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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Drama / Human Interest
- Subject: Character Based
- Published: 07/30/2023
Happy Birthday
Born 1948, F, from Epping. Essex, United KingdomHappy Birthday
When Dan’s wife kicked him out of the family home, he calmly packed a few bits in a backpack and walked round to his best friend Harry. This is how sure he was that he would soon be back.
Beth, his wife of over 20 years, had found some texts which at best could only be described as flirty but which she screamed at him were pornographic. Dan had held his hands up and told her that he had just been messing about, that they were meaningless, and had she ever seen Mandy, aged 22, who worked with him in the call centre.
‘Nothing too stunning about her’ he lied.
He had assured Beth that there was nothing to worry about.
But that explanation had not worked, as he tried to play it all down, because he was lying his head off. Beth was incandescent with rage.
’22 years we’ve been married, 2 kids, who incidentally will now see you as a dirty old man’.
Then ‘Get out, now’ she’d screamed.
Dan felt it best to go, let things cool down, have a think about how to play this.
Mandy had not been ‘a bit of fun’. She had been a full-blown affair for the last 18 months, and he had loved it. The intrigue, the extra sex, the sheer flattery that she had been interested.
But now months later, he felt almost suicidal. Harry had only let him stay a few weeks and then told him to find somewhere.
‘Somewhere’ was a small, rented studio flat that backed onto a derelict concrete space. It was near enough to his old home for the kids to visit, and they did at first. But the cramped, poorly furnished space got them down, and there was no wifi.
So today was his 43rd birthday. He lay in bed feeling the dirty sheets cling to him, and he cried. Something he hadn’t done since his wedding day, way back then, they had been tears of happiness.
Heaving himself out of bed, he went into the tiny bathroom, climbed into the bath and tried to have a shower in the trickle of water which fell on him. Drying himself down, he hunted through the dirty clothes that littered the floor, for the least dirty items. It was as he was looking in vain for some clean pants, that he sat down with a jolt.
Dan knew he had worked hard for his family. He manged a large call centre in the City of London and earnt good money. As he reflected, he knew that he had not valued Beth enough. She too worked hard as a Nurse and provided a lovely home and a haven for her children. How had he ever risked all that?
He thought about Mandy who had dropped him like a hot potato as soon as he had told her Beth had found out, and even now he cringed as he remembered the scene Beth had made at his workplace, arriving during the late shift, demanding to speak to Mandy, showing her photos of them as as a family, then dragging her by the hair out of her seat, pulling off her head phones and punching her hard. The police had been called, she was charged with common assault, and a court case was pending.
And now, here he was on his birthday, looking properly at his surroundings. ‘It’s squalid’ he reflected. Clothes everywhere, piles of unwashed crockery. Takeaway food containers littering the floor, especially by the side of the bed.
‘Happy Birthday mate’ he said as he caught his reflection in the dirty window.
He dressed as best he could and started to gather the dirty clothes together in a large bin bag. For god’s sake, he lived next door to a laundrette, he thought. He also collected up all the rubbish, and walked round to the bins and on into the laundrette.
The woman who ran it said ‘Hello mate, wondered if we were ever going to see you. Run out of clothes have you? Come on, pass them over. You want a service wash?’
‘What’s that? ‘
The woman looked at him with sarcastic pity. ‘It’s where you give me all the clothes, I put them in the wash, dry them, fold them and you pay me extra’.
‘Fair enough’ said Dan. ‘You learn something new every day’ and at that, they both laughed.
‘Come on, pass it all over. Fallen out with you missus have you? That’s usually the reason men like you end up in here’.
‘Basically, I’ve been an idiot. I’ve hit rock bottom and I figure the only way is to try and get up again. How long does the wash take?’
‘Just a couple of hours’.
Dan walked back round to the flat, filled a bucket with soapy water and mopped all the floors. It took three attempts before they were properly clean.
He wondered if the kids had remembered his birthday. Probably not. Well, served him right.
