Summer

Summer Part 1

       The man stared disbelievingly at the text message on his phone. He was sitting on his own at a corner table for two at a stylish restaurant in the city. The table was set for two with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"No fucking way!" he exclaimed loudly drawing looks from nearby diners. With shaking hands he stabbed in a number on his phone. "Come on, come on, answer the phone," he muttered. Finally he spoke in a soft but tense voice to the person at the other end. "Babe, you can't be serious. I'm waiting for you at the restaurant now. What? How can you say that?" His voice became louder and more hysterical. "Him? You're dumping me for me for that guy? But what about us? I thought you loved me. We had plans for our future. You can't do this, you are my whole world. Get a life? Did you just tell me to get a life? Hello? Hello?" He was shouting by now and every eye in the restaurant was turned in his direction.

A waiter approached. "Sir, you're going to have to keep your voice down. You're disturbing the other customers."

"I don't care about the other customers!" the man yelled.

"Sir, you have to leave the restaurant," the waiter said looking worriedly at the man's angry expression.

But the man's shoulders sagged and his face took on a defeated expression. "I'm going, I'm going," he mumbled, "I've lost her. There's nothing left for me now." He walked slowly to the door, everyone watching him as he pushed it opened and stepped out onto the street.

"What's he doing?" a woman sitting by the window gasped in horror.

Half the customers jumped up from their tables and ran to the window.

The man didn't walk along the footpath, but stepped straight out onto the busy road. His head was down, he appeared not to be watching where he was going. Then came the sounds of screeching brakes followed by a sickening dull thud. A woman screamed. People ran to the inert figure lying on the road.

 "Call an ambulance," someone shouted.

As the spectators milled around the accident scene, a teenage boy noticed something lying in the gutter. He picked it up. It was a mobile phone. Although the screen was cracked he could just make out the text message:

Patrick, I've changed my mind. I am not coming to dinner and I don't want to see you anymore. Sorry but it's over between us. Have a nice life. S.

*************************************

Six months later.....

It was a hot summer afternoon and the cool air in the bar felt pleasant on his face as Lucas walked through the door and looked around. A man at a nearby table waved and called out to him. "Lucas, over here."

He sat down and shook hands with his friend at the table. "Great to see you again, Steve," he said, "I got your text. So you're moving back here to Sydney?"

"Yep, I've had my fill of Brisbane, I've applied for a couple of jobs down here. With a bit of luck one of them will come in. Anyway tell me about you, it must be five years since I saw you last when we were at university together. What have you been up to? Got a girlfriend? Or are you married?"

"Married? Ha ha, I don't think so, I'm only twenty six. No girlfriend right now either. Still dating. What about you?"

Steve smiled broadly at Lucas. "You're not going to believe this, but I am married as of four months ago."

"Married already? Congratulations. Tell me about her. Is she here with you?"

"I am just about the luckiest guy in the world," Steve beamed, "No, she isn't here. She's been visiting some friends in Newcastle for the last few days while I've been finding a place for us to live. But Lucas, she is fantastic. She's smart, witty, she is super hot, and she loves sex....lots of sex! Sometimes she wears me out! She could easily have her pick of guys, but for some reason she chose me. We only met about six months ago, and after a few weeks together she told me she couldn't live without me. So we got married. Yep, I'm the luckiest guy in the world." He pulled out his phone. "Let me show you some pics of her."