Henry V Pt 01

This stared out as a 750 word story. The aim was to get as close to 750 then thin it down. When I did that, it seemed too thin, so I asked for some advice and decided to take that advice and publish the full story. I also gave me the chance to expand a little bit.

With short stories, some people complain there is no ending, a sort of FTDS. So, for those of you that want to know what happens there is an epilogue part 2 which I will publish in a few days' time.

Les

I was watching Kenneth Branagh in Henry V, he was just coming up to his Band of Brothers, St Crispin's day speech, one of my favourite bits. When my phone rang. It was my little brother, Stevie. That was strange, he was at a swish Golf Club function. We ran a small electrical company together and we had installed some lighting for them in the summer. I got invited to their Autumn Dance as a thank you. Not my sort of thing. I thought the management and the people we met were a bunch of pretentious pricks. I felt they looked down on working people like Stevie and me.

I answered it. "Hi Bro." He said he was several years younger than me, at times I thought he spoke a different language. "Where's Ginny?"

My wife Virginia, Ginny, was on a girls night out, whilst I babysat our two kids Mickey, seven and his sister Victoria, not Vicky. Eight and a half, not eight.

Ginny, five foot eight bundle of fun. A fantastic 36 28 36 figure. She was very pretty, but with a touch of make up she was gorgeous, and she had a smile and a sparkle that lit up any room.

"Sorry Dude, I think she's here at the golf club with a bloke."

"Shit, can you send me a photo?"

"I've already got one, here it is."

It arrived showing Ginny. The light wasn't good, but you could definitely see it was her dancing with this tall, slim, suave man with salt and pepper hair, looked a bit accountant lawyer type, she looked gorgeous, she always did, but I'd never seen that dress before.

They were dancing close, and you could just see him touching her breast. What the Fuck! My phone ​​bonged again, and it was another photo of them kissing.

I had to find out what the fuck was happening. I wasn't thinking straight but I had an idea how to sort this out. Shock and awe.

"Stevie, can you watch what happens?"

"Better than that bro, I'll stream it."

A picture appeared on my phone, and it was of Ginny and the bloke at a table, they were holding hands over it.

I sent Ginny a message. I saw her pick her handbag off the table and put it on the seat beside her. She would have heard the tone and known it was me.

"Stevie, can you get a waiter to go and tell her to answer the message from her husband."

I heard Stevie attract the attention of a waiter and ask him to do that, I saw him walk across and talk to Ginny. The look on her face was amazing. I could see her wonder. How did the waiter know she had a message from her husband and then the realisation, how did her husband know where she was.

She got her phone out and looked at the picture of her holding hands with the bloke, the next one was of them kissing. Her hands flew to her mouth. She was still for a few seconds, then gathered up her phone and ran to the door straight through the people dancing.

Stevie tracked her with his phone. When she had gone, he tracked back to the bloke. He stayed where he was looking confused.

It was seventeen and a half minutes when I heard a car draw up and a door slam.

Ginny came hurtling in through the door.

"It's not what it looks like."

"Tell me, what does it look like, you dancing, kissing another man, letting him feel your tit and not slapping him, what does it look like, tell me?"

She just stood there looking down.

"How many times?"

"Once."

Give me your lovers name,"

"I can't do that"

"Give me his name or we are finished"

"I can't, it would ruin him."

"So, he's more important to you than me or your family. You're going to throw 12 years away, just like that?"

She cried. She looked up at me with big sad eyes. "You'd hurt him then, you'd end up in prison and I would lose you."

"By fucking another man you've already lost me, the only way to get me back is tell me his name."

"He'll lose his job."

So, it was somebody she worked with. But there were hundreds of men in that company.

"Again, thinking of him not me or your marriage."

"He's got a wife and children."

"Still thinking of him not me, Protect him or your family, your choice.

"Choose carefully. Look if it makes it easier, I promise I won't hurt him, I won't lay a finger on him."

She looked at me sadly. "It was just the once, in his office, it was a mistake, I should never have done it. I'm sorry, I'm not sorry I got caught, it stopped me going further. But I am more sorry I did it, it was wrong." She looked up at me. "Charles Wilson."

"Where does he live?"

"17 Arcadia Ave, but he's probably still at the Golf Club now."

"Time I got my cricket bat went to the Golf Club then."

"But you promised you wouldn't hurt him."

"I said I wouldn't lay a finger on him. I'm not. It's a cricket bat."

"You promised you remained faithful till death do us part, guess we're both liars then."