I put the receiver down and pushed back in to the sitting room. Mark who was still sitting watching the porn film heard me say, “The bitch,” he looked up at me as I picked up the can of Fosters, “What’s up mate?”
I sat down and took a swig, “Its Sally, you know I told you we had a load of builders in the bar, bloody good drinkers, well as soon as she knew they had just been paid off and were moving on she was doing her usual land-lady flirty bit, well I got pissed off, said I’d go, she could close up, I didn’t think I was needed besides I’ve got an early start in the morning,” I took another swig.
Mark looked quizzically at me, “Ian spit it out, what’s the problem; you two did buy the pub to make money, didn’t you?”
I snapped back at him, “Yes, of course we did, but not to spend every hour of every day and night there, she’s gone money mad.”
Mark shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the film.
I sat there seething, “Look mate you don’t fucking understand, as soon as she sees people with money she starts, chatting, laughing and I don’t matter, she just wants their cash, now she’s doing a lock in. Says their spending good money I’ve told her I’m going to get pissed with you, do you know what the bitch said?”
Mark turned, looked and shook a disinterested head, but I wanted my say so I ranted on “She said, that’s typical of you, you spend it while I make it, well fuck her, if monies that important to her she can stay there all bloody night, let her have her fucking lock in.”
Mark took another swig, “She’s your wife, I just hope she don’t get to pissed to drive home.”
I laughed, “Oh no she’s to cute for that, she will look as though she’s drinking but all they buy her will be hidden under the bar for pouring back in the bottle later.”
I sat there, Mark watched some bird getting fucked on the T V but me I was really pissed off, it was just as much my pub as hers, O K I’ll give you she’s pretty, she makes herself look even better, you know short skirts and tight blouse’s, maybe flirts a bit and, yes she’s right it does bring in the punters, but there has to be a limit, we should have a life together, I didn’t want to watch the sex I wanted to have some, it was then I told Mark I was going home but as I got in the car I decided to go back and close that bloody pub, just to show her who was the boss.
I pulled in to the car park; the three white vans were still there. I knew it was pointless trying the front door, it would be bolted, I went to the kitchen door, found the key and slipped in.
I could here men’s laughter; I crept in to the back lounge bar. The lights were low so as not to alert any passing police cars, I had a good view of the main bar. Two men were playing pool, the others were dotted round the bar some more drunk than others, Sally was behind the bar, I could see about eight brandy glass’s under the counter, they must have been spending well.
To my surprise I noticed she wasn’t her usual chatty self, she was polishing glass’s then I heard the pool balls released again, she said, “Come on boys you said that was the last one, its time to close.”
One of them, who was well oiled said, “Come on, you said your old man was away getting pissed, what you got to go home for, ain’t our company good enough anymore, you didn’t complain when you were taking our money.”
I stood back in the shadows, counted eight of them and thought, O K little miss smarty-pants lets see you talk your way out of this.
One said, “Put some music on I fancy a dance,” the bloke beside the pool table flicked the on switch at the music player and inserted a coin. Sally rushed out from behind the bar, “No, no we have got to be quiet, police and all that,” but she never reached the machine a hand grabbed her a pulled her to him, Lady in Red, started playing.
She struggled, at that moment I laughed, I thought she must have wished I was there or that she’d come home with me, she was really struggling but she was no match for the man, he held her arms by her side almost lifting her around to the music.
She was getting angry, shouting at him as she tried to pull her arms up, all he was doing was singing to her as he swayed her from side to side, then he looked at one guy near the bar, “Go serve some more beers while me and the land-lady smooch a bit.”
I tried hard not to giggle at her helplessness as she pleaded with the others to make him stop, her little high heels trying to keep her in touch with the floor.
As the man who had been designated to get drinks stepped behind the bar things took a turn for, how should I say, the unusual?
“Look at this, that bitch hasn’t been drinking the brandies we been buying her, she’s got them all down here,” the one dancing stopped and looked at her, “You gona put them back in the morning, was yer?”
The man behind the bar put all eight drinks on the counter, she was really struggling now, the man holding said, “Who’s got tape in their pocket?” One guy moved over to his jacket fumbled in the pocket and pulled out a roll of red insulation tape.
The man holding her pulled her wrists back, “Just keep her still, wrap some round her wrists, I need to think about this.” She shouted, pleaded, almost cried but to no avail as the man wrapped the tape securely around, trapping her wrists behind her.
Now let me think, do I run to my wife’s aid or, like the series you say you don’t want to watch, but curiosity demands you do, do I wait and see what happens next, after all I’m not wanted, I’m not the one who brings the punters in and most of all, I’m not here, am I?
Still protesting she was marched to the bar; the music had stopped as all the men gathered round her, he pointed to the glass’s, “Go on Trev, pour us all another and lets have another brandy for the land-lady and make them large ones because these are on the house.”