Around 4 o clock, he wandered back to the laundrette and collected his clean, folded washing. Once back in the flat he remade the bed with the clean bedding and again burst into tears. The smell coming off the sheets was like home.
‘I need to get a grip’ he told himself. ‘Just feeling sorry for myself. What a birthday’. He thought of how his birthday usually went. Presents and cards from Beth and the kids, and then a family meal, perhaps a takeaway or a walk down to the local pub and then to a pizzeria.
He started to put his clothes away in the single chest of drawers. As he was doing this, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, he stared in shock. There stood Beth.
‘Happy Birthday Dan. Don’t get your hopes up. Nothing’s changed. We just wondered if you wanted to come for a drink for your birthday. The kids are in bits with you not being home’.
‘I would love that’ Dan said. ‘how about we just go to the Social Club. It’s nearer and the kids like it in there. Say it’s got a ‘better vibe’.
Beth nodded. ‘Good idea. I’ll just let them know and we’ll see you in there’.
Half an hour later, Dan sat with his family in a familiar place but nothing was the same. The conversation was awkward and stilted but at least they were together.
He looked round at them all and said, ‘Mind if I say something?’
Three faces turned to him.
‘I know I’ve been a total idiot. I’ve cried more today than I have in years. But it’s not self-pity. It’s true deep regret. Because you are all the best thing that ever happened to me and I know I’ve lost all that but I just want you to know I am so, so sorry. I’m beyond grateful that you’ve done this today and I’ve got the chance to say all that. Now finish your drinks and let’s go get a pizza’.
The kids cheered and as they walked down the road together, his son and his daughter each took an arm. Too old to hold hands now but this was the next best thing. Dan looked at Beth. She stared back at him, her husband, and just gave a small nod and a slight smile.
Dan thought ‘Maybe, just maybe….’
Happy Birthday(Kristin Dockar)
Happy Birthday
When Dan’s wife kicked him out of the family home, he calmly packed a few bits in a backpack and walked round to his best friend Harry. This is how sure he was that he would soon be back.
Beth, his wife of over 20 years, had found some texts which at best could only be described as flirty but which she screamed at him were pornographic. Dan had held his hands up and told her that he had just been messing about, that they were meaningless, and had she ever seen Mandy, aged 22, who worked with him in the call centre.
‘Nothing too stunning about her’ he lied.
He had assured Beth that there was nothing to worry about.
But that explanation had not worked, as he tried to play it all down, because he was lying his head off. Beth was incandescent with rage.
’22 years we’ve been married, 2 kids, who incidentally will now see you as a dirty old man’.
Then ‘Get out, now’ she’d screamed.
Dan felt it best to go, let things cool down, have a think about how to play this.
Mandy had not been ‘a bit of fun’. She had been a full-blown affair for the last 18 months, and he had loved it. The intrigue, the extra sex, the sheer flattery that she had been interested.
But now months later, he felt almost suicidal. Harry had only let him stay a few weeks and then told him to find somewhere.
‘Somewhere’ was a small, rented studio flat that backed onto a derelict concrete space. It was near enough to his old home for the kids to visit, and they did at first. But the cramped, poorly furnished space got them down, and there was no wifi.
So today was his 43rd birthday. He lay in bed feeling the dirty sheets cling to him, and he cried. Something he hadn’t done since his wedding day, way back then, they had been tears of happiness.
Heaving himself out of bed, he went into the tiny bathroom, climbed into the bath and tried to have a shower in the trickle of water which fell on him. Drying himself down, he hunted through the dirty clothes that littered the floor, for the least dirty items. It was as he was looking in vain for some clean pants, that he sat down with a jolt.
Dan knew he had worked hard for his family. He manged a large call centre in the City of London and earnt good money. As he reflected, he knew that he had not valued Beth enough. She too worked hard as a Nurse and provided a lovely home and a haven for her children. How had he ever risked all that?
