"Optimism is Savile Row then Harley St. The surgeon sighed expensively as x-rays and fate flickered. She made a note to cancel his winter coat."
• Maggie & Meis published by Bloomsbury on 9 May (Hardback/Ebook £14.99)
Twitter fiction: Damian Barr
The writer and columnist takes up our Twitter-based challenge to come up with a story in 140 characters or fewer