leicester themselves, while the Gunners and the Toffees were up against last season’s top two in Man City and Liverpool, respectively, so it’s hard to call that a halt in momentum.
This weekend’s clashes see Leicester (24/5) face another side in the top four as they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool (Evs), while second placed Spurs are 33/10 to beat Man City at home, and it’s 40/17 for Saints to win away at Wolves. Again, there are no easy games for the top four there, though at some longish prices they may be worth keeping tabs on.
Tottenham v Man City: Spurs to hold City at home?
Tottenham head into the weekend just one point behind leaders Leicester and this game could go a long way to telling us if Jose Mourinho’s men are really capable of a title push. City are currently stuck down in 10th place, though they have a game in hand over their rivals and a win in that fixture would leave them just two points adrift of their opponents.
Spurs have only lost once in 14 appearances across all competitions, coming away at Antwerp as Mourinho was clearly unsatisfied with some of his back-up players, making five substitutes at half-time in that clash. However, he’ll undoubtedly pick his best 11 in this contest and that defeat in Belgium was the only time his side have failed to extract maximum points from their last six.
City are hardly in poor form given they’re unbeaten in nine across all competitions since a 5-2 humiliation at the hands of Leicester in September. Nathan Ake is ruled out after picking up a hamstring injury on international duty, but new signing Ruben Dias has clearly made a difference and his partnership with Aymeric Laporte appears to be taking shape.
Pep Guardiola will hope Raheem Sterling is fit to start and will still be without Sergio Aguero