Anniversary – Alec Hutchinson

‘Sure it is.’ The poor guy seemed to have sprung a leak or blown a gasket. He was just sitting there, upright, his hands at his sides—the way someone might after being flung from the wreckage. Best to tear the bottom right out and start again. She was already thinking what a great anecdote this would make. It was time to press it home.

‘This was the arrangement: you get the wife on the arm, you get some progeny.’ Philip’s eyes remained wide, mute, almost (dare she think it) contrite. Jane continued. ‘You renege on it, it’ll cost you half and probably custody, so you might as well see it through.’ She stopped to take a sip of her pinot.

‘Jane…’ He couldn’t think. It was all rather hard to process. Somehow, he felt the need to apologise… But for what?

She planted her glass and went on. ‘If you didn’t want this, then you should have known better. It’s your fault for being hapless in the first place. The terms are the terms and that’s the way it is.’

He was breathing heavily when the main course arrived. Again, someone across the restaurant laughed. The pan-oriental music continued providing ambience as the waiter refilled Jane’s wine.

They ate in silence.

One of them thoroughly enjoyed the meal.









Alec Hutchinson is the author of three indie novels: The Bell, The Last Resort (under pseudonym Josh Caverton), and The Vectors of Herbert Fish, as well as a collection of short stories, Asynchronous Ferox. Originally from Auckland, New Zealand, he currently lives in South London, UK, where he toils happily as a teacher.

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