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the red rum

The woman edged the door open with her shoulder while wrestling with a dripping umbrella. As she stepped into the bar, a sharp gust of wind blew some of the downpour in, and the cool, damp air threatened to encroach upon the dank atmosphere of The Red Rum.

'Nice night,' said the barman, glancing up at the entrance. The woman wound her way past the empty tables and chairs and threw her umbrella to the ground. It slid the last few centimetres and came to a halt at the foot of a stool.

'Double vodka, and a large red,' she ordered, removing her raincoat and shaking off the excess water. She draped it over an empty seat beside her, straightened her navy suit, and smoothed down her long, dark hair.

'What are you doing here at this time Maggie?' asked the barman as he placed the drinks carefully down in front of her.

Maggie gulped down the vodka. 'I said a double. Get me a double John.'

'It was a double,' he poured another. 'So?' She looked at him and drained the second glass. 'I mean, I'm not saying I'm not pleased to see you. It's just..., it's Wednesday. Aren't you supposed to be with Richard?'

'I tried to tell him John,' she replied matter-of-factly.

'Tell him what?'

'I tried to tell him.'

John glanced at the pool table and caught George and Ray peering over. He leaned closer to her; 'You tried to tell him?'

'We had another row,' she said, now sipping at the merlot.

'And?'

'He'd been out at a work do; some consultant was leaving or something,' she explained, waving her hand dismissively. 'Anyway, he'd had a few and wasn't expecting the house to be empty by the time he got home — I'm actually starting to make some headway on that case I told you about and I was working late. Richard took exception to this and it didn't take him long to start mouthing off when I did get in.'

'And? Did you tell him?'

'John, it was getting nasty. We both said stuff, hurtful stuff.'

The barman looked down at her as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. He clasped her free hand, squeezing it gently; 'I'm sorry.'

'It got really heated; I had to get out of there...'

'So you came here.'

'Yes. I needed to see you.'

'Did you tell him?' His grip became firmer; she could feel his ring digging into her skin.

'I swear I was about to say it, I really was John.'

'But you didn't.' He released her and began to back away.

She reached out and caught hold of his sleeve; 'I will, I promise I will. You know, it's been almost a year now. When I first walked into this place I thought it was just a dingy, seedy dump. I had no idea I'd have a reason to keep coming back... I will tell him John.'

_{posted 10/03/12}