The Cheat

Joe Tapped his foot on the ground. The woman next to him looked up from her book and glanced down at the expensive patent leather shoes he was wearing. They were so shiny she could almost see her reflection.

Glancing at his watch, Joe was startled for a moment when he saw the white mark on his finger where his golden wedding ring should have perched. He pulled the ripped Polaroid picture from his pocket; the image of him and Rose was taken in much happier times. Rose. His childhood sweetheart. How could he have been so stupid?

Makala. She had joined the company 7 months earlier. She stormed into the office like a whirlwind, her stiletto heels clicking on the floor. All the men's eyes were drawn to her like paper clips to a magnet - she was impossible to resist. She flirted with everyone, but Joe was her target. She didn't seem to care when she saw the picture of Joe and Rose in the Pearly frame, or the pictures of his two boys alongside.

Joe hung his head when he thought of his sons: 7-year-old Jake and 4-year-old James. They would take this hard, especially Jake. Any change was difficult for him and Joe had tried over the years to keep everything running smoothly. He was now an expert in Autism. Jake would be heartbroken and his whole world would feel like it has imploded. James was more happy go lucky; but Joe wouldn't be there for all those important life achievements, such as his first day at school, the loss of his first tooth and riding a bike without stabilisers.

It all began at the office Christmas party. As usual everybody had drunk far too much. Colleagues, who were usually so professional, were stumbling all over the place and attempting karaoke. Joe stepped outside to escape the din and before he knew it, Makala appeared behind him, almost from nowhere. He was easy prey and soon became tangled in her web.

From then on, Joe's life became full of deceit. He bought another phone so he could contact Makala. The lies tripped off his tongue to Rose. He had to work late, he needed to go to the gym, he was going out for a drink with the regular punters... poor Rose didn't suspect anything.

That all changed when Joe left the wrong phone at home one morning when he was late for work and in a rush. Makala rang to ask where he was as an important meeting was about to start. Rose answered and felt confused when she heard the woman's voice saying, "Hiya sweetheart, where are you? I'm already missing you and can't wait for dinner tonight." Joe had told Rose that he was going to the pub with his friends that evening. The fear swept through her like a tidal wave as she realised he had been lying to her.

When Joe arrived home that night, Rose asked him where he had been. "The Red Lion" Joe replied cheerfully.

"Who was there?"
"The usual gang - Keith, Pete and Tommy."
"Oh really? How come I saw Tommy when I went round to Linda's before? He says he hasn't been to the pub in yonks."
"Umm," Joe stuttered
"Don't lie to me! I spoke to your close 'friend' this morning. You should check which phone you carry around."
Joe tried to apologise, but Rose wasn't having any of it. She pointed to the red suitcase, which stood like the devil in the corner, and told him to leave.

In a state of shock, Joe loaded the suitcase into his car. He felt like he was in a nightmare, but he knew he wouldn't wake up from this. After a long drive, he found him parked outside Makala's door. He walked up the pitch-black path imagining how happy and surprised she would be to see him there.

He rang the doorbell, but she did not answer immediately. He could hear music and laughter. He went up to the window and through the gap in the curtains he could see Makala and a man he didn't recognise. A half-drunk bottle of red wine sat on the candlelit table. Now it was Joe's turn to feel confused. Makala had said she had needed to leave dinner with him early as she had lots of work to do. He was not the only liar. He had thrown away his marriage for nothing.

Joe needed to escape from it all. Keith suggested they have a trip to Las Vegas, the land of money, women and cabaret. Joe thought he may as well gamble his money in Vegas as he had already gambled away his happiness. Here he was in the airport, terminal 3, waiting to board the plane to freedom. There was no turning back, Rose would never forgive him. He looked at the woman next to him and noticed that she was young and attractive. She was using her flight ticket to Vegas as a bookmark. He tapped his foot to draw her attention and saw her eyes move to his expensive shoes.

"Is that a good book you're reading?" He asked
"Yes, although I won't be doing too much reading in Vegas," she replied with a flirtatious smile.
Joe leaned in towards her as she closed the book. He began his usual patter and could just see the title of the book in the corner of his eye: 'The Cheat.'