Man in Wood

Man in Wood
chapter - Eva and Ade

Saturday 26 June 2010

Where you goin' love?

He had treated the waitress rather mean but still left a five bucks tip, that was more than reasonable in this neck of the woods.
The late September rain fell gently against the tinted windows of the small town steakhouse restaurant ‘Tim and Toms’, where George had eaten a T-bone steak with potato fries and green runner beans preceded by an egg mayonnaise salad. His wife Fanny had a small bowl of minestrone soup to start and a main course Caesar salad. Although it did not entirely satisfy her hunger, at thirty eight years of age she was becoming incessantly aware about the descent of her once taunt and slender physique, hence the unfinished bowl of Ceaser salad. George several years her senior never had any quarrels with his oversized bear-like frame and finished his plate triumphantly quickly ordering the apple crumble and cream dessert, whilst Fanny opted for a fruit salad.
They had been married for fourteen years, and were celebrating that very fact. Conversation between the two was cheerless and uninspired, like the wine they had ordered, well the wine George had ordered claiming he had some knowledge since he had spent a few months in Paris once upon a time just before he had met Fanny. In fact Fanny who had never been abroad was charmed by this young mans escapades who appeared to her as an adventurer who had left his small town of Middleton Midwest USA, to venture overseas to big ole Europe.
But on this occasion let’s leave the frivolity of how they met in peace. The wine was a beaujolais, dull and fairly cheap.
The chubby and red-faced waitress gratefully took the five bucks tip and smiled as husband and wife left the restaurant, George leading the way as if he were in a hurry for some unknown reason. But this is George always in a hurry for some unknown reason.

They drove no more than three kilometres when Fanny declared that she had an instant need to pee. The drive home had been even less talkative than the ‘Tim and Toms’ steakhouse restaurant episode and equally dismal. The radio played Elvis Presley’s classic song ‘love me’ which they both loved. Yes they both loved.
He stopped the car by the side of the calm yet still rainy countryside road. She steps out of the car closing the door behind her. Her walk starts steadily then begins to gather pace. Soon she is running. Running away. Never once looking back. George leaves the car, door open gathering small drops of rain.
‘Where you goin’ love?' he yells as she fades into the distance.

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