Riviera

So... I left Lockerbie in the pouring rain on the midnight bus, and woke up in a summery Wonderland.
Yes, this is London, really. When I lived here, this part of the capital, between London and Tower Bridges, was pretty dark and dilapidated. Now it's a mecca for tourists and office workers on their lunch breaks. It looks amazing, and yet...
Not far from here are people sleeping on the streets. A young girl asked me for money at Seven Dials. She wasn't clean, her clothes were tatty and her skin looked unhealthy. She said she wanted somewhere to sleep and that she was trying to get a room in a hostel. Perhaps she would spend the money I gave her on drugs, or perhaps she really did go off and buy a bed for the night. She needed more than I could give her. I felt the gulf between us.
I'd struck up a conversation with a young man at the rainy bus stop in Lockerbie. He had just moved to Dumfries from London. I said London was a great place to visit and he said so was the fun fair but you wouldn't want to live in a fun fair.
Not much fun if you can't pay for the rides.