cyberfairy said:
How about the first 600 words and if we like it can request the rest?
The Final Straw
Ding Dong! I’ve been meaning to dismantle that doorbell, fit a normal buzzer instead. The whole ‘ding dong!’ thing is far too cheerful. I get up and answer the door,
“Hi Alice, well timed I’ve just boiled the kettle. Tea suit or shall I put on a pot of coffee?”, I smile at her half heartedly. Poor mite, she doesn’t look like she’s slept.
“Hey, thanks for this. I know it’s short notice but I really need to talk and well, you how well he gets on with my family…”
“Come in. I’ll put on a pot of tea and don’t worry about it, this is what friends are for. I know I’ve been busy lately but I’m never too busy for you.”
“Yeah, tea would be great, sorry, and thanks again”.
We move through to the kitchen and she slumps at the table and looks around for Augustus my wayward cat. He’s out of course, never has been much good at comfort and sympathy. I think he smells emotion and vanishes next door. He’s tempted by some floozy with nice thighs no doubt. Typical male.
I sneak a glance at Alice while I sniff at the milk. She’s looking tired. No wonder really, she’s probably been up all night thinking, rethinking and thinking some more. She thinks too much.
“It’ll be alright”, I mutter.
Alice looks over and squints a bit,
“Surely you’re not working up to ‘time is a great healer’ already? I know you’re to the point but there’s many points to cover before that one”, She’s on the defensive already.
“What? No! Well, that’s a good point in good time, remember it, but I was actually on about the milk. You do still take milk don’t you?”
“Yeah, no sugar. Thanks”.
“So do you want to tell me about it then?” I plonk the cups and teapot on the table with the milk and look up expectantly.
“It’s really over you know. I’ve finally had it. There’re only so many chances. He’s used more than nine lives”. She pauses and looks around again, “Where is Augustus? He hasn’t used all his lives has he?” Her voice trembles a bit on that last part and I can see the floodgates straining. I’m no good when people cry, why didn’t I buy gin? We should’ve had gin in the garden.
“God no, you know Augustus. He’s just out somewhere. Note how I had milk? If that were bought specially I wouldn’t have had to sniff it.”
“Ok, sorry”, She sniffs a bit and I leap up to open the windows and grab an ashtray. I light a Davidoff and wave it at her invitingly,
“You don’t have to go into it if you’re not ready. We could just, er, talk about other people instead. Like, Katie. How’s Katie? Still the most annoying barmaid since the one that couldn’t count?”
Her head snaps up, “He was with her”.
“You wha..?”
“Of everyone, he went with that slag”
“Katie?!?”
“Her”. Alice swipes the hair off her face and it flicks straight back into her mouth. I hastily throw my hairband over and she takes a moment to compose herself. I occupy myself with blowing on my tea and take a long steadying drag on her cigarette before carefully placing it back in the ashtray.
“He slept with her?” I’m livid but not exactly surprised.
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Perhaps I should space that up a little?
Just post things up on this thread
