Short Story : Waiting Together
Lily sat on a bench, overlooking the shipyard as she watched Ethan slowly approaching in the distance. She reached into a picnic hamper that sat by her side as Ethan trudged along the dock, making his way up the hill that led to Lily. Retrieving two plastic forks, she placed them on two napkins by her side, carefully positioning her cell phone to weigh down the napkins and prevent them from blowing away.
“All done,” Ethan said, all business-like as he took a seat next to Lily, “Now all we have to do is wait.”
“Would you like something to drink?” Lily asked, pulling a thermos of hot water out of the hamper, “I’ve got coffee here, or tea if you prefer.”
“Tea would be splendid,” Ethan smiled, looking at the basket with a humorous twinkle in his eye, “I can’t drink coffee after midday or I’m up all night.”
“Your wife must be a very lucky lady,” Lily chuckled mischievously, pouring some tea into a plastic cup and handing it to Ethan.
“I’m not married,” Ethan said, taking the cup of tea and blowing on it absent-mindedly, “Never met the right girl.”
“That’s a shame,” Lily raised an eyebrow, “You’d make quite the catch for some lucky woman.”
Ethan took a sip of his tea, “This is good,” he said, staring out over the shipyard at the vessels below him, “what is it?”
“PG Tips,” Lily stated matter-of-factly, pouring herself a coffee.
“Seriously?” Ethan smiled, “It never tastes like this when I make it.”
“The secret ingredient is love,” Lily beamed, putting her cup of coffee down on the bench next to her, “Are you hungry?”
“Have you got any sandwiches in there?” Ethan asked, arching his neck for a peek into the hamper.
“What do you take me for?” Lily smiled, “Of course I do. What would you like?”
“Anything with ham,” Ethan said, taking another swig of his tea, “I love ham.”
Lily pulled out a plastic plate with some cling-film covered sandwiches and placed them next to her coffee. Ethan shook his head.
“You really did come prepared, didn’t you.” he grinned.
“Well, I wasn’t sure how long we’d be waiting,” Lily shrugged, “my husband isn’t exactly known for his time keeping.”
“It probably doesn’t help that he’s been having an affair, either,” said Ethan, carefully pulling back a corner of the cling film and helping himself to a sandwich, “Who’d know where’s he’s coming from.”
“Or who he’s coming with,” Lily quipped, a little sadly.
Ethan nodded, choosing not to comment, and took a bite from his sandwich.
“How’s the sandwich?” Lily asked, trying to avoid any awkward silences.
“It’s good,” Ethan said, “You’re a wonderful cook.”
“Well, it’s hardly cooking,” Lily smiled, “there isn’t really any art to making a sandwich.”
“Well, these are a work of art,” said Ethan, finishing his sandwich and motioning for another, “May I?”
“Be my guest,” said Lily, sipping at her coffee and holding it between her hands for warmth, “No use letting them go to waste.”
“So is this where he, you know,” Ethan asked, taking a bite from his second sandwich.
“Sometimes,” Lily said, “I found some underwear behind one of the seats on our boat – they weren’t mine.”
“And he says he’s coming here to work on the boat every Saturday afternoon?” Ethan asked.
Lily nodded, “Yes, he says he’s working on the boat – more likely working on those sluts of his.”
“Do you reckon he brings them here?” Ethan asked.
Lily shrugged, “All I know is that he always brings back something from the boat, as if he’s trying to alibi himself; as if to prove he was actually here.”
“So it’s possible we might even catch him in the act,” Ethan suggested, finishing his sandwich and picking up his cup of tea.
“I hope so,” said Lily, “and if not, well there’s always plan A.”
Ethan nodded in agreement, “So,” he asked, “what do you do for a living?”
Lily laughed out loud, rocking on the bench, “Oh, you sweet man,” she said, “I don’t work. Do you have any idea how rich my husband is? I don’t have to work for anything.”
“Except for his love,” Ethan said sympathetically, “clearly that was a wasted effort.”
“Yes,” Lily said, finishing off her coffee, “clearly I’m better off focussing my efforts elsewhere.”
