Frances Browning
Bexhill u3a
South East region
She’s Gone
Pete plonked himself into a corner of the settee and moped. The most wonderful girl in the world, the only girl he would ever love, had left him. He could hardly believe it; how could she just have gone off like that with hardly a word? He sighed heavily and tried to remember if there had been any signs that he’d missed that might’ve given him a clue that she intended to leave.
Yes, now he came to think about it there was that sudden mad flurry of washing and ironing she’d done, and she’d stocked up the cupboards and freezer with all his favourite foods and snacks.
He racked his brains trying to think of what he’d done to drive her away. True, he was a bit messy and untidy at times but then lots of the lads he knew were and their girls didn’t just go off without a word he thought indignantly. He always remembered their anniversary – well, give or take a couple of weeks, although he was useless at remembering birthdays, but that was no reason to just leave was it?
What’s more there had been plenty of good times hadn’t there? Walking together in the park, those cosy dinners together in the flat, just the two of them. They both still had their own circles of friends of course. He had never minded when she’d gone out with the girls for the evening. But he’d known she was coming back then. Now he didn’t know what to think.
He sighed deeply once more. She was such a wonderful girl. She’d even arranged for the woman next door to come in and look after him for a while – like she’d known he wouldn’t be much good at looking after himself at first. Mrs Shears was very kind of course, but she would keep looking at him in that pitying way. He heaved himself off the settee and mooched into the kitchen to see what she’d left him for lunch. Chicken, his favourite. He picked at it half-heartedly and then wandered back into the living room and flopped back down on the couch. It was past the time he usually ate but he just wasn’t all that hungry. Surprising that, because he’d always had such a good appetite – who would’ve thought a woman would ever be able to put him off his food!
He lay back on the settee staring gloomily at the ceiling and thought back to the first time they’d met. It had been at a ‘do’ at the Home he’d been brought up in – they’d just looked at each other and that had been it! There had been lots of far better looking blokes than him around and yet she’d chosen to be with him; how could things have gone so wrong?
A key turned in the lock. “Cooee Petey, I’m home” came a familiar female voice. Her voice!
Pete leapt up from the sofa and raced into her arms as she came through the living room door. “There’s a good boy, did you miss me then?” she crooned, stroking his head and scratching his ears while he licked her face ecstatically, his tail wagging madly. “Are you hungry Petey –pops? I’m going to fix you come lovely steak tonight ‘cos you’ve been such a good boy while I’ve been away for the weekend”
Pete snuggled his head into her neck and sighed deeply yet again. Who said it was a dog’s life?