Numbers Up
By Bradene
- 727 reads
Elsie had found a new friend, it had been a while since her partner had died, she was lonely. She'd never been good on her own, had always needed company, even now when she was about to turn eighty two she still felt the need to be with someone.
She’d met Paddy as she was gardening, he was the local community policeman. She'd heard on the grapevine that they had a new one, a bit older than the last chap, he'd been far too young. The old folk on the estate just couldn’t connect with him; so when Paddy stopped by to say hello she was pleasantly surprised to see he was in his late forties and rather portly; obviously not long off retirement.
From the moment they met there was a spark. Elsie had always been attractive to younger men so was elated to find she still possessed that certain something men always saw in her.
Her house soon became a bolt hole for Paddy, when he wanted tea and biscuits or somewhere to pass the time. Paddy always gave her a nice kiss before he left.
This morning she'd bumped into Paddy in the supermarket just as she was buying her lottery ticket, he came over and whispered,
“Won’t see you till tonight, I’m on a split shift the rest of the week, new rota they’re trying out. Tell you later, oh I haven’t forgotten what day it is.”
ooOoo
Later as Elsie watched the coloured balls popping up one by one on the TV Screen she couldn’t believe her luck and on her birthday too!
She wondered how much longer It would be before Paddy arrived, she could hardly wait to tell him, she knew he would tell her how to claim her prize.
Elsie sat knitting her steel pins click clacking in the silence of her neat little sitting room, then the sound she'd waited to hear all evening, the soft rat-a-tat-tat on the window meant Paddy had arrived. She picked up the pink ticket and with knitting needles in hand Elsie rushed to let Paddy in blurting out her news almost all in one breath.
Paddy’s face lit up, one arm went around her, his free shovel sized hand held her smaller one that held the knitting needles and he bent to kiss her lips. Elsie’s heart leapt as a sharp pain of happiness pierced through it, dimly as the light faded from her eyes she heard Paddy whisper “Happy birthday sweetheart.”
Paddy stooped to pick up the piece of pink paper that had fluttered to the floor as he'd wished Elsie a happy birthday.
He always knew his numbers would come up one day…
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