Coffee Shop 750 Word

The idea started as a long story. It popped into my head at three in the morning, but it seemed to fit 750 words. So here we go.

I heard she was back in town. Her brother told me, we were still close. I expected to bump into her at some stage of the game, and here she was in the coffee shop. It was the first time I had seen her since our divorce six years ago. My ex-wife saw me and gave a little smile. She headed towards me carrying two cups and a plate with something on.

She got next to the table, looked at me and said. "Do you mind?" indicating the vacant chair opposite me.

"It's a free country."

She sat down.

I stood up with my cup and the remains of my garibaldi biscuit. "And I have the right to leave. It looks like you've got company anyway." Her face dropped.

"Please don't go, these are for you." She pushed a cup and plate across. It was a cappuccino and a large Belgian chocolate chip cookie. Both my favourites at the time we were married.

"Please don't go. Please can we talk? It's been six years." I sat down. I did not touch the coffee or biscuit.

"One question, then I'll leave you alone. I probably know the answer, but I need to confirm it."

I nodded my head.

"I expected to get hurt from what I did. But did you have to burn me so much? My family disowned me, friends wouldn't talk to me, and work became so bad I had to leave. Did I hurt you that much?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean for you to get hurt. It was just a fling."

"That 'just a fling' broke my heart."

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to. You weren't supposed to find out."

"That's bollocks. You were and still are a gorgeous woman. He was parading you around town like a trophy. You may think you were being discreet, but he was not. Okay we never saw you kissing or even holding hands in public. But the way he looked at you there was something going on. But the killer was the photographs your brother showed me when you weren't in public. If you had done that in public, you would be locked up.

"If you weren't rubbing it in my face, he was. We had saved up enough to buy a bigger house, we were planning on starting a family, was it going to be his, was that the plan?"

She shook her head. "No, no never, we used protection."

"What? You hate condoms."

"There are other methods.

"Please, I'm so sorry. Back then I made a huge mistake. And I've regretted it every minute since." She paused. "Look, can we go out together on Saturday? I see Mario's is still open. Please can we just be friends? I'd like more, but if that's all there is, that's okay."

If what her brother told me was true, he had no reason not to. She had not formed a lasting relationship since the divorce. He suspected she moved back here to get over one and try to get me back.

"I'll think about it."

She smiled. "Do you still have my phone number?"

"No, I deleted you."

She got her phone out and my phone bonged. She still had my number. I didn't look.

Saturday was a memorable day for me. I wondered if she remembered it would have been our tenth wedding anniversary. She probably did, that was why she was here.

I left the coffee shop leaving the coffee and biscuit behind.

I phoned her brother, we talked.

I sent her a text. 'Mario's 7:30. You book'.

Saturday night I'm sitting on my sofa with my new wife, stroking the hair of my 4-year-old little girl, Lilly. She looked exactly like my ex's brother. Well, she would, she was his. The original plan was in vitro fertilisation. We would have been one happy family. Mind you he was a good-looking lad I would not have minded it the traditional way. But that would have been cheating on his wife.

I'd tried cock at university. It was okay but there was no connection. I found that connection when I met my ex-wife.

My phone went mad, I answered a text message at about ten o'clock. 'Why?'

"Now you know how it feels to be sat in a restaurant alone on your fourth wedding anniversary whist your boss is trying to fuck your wife straight.

"I gather he failed. Hope the 'little fling' was worth it?"

750 word stories are great for short punchy stories like this one, but they are light on character development, explanations, emotions and outcome. As you may be seen in this story there is a great scope for all of that. My initial thoughts at three in the morning a lot of these details were in my mind, including my second favourite use of a cricket bat by the ex-wife's brother. If there are enough requests, I may expand on the story, I also give permission for anyone else to have a go. I ask two things, if physical retribution is carried out on the boss, I would appreciate it if a cricket bat was used and let me know you write a follow on or full story.

Les