Sylvia's Story
I don't like her even more when she smiles. That self satisfied grin tortures my soul. I walk away from the table in the pub, knowing late last night she saw me coming out of Cliff's house.
"Oh Sylvia," she calls.
I put the smile on my face before I turn back round, "Yes Olive?"
"This knife is dirty."
I walk back to her table.
"Sorry Olive, I'll fetch you another one."
I take the knife from her, wondering how I don't stab her with it.
"A bowl of water too, for Max."
I return with the knife and the water, wanting to throw the latter over her.
I pull another pint for the chuckling Sam. He turns on his bar stool and looks at Olive and Fred, then back to me. He opens his mouth.
"Sam, don't say a word or you'll be wearing this beer."
His mouth shuts, and he grins to himself.
10 minutes later she is flicking her fingers. I ignore it.
"Sylvia, go and see what the woman from hell wants."
I glare at Kevin the landlord, but off I trot.
"Could you take Max out the back, he wants a tinkle."
I could go through the "I'm not here to walk your dog," but I don't.
I stand out the back waiting for the dog to pee; all it does is look up at me. I puff on a cigarette, and stick my tongue out at the dog; it still just stands there looking up at me.
"Has he been?"
"Um no," I say, a little puzzled at how Olive could sneak up behind me without me knowing.
"I do wonder who will be the more shocked, Cliff or Jason, to hear you've been screwing the other one. I can't imagine what Susan would say about the both of them fucking the slut from next door. She's in the pub by the way, looking for you. Don't look so worried, I haven't mentioned what you've been up to."
I hand her the dog lead and she grins at me.
Susan and I walk up the road after my shift. She looks at her old house and then comes in with me.
"Sylvia, I want to ask you something."
"Okay," I reply, drawing the word out slowly.
"Nigel, my boyfriend well he wants a threesome."
"God, who does he want you to do it with, one of his mates?"
She smiles and looks down at the carpet.
"No, he wants to do it with me, and....you."
I gulp and take a big breath.
"Look, he has opened me up to, things. Things which a few months ago I would never have thought about, well I've thought about it, but only sort of like in fantasy."
"Why me?"
"I could draw this out, but I think its best I come to the point. You have experience in things, from what you've told me in the past. I thought I could approach you. If you don't want to I understand. We don't have to do anything apart from maybe a kiss and a cuddle. I know I'm older than you, and the physical attraction probably isn't there, but well, you can say no, and we'll forget I asked you."
"I don't know what to say."
"Sorry for asking, I should go."
"Wait, what exactly does he want?"
"I thought we could sort of make it up as we go along. Just we two on the bed kissing in front of him would be good."
"Just kissing?" I ask.
"And if you could get him ready for me, you know play with his cock, maybe suck it a little. I don't want you two fucking though, he's agreed to that. I'm sorry it sounds a little weird, I'm not really very good at explaining it."
"Susan, I really don't know, let me think about it."
"I know it's a shock. Phone me and let me know. I'm going next door to see Cliff for a while; there are insurance papers we need to sort out."
Wendi's Story
I'm in the local junk shop stretching up trying to reach the cameras.
"Can I help you young lady?"
I turn round with a sad looking face.
"Yeah, I've got these tape things. My mum passed away not long ago, and I found the tapes. But I don't know what plays them. I was hoping to get a machine for my dad. He really misses her."
He looks at the tape I'm holding, and then up at the shelf. I watch him lift a tatty old box down.
"This should play them," he opens the box and pulls out an electrical lead, "that end goes in the camera, and that end goes in your telly."
"Great, how much do you want for it?"
"Well, I reckon £25 should cover it."
"What for this piece of junk?"
"How about 20 then, and that's the lowest I'll go."
I turn round to the shop window and nod at Lewis, a kid I know from school. He slips in the shop and grabs the rusty old bike by the door, and rushes out with it.
"Hey come back here you little shit, you stay here...and don't take anything."
I watch the fat man run after Lewis. I tuck the box under my arm, and run out of the shop in the other direct.
"Hey you little so and so, come back with that camera."
I run to the far end of the road and look back, grinning at the shop owner who is bent over, with his hands on his knees, trying to get his breath back.
I catch up with Lewis down by the canal.
"Wendi why do you want that old camera thing?"
"I just do, where's the bike?"
"Not worth it, the chain was knackered and the frame is rusty, also the bloody brakes don't work. I had to crash into a hedge to stop. I got scratches and cuts, see?"
I'm 20 paces away by the time Lewis realises it.
"Hey, what about the hand job you promised me?"
"Some other time," I call back.
I follow the directions and plug the camera in, open the port and push the tape in. I flick the switch on my telly, and in the screen I can see my wardrobe door clear as anything. I press the remote that was with the camera and nothing happens. Batteries, it must be the batteries. I open the slider on the back of the remote and there's a weird gooey mess at the end of the batteries. I look back at the camera, and find the play button. I press it.