“Too true,” said Ethan, reaching for a third sandwich.
“You know,” Lily smiled at Ethan, “I never properly thanked you for doing this.”
“Not a problem,” Ethan said, swallowing the bit of sandwich that he had in his mouth, “it’s what I do.”
“I know,” said Lily, “but it must be hard.”
Ethan shrugged, “It’s a living,” he said, “honestly, I’m thinking about giving it up.”
“Really?” asked Lily, “How come?”
“Well, it can be a pretty dangerous game, you know,” he said, “sometimes the people I’m watching notice me, and things can turn ugly.”
“I suppose,” Lily said, “you don’t think my husband has veer spotted you watching him?”
“I doubt it,” said Ethan, “this has been a pretty open-and-shut case. You’ve made everything really easy.”
“I’m happy to oblige,” Lily said, then stood up from the bench.
“I think that’s him now,” she said, gesturing towards the dock.
“Sit down, will you,” Ethan warned, grabbing Lily’s hand and pulling her gently back to the bench, “you don’t want him to see you, do you?”
“He’s with someone,” Lily said, sitting back down.
Ethan looked towards the boat where Lily’s husband was walking with a tall leggy blonde.
“She’s something, alright,” Ethan whistled, “though I’ve always preferred brunettes.”
Lily ran her fingers through her brown hair and gazed towards the boat, “That’s our neighbour’s daughter!” she said, sounding almost disgusted, “She’s barely nineteen.”
“Lucky fella,” said Ethan, “I couldn’t pull nineteen year-olds when I was nineteen!”
“We’ve known her since she was a child,” Lily shook her head, “it’s disgusting.”
“Well, it’ll all be over soon,” Ethan said, patting Lily’s hand, “we’ve got all the evidence we need now.”
Lily looked down at where Ethan was patting her hand, and gently laced her fingers into his.
“Do you think I’m still attractive?” she asked.
Ethan raised his eyebrows, “You’re a very desirable woman,” he admitted, “what the movies would call a timeless beauty. Too good for that no good cheater, anyway.”
Lily smiled at Ethan, glancing one more time down to the boat where her husband and her neighbour’s daughter had just climbed on board. The girl had tripped and stumbled as she climbed aboard, Lily’s husband catching her. She could imagine the juvenile giggle rising from the girl’s throat as her husband groped her back onto her feet again. She looked with disgust as her husband put a large clammy hand on the girl’s perfect pert breast and leaned in to slip his tongue down her throat.
“Why did he do this to me?” Lily asked Ethan, “Why would he throw seventeen years of marriage down the drain.”
“Men do stupid things sometimes, Lily,” Ethan said, “I can call you Lily, can’t I?”
“Of course,” Lily said, turning back to Ethan as her husband and his jailbait bit on the side disappeared below deck, “I’d like to think this was more than just a business arrangement.”
Ethan smiled, “That’s a nice idea,” he said, “but do you think it’s a practical one. After all, what would people say if you suddenly started seeing someone else?”
“I wouldn’t care,” Lily said, “I don’t plan on staying around here for much longer, anyway. My only friends were my neighbours, and after this I don’t think I could ever look at them again.”
“That’s fair enough,” Ethan said, picking up Lily’s cell phone, “would you like to do the honours?”
Lily smiled at Ethan, “I would love to,” she said, taking the cell phone from his free hand and calling a pre-set number.
As she pressed send, an almighty explosion echoed through the air as her husband’s boat exploded, sending debris and flame flying into the sky.
“Well, what’s done is done.” Lily said, rubbing a finger under one eye, and holding the phone up in the air, “What should I do with this?”
“I’ll get rid of it for you,” Ethan said, taking the phone and placing it in the picnic hamper before lifting the hamper off the bench, “Say, would you like to come back to my place for some dinner later on tonight?”
Lily smiled, taking Ethan’s free hand, “Why wait until dinner?” she asked, “You’ve done so much for me, maybe we should move straight on to desert.”
