On December 31st, she had reached six months and twelve days. Congratulatory cards from others in the fellowship competed with those for Christmas on the bedroom mantelpiece. Bob leaned over and kissed her.
“Thank you for last night,” he said, “and for being so understanding when I had to defer the promised break until the New Year,” adding, “I will be off now but will be back within the hour.”
How things had changed. While it was hard going initially, she now wondered how she had liked the taste. It was good that all the empty bottles, hidden with increasing carelessness were in the past. Bob had also kept his pact to match her abstinence with renewed marital fidelity, which cannot have been easy when he travelled so much. Now, in casual clothes, he revved the car. Gravel crunched as he left to do his routine security check at the office. She picked up his suit jacket from the bergère chair and hung it in the walk-in wardrobe. As she left the bedroom, she was startled by a ringtone behind her. Realising he had left his mobile phone in the jacket and retrieving it, she saw it was a call from an unidentified number. Accepting the call, she heard a male voice asking, “Could I speak to Mr. McGrath please?”
“I am afraid he is out at the moment, can I help? This is his wife.”
“Oh, how nice to talk to you again Mrs. McGrath, this is the manager from the Royal. I do hope you enjoyed your mid-week break with us – one of the cleaners found a Colibri lighter in the bedside locker and we wondered if it is your husbands?”
Keeping her voice steady she asked, “is it engraved ROB?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“That is his,” she said. “I bought it for him in San Marino on our honeymoon. “Could you forward it to him please?”
Her knees were unsteady. Her face reddened. Decision reached, she stood and walked to the drinks cabinet and poured a large vodka. She could not miss the biro mark which indicated the level of spirit. “Just the one,” she said as she downed it. She then opened the safe and took out the service Webley revolver. Inserting bullets, she closed the breech, sat at the console in the hallway to await his return. She fingered the trigger.
“Just the two, just the two,” she said.