New Story for NajoPoMo!
Created | Updated Nov 7, 2018
REVENGE SERVED COLD
Mel paced across the living room. She clenched and unclenched her hands as she paced and wondered why Darren was late. At first, she thought he’d lingered in the pub with the Tylersfield Rovers football team. He was their fitness trainer. She had come home from her job early and prepared a pot of chilli con carne and some rice. They were now cooling in the kitchen of their little flat. It annoyed her when Darren was late and she’d taken the trouble to make a decent dinner. He could have phoned her.
However, as time went on, the more likely it seemed something had gone wrong. A knot of worry was clenching in her stomach. It was pouring with rain outside. As she drove home, she’d splashed through sheets of water on the road, and it had been difficult to see in places. Darren, of course, was on his bicycle. He maintained it was part of his fitness regime, but she knew he liked the feeling of freedom cycling gave him. He could take short cuts, dodge the traffic, or stray onto the pavement in places.
She walked to the window and looked out. Their flat was part of a block in one of the featureless housing estates around the edges of the town. She could see the traffic on the spine road, red tail lights and white headlights, but there was no sign of a bicycle. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the bike and he was walking home. Darren could be so careless sometimes, and that extended to neglecting to wear a helmet or maintain the bike properly.
As time wore on, the idea he’d had an accident grew in her mind. It was easy to imagine the wet road, a confusion of lights, someone being impatient at a junction. Maybe he had taken one risk too many. She told herself not to let her imagination wander like that, but to think of other reasons for his lateness. However, she was running out of excuses.
When she heard a knock on the door, she almost jumped. She opened it, saw a couple of police officers and knew something was wrong.
“Mrs Weston?” asked the woman.
“Yes. What’s happened?”
“I’m afraid your husband has had an accident. He’s badly hurt. He’s at the Queen Mother Hospital.”