The two of them walked away from the bench, heading to Ethan’s waiting car, and the two napkins that had sat between them billowed into the air, spinning circles around each other before landing on the ground in a tangled embrace.
Originally Posted 24/5/2015
Result - 1st Place
“All done,” Ethan said, all business-like as he took a seat next to Lily, “Now all we have to do is wait.”
“Would you like something to drink?” Lily asked, pulling a thermos of hot water out of the hamper, “I’ve got coffee here, or tea if you prefer.”
“Tea would be splendid,” Ethan smiled, looking at the basket with a humorous twinkle in his eye, “I can’t drink coffee after midday or I’m up all night.”
“Your wife must be a very lucky lady,” Lily chuckled mischievously, pouring some tea into a plastic cup and handing it to Ethan.
“I’m not married,” Ethan said, taking the cup of tea and blowing on it absent-mindedly, “Never met the right girl.”
“That’s a shame,” Lily raised an eyebrow, “You’d make quite the catch for some lucky woman.”
Ethan took a sip of his tea, “This is good,” he said, staring out over the shipyard at the vessels below him, “what is it?”
“PG Tips,” Lily stated matter-of-factly, pouring herself a coffee.
“Seriously?” Ethan smiled, “It never tastes like this when I make it.”
“The secret ingredient is love,” Lily beamed, putting her cup of coffee down on the bench next to her, “Are you hungry?”
“Have you got any sandwiches in there?” Ethan asked, arching his neck for a peek into the hamper.
“What do you take me for?” Lily smiled, “Of course I do. What would you like?”
“Anything with ham,” Ethan said, taking another swig of his tea, “I love ham.”
Lily pulled out a plastic plate with some cling-film covered sandwiches and placed them next to her coffee. Ethan shook his head.
“You really did come prepared, didn’t you.” he grinned.
“Well, I wasn’t sure how long we’d be waiting,” Lily shrugged, “my husband isn’t exactly known for his time keeping.”
“It probably doesn’t help that he’s been having an affair, either,” said Ethan, carefully pulling back a corner of the cling film and helping himself to a sandwich, “Who’d know where’s he’s coming from.”
“Or who he’s coming with,” Lily quipped, a little sadly.
Ethan nodded, choosing not to comment, and took a bite from his sandwich.
“How’s the sandwich?” Lily asked, trying to avoid any awkward silences.
“It’s good,” Ethan said, “You’re a wonderful cook.”
“Well, it’s hardly cooking,” Lily smiled, “there isn’t really any art to making a sandwich.”
“Well, these are a work of art,” said Ethan, finishing his sandwich and motioning for another, “May I?”
“Be my guest,” said Lily, sipping at her coffee and holding it between her hands for warmth, “No use letting them go to waste.”
“So is this where he, you know,” Ethan asked, taking a bite from his second sandwich.
“Sometimes,” Lily said, “I found some underwear behind one of the seats on our boat – they weren’t mine.”
“And he says he’s coming here to work on the boat every Saturday afternoon?” Ethan asked.
Lily nodded, “Yes, he says he’s working on the boat – more likely working on those sluts of his.”
“Do you reckon he brings them here?” Ethan asked.
Lily shrugged, “All I know is that he always brings back something from the boat, as if he’s trying to alibi himself; as if to prove he was actually here.”
“So it’s possible we might even catch him in the act,” Ethan suggested, finishing his sandwich and picking up his cup of tea.
“I hope so,” said Lily, “and if not, well there’s always plan A.”
Ethan nodded in agreement, “So,” he asked, “what do you do for a living?”
Lily laughed out loud, rocking on the bench, “Oh, you sweet man,” she said, “I don’t work. Do you have any idea how rich my husband is? I don’t have to work for anything.”
“Except for his love,” Ethan said sympathetically, “clearly that was a wasted effort.”
“Yes,” Lily said, finishing off her coffee, “clearly I’m better off focussing my efforts elsewhere.”
“Too true,” said Ethan, reaching for a third sandwich.
“You know,” Lily smiled at Ethan, “I never properly thanked you for doing this.”
