Tripping the Night Fantastic

Chapter 5

'Charlie! Wait up.'

Charlie turned around, 'Run!'

'Fucking hell Charlie what's the rush?'

'What's the rush? Give me a winning argument for being slow.'

'Because... Just hold on!'

Charlie stopped to let Simon catch up.

'Thank you. Where's the Basement then? Shall we get a taxi?'

'What's the rush?'

'That's what I just said!'

'Yes, but I wasn't actually rushing or even moving particularly fast. I was just slightly ahead of you. You're the one inflicting me with verbs.'

'Ok.'

'Safe answer. Actually I don't really want to go to the Basement. Not right away anyway.'

Charlie looked at Simon in a way Simon didn't recognize, at least not on Charlie. He seemed Sober. He seemed like he was about to be serious.

'I need to visit someone, and I can't do it on my own.'

'Who do you need to visit at this hour?'

'My daughter.'

'You have a daughter?!'

Charlie's expression saddened, 'I need you to come with me. Please. I really need to see her.'

'Ok, let's go and see her.'

Charlie looked over the road, 'She's not far from here.'

Simon looked over. They were standing opposite a cemetery.

'Charlie, please tell me now if this is one of your jokes.'

Charlie crossed the road and climbed over the main gate to the cemetery. Simon stood for a moment wondering if this was one of his jokes and if it was it was a sick one. Simon crossed the road and followed Charlie into the cemetery.

'Charlie, where are you?'

'Over here.'

Simon weaved through the graves until he found Charlie standing in front of a small heart shaped gravestone. Someone had left a yellow rose in front of Claire's grave.

'There she is,' said Charlie.

'Claire Deavon,' Simon looked at the gravestone next to it, 'Samantha Deavon.'

'She's my wife. This grave was reserved for me. I never thought she would be filling it for me.'

Simon opened his mouth but couldn't find any words.

'Samantha died in childbirth. She never even got to meet her.'

Charlie took a cantina of whisky out of his jacket pocket and took a sip. He passed it to Simon and both of them sat down against the opposite graves. They sat there silently for a while. Charlie lit a cigarette and looked at the Cantina in his hands.

'I'm a cunt. You know that?'

Simon didn't answer.

A tear began to form in Charlie's eye.

'It's all here, all my problems, in this fucking cantina!'

Charlie stood up and threw the cantina as far as he could. He sat back down again.