“A down payment for 2 please. 100 yendii.”

"400 minimum love. It's 400 per 'ed." Bartered the short, pot-bellied weasel, from behind the paint-chipped counter. Brushing the last of his lunch from his chest, his bean-stained name badge revealed his name. 'D**el'.

Bella winced. "Del, my friend. I only have 100 yendii. The whole thing is 400!"

His crooked smile slipped down his heavy jaw. Del didn't seem to be in a very 'giving mood.'

"You have 1 month - give me what you 'av, then the rest weekly. WIV INTEREST!" He spluttered as he fanned his Benson's breath. "And the name's Daniel!"

400 yendii plus interest, wasn't easy to come by. It would mean more memory loss. 'What use was a car without wheels, or a train without a track, or a plane without wings?' Thought Bella. Her travel plans seemed to be going nowhere. She'd given up so many of her memories already in exchange for yendii. Anymore, and she wouldn't know her head from her rear.

The thought of giving away 'a big one' was crippling. Her history had kickstarted her purpose, and outlined her future. She found it hard to let go of her past.

Bella’s imagination bathed naked on the sandy beaches of Kandimira -with Cain. The blueberry waves whisked to a froth, lapped at her toes and tickled her pinkies. In jealous fashion, Cain waged war with the sun. He stroked her thigh with a hot passionate hand. Only the most glorious rays, would slip through his attentive fingers, to adorn her with a sprinkling of gold. With desperation, he clung to her every word, and laughed at her every joke. She was his beach babe, and he was her sole desire. Her soul-mate. Her future 'baby-daddy.' They'd played happy-house for 15 years. And now, she was ready to progress things. Life had curled around them both and squeezed. They had little time to breathe. They needed this break.

"C'mon love, I ain't got all day!"

Daniel's brusque voice haggled like a pirate. Noting the patch that covered his right eye, Bella wondered why he'd never had a replacement. People lost eyes all the time in the city. ‘It was only 10 yendii to get a spanking new one, and 15 for a pair!’ Tickled at his stinginess, she slipped a smile, then whipped it back - worried that he’d confuse it with a smile of agreement.

"When yer in it, it feels like yeeears! 400's a bargain, trust me. I've never 'ad any complaints."

There was an odious smell oozing from the soles of Daniel's sneakers. Hurried in her decision, by the repulsive, recurring pungent funk, that refused to dissipate. "Wedding day." Plopped out of her mouth.

——————————

Bella clutched the leather hand rest. It'd been a month in waiting. Cain would love his surprise. At the end of the day, after work, he would follow.

She'd opted for the upgrade. With the enhanced features, she didn't even need to pack a bag. The virtual simulation catered for every eventuality.  

The trade of her wedding day had seemed unscrupulous at the time, but she figured her love for Cain could tolerate the loss of 24 hours.

"'ere. Take this, and I'll see you in an hour. Remember, no refunds." Smirked Daniel.

The pill looked cute. A crimson bead, like kiddy-candy, but laced with a musty bitter tang of mouldy lemon rind. And all the fury of a woman scorned. Bella gulped hard. It took ages to digest. Relinquishing all senses, her eyelids folded, and shut out the world. Wrapped in a fuzzy warmth that caressed her very core, she sunk into her Kandimirian summer.

——————————

The gritty granules chafed at her thighs. Churned waves of dying leaves rustled in her ears, whispering crisp reprimands. Misophonia mocked her senses, as the crunch and drag of a heavy sole, slowly approached. Bella sat up.

"I've been walking this stretch for ages! Where have you been?"

Bella raised her head, harnessing the tone of frustration. Her heart pounded like a bass drum, then skipped about like a percussive set, as a million scenarios danced about her woolly head.

Glasses glinted in the moonlight, and shimmered on the silhouette of a hunched man. His spine leaned to the left as he rested, on one hip. It was strange to see someone wearing glasses. Bella's thoughts curdled.

The rickety man bent over her like a Weeping willow. He was nobody she knew. She soothed her spiralling thoughts. 'Something must have gone wrong with the simulation'.

The man crouched. And, as he lowered his head to within kissing distance, he creaked.

“I’ve been ssssearching for you babe. This place isss-huge! I’m sssso glad I found ya.”

His goofy smile broadened, with a sense of achievement. His S’s seemed to linger in Bella’s ear for an eternity. Like an irritating gnat, begging for a back-hander.

Bella counted his teeth. Two proud pegs camped on his hilly pink gums and cuckoo spit hid in the corners of his ridiculous grin, as he licked his wrinkled lips.

"I don't know you old man!" Disorientated, Bella searched the shore for somewhere to anchor her thoughts.

"It’s me babe, Cain! We'll be young again in the real world!" He croaked.

“To go home, just click your heels together 3 times, and say I do."

Her romance with Cain had been one of speed. Under the guise of perfect characters, they had written to each other online, with every spare second. A true digital romance. The day they met - to reveal their true selves, was the day they married.

Whoever this man was, he meant nothing to Bella. and he would mean nothing to her when she returned to the real world.

Cradling her crinkled shins, Bella added her share of salt to the sea.