“Not a problem,” Ethan said, swallowing the bit of sandwich that he had in his mouth, “it’s what I do.”
“I know,” said Lily, “but it must be hard.”
Ethan shrugged, “It’s a living,” he said, “honestly, I’m thinking about giving it up.”
“Really?” asked Lily, “How come?”
“Well, it can be a pretty dangerous game, you know,” he said, “sometimes the people I’m watching notice me, and things can turn ugly.”
“I suppose,” Lily said, “you don’t think my husband has veer spotted you watching him?”
“I doubt it,” said Ethan, “this has been a pretty open-and-shut case. You’ve made everything really easy.”
“I’m happy to oblige,” Lily said, then stood up from the bench.
“I think that’s him now,” she said, gesturing towards the dock.
“Sit down, will you,” Ethan warned, grabbing Lily’s hand and pulling her gently back to the bench, “you don’t want him to see you, do you?”
“He’s with someone,” Lily said, sitting back down.
Ethan looked towards the boat where Lily’s husband was walking with a tall leggy blonde.
“She’s something, alright,” Ethan whistled, “though I’ve always preferred brunettes.”
Lily ran her fingers through her brown hair and gazed towards the boat, “That’s our neighbour’s daughter!” she said, sounding almost disgusted, “She’s barely nineteen.”
“Lucky fella,” said Ethan, “I couldn’t pull nineteen year-olds when I was nineteen!”
“We’ve known her since she was a child,” Lily shook her head, “it’s disgusting.”
“Well, it’ll all be over soon,” Ethan said, patting Lily’s hand, “we’ve got all the evidence we need now.”
Lily looked down at where Ethan was patting her hand, and gently laced her fingers into his.
“Do you think I’m still attractive?” she asked.
Ethan raised his eyebrows, “You’re a very desirable woman,” he admitted, “what the movies would call a timeless beauty. Too good for that no good cheater, anyway.”
Lily smiled at Ethan, glancing one more time down to the boat where her husband and her neighbour’s daughter had just climbed on board. The girl had tripped and stumbled as she climbed aboard, Lily’s husband catching her. She could imagine the juvenile giggle rising from the girl’s throat as her husband groped her back onto her feet again. She looked with disgust as her husband put a large clammy hand on the girl’s perfect pert breast and leaned in to slip his tongue down her throat.
“Why did he do this to me?” Lily asked Ethan, “Why would he throw seventeen years of marriage down the drain.”
“Men do stupid things sometimes, Lily,” Ethan said, “I can call you Lily, can’t I?”
“Of course,” Lily said, turning back to Ethan as her husband and his jailbait bit on the side disappeared below deck, “I’d like to think this was more than just a business arrangement.”
Ethan smiled, “That’s a nice idea,” he said, “but do you think it’s a practical one. After all, what would people say if you suddenly started seeing someone else?”
“I wouldn’t care,” Lily said, “I don’t plan on staying around here for much longer, anyway. My only friends were my neighbours, and after this I don’t think I could ever look at them again.”
“That’s fair enough,” Ethan said, picking up Lily’s cell phone, “would you like to do the honours?”
Lily smiled at Ethan, “I would love to,” she said, taking the cell phone from his free hand and calling a pre-set number.
As she pressed send, an almighty explosion echoed through the air as her husband’s boat exploded, sending debris and flame flying into the sky.
“Well, what’s done is done.” Lily said, rubbing a finger under one eye, and holding the phone up in the air, “What should I do with this?”
“I’ll get rid of it for you,” Ethan said, taking the phone and placing it in the picnic hamper before lifting the hamper off the bench, “Say, would you like to come back to my place for some dinner later on tonight?”
Lily smiled, taking Ethan’s free hand, “Why wait until dinner?” she asked, “You’ve done so much for me, maybe we should move straight on to desert.”
The two of them walked away from the bench, heading to Ethan’s waiting car, and the two napkins that had sat between them billowed into the air, spinning circles around each other before landing on the ground in a tangled embrace.
Originally Posted 24/5/2015
Result - 1st Place
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