He thought about Mandy who had dropped him like a hot potato as soon as he had told her Beth had found out, and even now he cringed as he remembered the scene Beth had made at his workplace, arriving during the late shift, demanding to speak to Mandy, showing her photos of them as as a family, then dragging her by the hair out of her seat, pulling off her head phones and punching her hard. The police had been called, she was charged with common assault, and a court case was pending.
And now, here he was on his birthday, looking properly at his surroundings. ‘It’s squalid’ he reflected. Clothes everywhere, piles of unwashed crockery. Takeaway food containers littering the floor, especially by the side of the bed.
‘Happy Birthday mate’ he said as he caught his reflection in the dirty window.
He dressed as best he could and started to gather the dirty clothes together in a large bin bag. For god’s sake, he lived next door to a laundrette, he thought. He also collected up all the rubbish, and walked round to the bins and on into the laundrette.
The woman who ran it said ‘Hello mate, wondered if we were ever going to see you. Run out of clothes have you? Come on, pass them over. You want a service wash?’
‘What’s that? ‘
The woman looked at him with sarcastic pity. ‘It’s where you give me all the clothes, I put them in the wash, dry them, fold them and you pay me extra’.
‘Fair enough’ said Dan. ‘You learn something new every day’ and at that, they both laughed.
‘Come on, pass it all over. Fallen out with you missus have you? That’s usually the reason men like you end up in here’.
‘Basically, I’ve been an idiot. I’ve hit rock bottom and I figure the only way is to try and get up again. How long does the wash take?’
‘Just a couple of hours’.
Dan walked back round to the flat, filled a bucket with soapy water and mopped all the floors. It took three attempts before they were properly clean.
He wondered if the kids had remembered his birthday. Probably not. Well, served him right.
Around 4 o clock, he wandered back to the laundrette and collected his clean, folded washing. Once back in the flat he remade the bed with the clean bedding and again burst into tears. The smell coming off the sheets was like home.
‘I need to get a grip’ he told himself. ‘Just feeling sorry for myself. What a birthday’. He thought of how his birthday usually went. Presents and cards from Beth and the kids, and then a family meal, perhaps a takeaway or a walk down to the local pub and then to a pizzeria.
He started to put his clothes away in the single chest of drawers. As he was doing this, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, he stared in shock. There stood Beth.
‘Happy Birthday Dan. Don’t get your hopes up. Nothing’s changed. We just wondered if you wanted to come for a drink for your birthday. The kids are in bits with you not being home’.
‘I would love that’ Dan said. ‘how about we just go to the Social Club. It’s nearer and the kids like it in there. Say it’s got a ‘better vibe’.
Beth nodded. ‘Good idea. I’ll just let them know and we’ll see you in there’.
Half an hour later, Dan sat with his family in a familiar place but nothing was the same. The conversation was awkward and stilted but at least they were together.
He looked round at them all and said, ‘Mind if I say something?’
Three faces turned to him.
‘I know I’ve been a total idiot. I’ve cried more today than I have in years. But it’s not self-pity. It’s true deep regret. Because you are all the best thing that ever happened to me and I know I’ve lost all that but I just want you to know I am so, so sorry. I’m beyond grateful that you’ve done this today and I’ve got the chance to say all that. Now finish your drinks and let’s go get a pizza’.
The kids cheered and as they walked down the road together, his son and his daughter each took an arm. Too old to hold hands now but this was the next best thing. Dan looked at Beth. She stared back at him, her husband, and just gave a small nod and a slight smile.
Dan thought ‘Maybe, just maybe….’
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
08/04/2023So sad that people don't know what they have until it's gone. Terrific story of regret, Kristin! A well-deserved short story star of the day!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shirley Smothers
08/04/2023Sad but there is hope. I think we all take our partners for granted. Lovely story. Powerful and thought prvoking. Congratulations!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
08/04/2023Great story Kristin. Happy Short Story Star of the Day.
Blessings Shelly
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