Hello everyone and welcome to another Monday morning. I hope you all have a beautiful, healthy and peaceful week. I thought I would share my first short story with you today. It's only 500 words and was written for a competition. I hope you enjoy it, love Julesy x
Waiting for George
Three minutes to seven. George always arrived home at seven. Arthur was very clear about this. He had little else to think about most
days. The pain in his legs so intense he
could barely get up let alone walk. Weekdays
felt endless. He would drift into
dreamless sleep for what seemed like hours only to discover that just a few
minutes had passed. He would wake,
continue to watch whichever channel George had left on TV that morning and then
count the hours until he returned. Arthur was tired. So, so tired.
George had been married to Rosemary for 49
years. And for the past 16, the three of
them had lived companionably together in their small Edwardian cottage. This last year, Rosemary had fallen ill. She had grown weaker and weaker, barely able
to get out of bed. Arthur knew the
feeling. And then one day Rosemary
didn’t come down at all, not even for her afternoon cup of tea taken from a
bone china teacup.
That evening, George had shuffled down the
stairs looked sadly at Arthur and gently nodded his head from side to
side. ‘She’s gone Arthur, she’s gone’ he
had said. George cried, then sobbed
uncontrollably and eventually, legs weak from both age and despair, he crumbled
to the floor. Arthur managed to get
himself up and despite his crippling arthritis, had offered George support.
And now they needed each other more than
ever. Rosemary and George had never had
children. Arthur’s health had deteriorated of late and although there was
little he could do to compensate for the loss of Rosemary he knew that George
appreciated his company and what little comfort he could provide.
Arthur looked up at the clock on the
mantel, dust motes dancing through the air as the evening sun shone in his rheumy
eyes through a chink in the heavy green curtains. He considered moving from the threadbare wingback
chair to the sofa to avoid the sun.
Perhaps he would get himself a drink first. Water dribbled from his
mouth as he hobbled back into the room and settled himself on the sofa, his
legs stiff and his joints painful.
George would give him his medication when he came home. Today was the
last day of waiting until seven. George
had finally taken retirement. Arthur
needed him. He needed Arthur. Having lost one best friend, George couldn’t
bear to lose another and not be there for him.
As the mantel clock struck seven Arthur
heard the key in the lock and looked up expectantly. ‘Only me’ called George, taking his shoes off
carefully by the door and placing them in the cupboard under the stairs. He came in and sat down beside Arthur. ‘Well that’s work all finished’ he said. ‘At last!’
Arthur and George sighed in unison.
George smiled at Arthur, stroked his head and ruffled the fur under his
chin. Arthur wagged his tail gently from
side to side. No more waiting.
