Typography & design by
Richard Wolfströme

Exhibition and installation
by Standard 8

Website
Words William Shaw
Design Richard Wolfströme
Photography Kenny Laurenson

Publishing consultant Adrian Driscoll

An Unmadeup Production

"What happened? You won the lottery?"

The car park, Churchill Square Shopping Centre

On the way down to level three, Martina starts to panic. What was she thinking?

She hadn’t come to Churchill Square to buy anything, just to enjoy wasting time window-shopping before she picked up her youngest son from school. But then she’d seen the Nike top. It was reduced; only £20.

She’s a single mother on benefits; never buys new clothes. She usually gets them in jumble sales; Oxfam’s too expensive now that all the middle-classes go.

She had looked at the top and thought, It’s such a bargain. She didn’t even try it on. I’m going to do it anyway for the hell of it.

Now all she had on her was about £3.50, enough to pay for the parking and that’s it for the whole weekend until her money comes through on Monday.

Fear obliterates any pleasure she got from the top – that sense of insecurity and dread you get when you realise you’re penniless. She always makes sure she has enough food at home, but there’s nothing now for emergencies. Or cigarettes. How is she going to make it through the weekend without her Royals?

She gets in her clapped-out Volvo and drives to the exit, calming herself. I’ll get through. I’ll get through – though she’s not sure how.

At the barrier she stops. It’s then she looks down at the concrete and sees the crumpled note. She puts the handbrake on, jumps out, picks it up. Unbelievably, it’s £20.

She looks around. There’s no other car around. Amazing the wind didn’t blow it away. You see? I do have good things in my life. It’s a tiny moment of good luck. Martina is not usually a fortunate person. Life is hard. Five years ago, her second son died aged 18. It won’t get easier. She doesn’t know yet that her beloved older son will die, too, tragically, in just one year from now.

For the moment though, she takes the note and puts it in her pocket. Whoopee!

That weekend, her friends admire her new top. "What happened?" they say. "You won the lottery?"