A pale hand emerged from the pastel hump, followed by a mop of tussled blonde hair. A sound that may or may not have been human started as a rumble from beneath the sheets, culminating in the emergence of a woman who had most certainly seen better days. At that early stage it was impossible to tell if she was even slightly attractive in her natural state. Mascara and lipstick not removed the night before had smeared, clown panda style over her face and her skin took an ashen appearance in the intrusive morning light which glared mercilessly through the windows. The curtains had not been closed the night before. A gushing sound from elsewhere in the apartment indicated that the taps on the bathroom sink had suffered similar neglect.Zora stretched and rolled over, groaning as she did. Her entire body was wracked with the spasms of a life of iniquity. If it had been possible for her liver to crawl up her throat and strangle her, it would have done so, she was sure. Another evening had passed spent in the tender arms of a bottle of bourbon and the morning brought with it the usual regrets.Stumbling towards the kitchen clad only in a pair of boxers shorts and a tank top, Zora mangled the contents of her lower cupboards looking for aspirin.
