Wednesday, 5 September 2007 22.39 hrs

The Arab guy at the keyboard was so small his feet only just touched the pedals. His shirt collar was far too big for him, and so were his green suit and matching bow-tie. It looked like the management had ordered a dozen the same size and tough shit if you didn't fit. Tonight's menu had been dished up along much the same lines, but at least the place had air-conditioning.

Diane perched herself on the stool next to mine. She was dressed up for a night out. Everything was covered, but she'd overdone the makeup. She crossed her legs and leant towards me. The pack of B amp;H glinted in the bar light.

I picked up my orange juice with a shake of the head. 'No thanks, I don't.'

'Quite right too.' She tapped a long red nail on her disposable lighter, took her first deep drag and reached for her G-and-T.

'What do you think of it so far, Nick?'

'My kind of party.' I checked my G-Shock. Less than nineteen minutes to go.

Her half-emptied glass went back on the bar. She studied me as she took another drag. 'Your first time?'

I gave her a grin. 'Thought I'd give it a go.'

'This is my second.' She swivelled to face me, losing herself for a moment in a cloud of cigarette smoke. 'The first time I didn't really want to come. It was so soon after my divorce. But all my friends- Well, everybody has their own lives, don't they? Kids and mortgages. Too much going on, I suppose.'

'Same here. I was left at a loose end. My mates have better things to do than play around with a single lad. Or maybe their wives won't let them out in case I lead them astray. I've always wanted to come here, so when I saw the ad I thought, Why not?'

She took another drag and raised her drink again. We clinked glasses, toasting our exclusion from the world. She sucked an ice cube into her mouth and crunched it.