There she was again. Every lunch time for the past 4 months, sitting in the same place, drinking glasses of white wine. Looking every time the door opened to see if he was ever going to come through the door again. A tear forming in her eye as the clock ticked towards 3 pm.
Carol had been coming to the pub for years. First as a single girl just out of school, before the licensing laws had virtually irradiated underage drinking, then as a married woman. This place was part of her if she realised it or not.
She had been married to Barry for 35 years, had 2 children who had left home and gone on to live their lives far away from a father who was always cruel and usually abusive. Carol missed him. She ached for him to come through the door, even though she knew that it was never going to happen. She had been there when he died, in a hospital bed, being cruel to her as he always had been.
The clock was still ticking and carol was reaching the point of oblivion when the man behind the bar rang the bell "last Orders" he shouted. Carol came over to the bar and ordered another "large white".
Rob, the landlord, spoke softly to Carol and she went back to her seat without a drink. Rob continued to serve those few stragglers on a Tuesday lunch time and set about tidying the bar ready for the next shift.
People started to leave with a wave to Rob and a courteous nod to Carol. Eventually, the bar was deserted apart from them. Rob came from behind the bar and brought with him a bottle of wine and another glass.
He sat down next to Carol with a sigh, took the bottle and poured 2 large glasses out. Gave one to Carol and then started to speak.
"Carol, I know it's been hard for you over the past 4 months but Barry was a mean hearted bastard. Look at how he treated you, how he treated your kids"