Slur: The Riverhill Trilogy: Book 1 by Heather Burnside Read Free Book Online Page B

if she turned him down, well that would prove that she
didn’t think that much of him anyway. What he would do if that situation arose
he wasn’t quite sure, but at least he would know where he stood, and the more
he thought about it, the more he knew that it was something he had to do.
    By the time
it reached 8:20, the waiter had asked Vinny twice if he would like to order,
and Vinny had explained that he was waiting for someone. It was now becoming
evident, even to the waiter, that that someone was not going to show up. The waiter
fussed around a nearby table, straightening knives and forks and flicking
imaginary bits of dust off the tablecloth. Now and again he cast a sidelong
glance in Vinny’s direction, as though awaiting a decision.
    Vinny had
already glanced at the menu several times and had long ago decided which dishes
he would like to order. His stomach rumbled in anticipation. As he tried to
occupy his time during the lengthy wait, he gazed around the restaurant at
happy couples tucking into their meals. Some looked back and, to Vinny, it
seemed that everybody in the restaurant knew that he had been stood up.
    Eventually
it became obvious to him that there wasn’t much hope of her turning up this
late in the evening. After taking one last glance at his watch, he stood up,
sighed and nodded towards the waiter before he left the restaurant feeling
downcast and very humiliated.
    His first
thought was to return home, but he decided that there was no point in sitting
there brooding. So he made his way to his local pub where he knew he would find
his friend Pete, amongst others.
    When Vinny
walked inside the pub he knew it was a mistake. His clothing looked out of
place in the surroundings of his local, so it became apparent to everyone that
he hadn’t intended to stay there for the entire evening.
    ‘Where you
off to mate?’ asked an acquaintance called Danny.
    ‘I’m not
off anywhere, I’ve already been,’ Vinny replied.
    ‘Well
you’re soon back aren’t you?’
    Vinny
sighed as he made the obligatory reply. ‘Let’s just say my arrangements didn’t
turn out.’
    ‘You’ve been
stood up, haven’t you?’ asked Danny sniggering.
    The crowd
sitting with Danny were quick to join in the fun, as they laughed and made
jibes. Pete came to Vinny’s rescue. ‘All right mate, do you fancy a pint?’ he asked
as he put his arm around Vinny’s shoulder and led him to the bar.
    Pete was
aware that Vinny had arranged to take Julie for a meal, so when he showed up in
his local a little after 9pm, he guessed what had happened.
    ‘Take no
notice of that bunch of prats. Let’s go and sit over there and you can tell me
about it.’
    ‘There’s
nothing to tell. I’ve been stood up, haven’t I?’
    ‘Have you tried
ringing her to find out why she didn’t show up?’
    ‘Yeah, I rang
her from two phone boxes on the way here but the phone was engaged all the
time. I thought about calling round to her house but that would just make me
look desperate.’
    ‘No, don’t
be a mug! Don’t worry about it mate. It’s not the end of the world.’
    ‘Maybe not but,
oh I dunno, I just don’t know where I stand with her anymore.’
    Vinny shook
his head from side to side before continuing. ‘It’s not like it’s just any
bird, you know? I really thought that me and Julie had something good going, especially
after the last time I saw her. Christ, she couldn’t get enough of me!’
    ‘Look
Vinny, there’s plenty of birds you can have. Why wait around for Julie? It’s
obvious she’s not that bothered.’
    ‘It’s not
just about having a shag though is it? I want more. I want commitment.’
    ‘For God’s
sake Vinny, you’re starting to sound like a woman!’
    An
uncomfortable silence descended over them; commitment wasn’t a word that
entered into Pete’s vocabulary. Vinny withdrew the package from his pocket and
showed it to Pete.
    ‘Oh I get
it,’ said Pete, nodding as the realisation hit him. ‘You