The Drunken Bet

Alexis looked at her reflection in the mirror as she swung her heavy  shiny ash blonde over her left  shoulder.

Catching it she brush the ends until it lay smooth as spun silk against the curve of her neck. “You’re looking very lovely this morning,” Coran murmured  as he smeared  butter on his toast. Ignoring his  remark Alexis  pushed her arms into the sleeves of her coat and picking up her shoulder bag made for the door.

Sitting on the bus Alexis pondered his muttered comment. It had been a long time since he had commented on her appearance. And an even longer time since he had come out from behind his newspaper in the morning. She snorted. Too afraid to look me  in the face in case I see his two-timing  guilt reflected in  his eyes, she mused.

She shifted her mind to the day’s work in front of her. As a newly qualified doctor working in inner  London most days where marked by some kind of  emergency and she knew today would be no different.

When she had started to work at St Martha’s she had driven to work but long traffic jams and expensive parking had pushed her into using the buses and trains. Today the bus was crowed with students.  They called to each other as they jostled their way into the seats, holding iPod’s and laptop bags afloat.. Alexis smiled wryly. Oh to be young and carefree again. She glanced enviously out of the window at a couple obviously very much in love clinging together for one lass kiss before going their separate way. An ache of longing  seized  her heart. When had she and Coran stopped loving each other in that way? Her mind drifted to the times when they’d text each other or send covert messages of how much they loved each other at every opportunity. She fixed her gaze on another coupled as the bus slowed. The man, tall and slender smiled into his girlfriends eyes as he gentle rubbed his cupped hand  up and down her cheek. The girl, stretched up on tiptoes and kissed him full on the mouth – a last lingering passionate kiss. A wordless promise of things to come  later .

She dragged her eyes away. When had it all gone wrong? Was it the problem of busy working day or the drinking they both did to relax. Or, was it when she challenged him about his late nights and infidelity?

 

Coran flung his caseload for the Law Courts into his bulging briefcase and slammed the apartment door behind him. The last place he wanted to go today was to work. He caught as glimpse of his unshaven face. Maybe he could get away with it – pretend he was growing a stubble. He shrugged. What the hell. Burning the candle at both ends was ruining his marriage and his reputation. But last night had been something else. I have to stop drinking and picking up women in night clubs, he mused as he glanced again in the car mirror.

He cursed the traffic jam and idly played with his phone. The same message had been left twice. It was from David. “Great night – phone me as soon as you get in,” it read. David? Had he been there last night? It was a standing joke in the office that David fancied Coran. A sense of apprehension shivered its way down his spine. There had been a lot of back slapping and a game about…He braked suddenly as the driver in front slowed to a crawl. He went back to thinking about his colleague. David, with his mop of unruly hair and shy smile. He looks more like a musician than a throat cut lawyer, Cornan mused. Fragments of the night began to  filtering through his hangover. The nods and winks and the bet. Coran swore violently and slowly edge the car forward. Surely he hadn’t been so drunk that he taken the bet? Jesus! Alexia would surely leave him! two-timing her with a woman – but a man – and a man like David – an openly gay man!

His phone shrilled and  David’s number and an image  appeared. “I fucking don’t believe this,” Coran shouted flinging the phone from its place on the dashboard to the floor of the car.  Shivers raced up and down his spine. He remembered now waking up in the back seat of a taxi stark bollock naked and David… His stomach heaved. David had been … His foot trembled and the car shot forward. There was a sickening tearing of metal as he ploughed into the back of the car in front.

 

Alexis barely glanced up as the paramedics stretchered  in yet another  victim of the early morning pile up.

“Male – head trauma,”  one of them said shaking his head.

“Next cubicle! Can’t you see we have our hands full here,” the head of team rapped out.

Alexis work mechanically and the morning passed in a blur of work.

“Alexia.”

“”Yes? Alexia said moving the curtain that separated the cubicles.

“This poor bastard  didn’t make it – no surprise really; belly  full of last night’s  booze and his brain   full of glass. Will you tell the next of fin?”

Alexia hesitated.

“You have to do it sooner or later,” her senior barked shoving a sheaf at papers into her hands.  Alexia looked down into what remained of Coran’s face. “Don’t you dare faint on me,” her boss hissed. But it was too late….