Friday, January 30, 2009

One less for lunch

‘Are you ready to order ladies?’ the waiter asked.
Every Thursday six old friends met for lunch in the town’s most fashionable eatery. But right now there were only five.
‘Not yet, we’ll just give Olivia a couple of minutes. She’s not normally late. I hope she’s alright.’
The restaurant was filling up, and instead of the usual contented mumbling there was an air of excitement about the place. Something must have happened and it was clearly the talk of the town.
The friends noticed that people were furtively glancing towards their table. Things were being whispered behind hands. What was going on?
A man walked through the door. He looked around. Seeing the friends, he walked over to their table.
He introduced himself as Olivia’s PA from her office. They could tell from the pained expression on his face that something was seriously wrong.
‘Olivia met ....a man last night’ he started. ‘You are not going to believe what I’m about to tell you. I hardly believe it myself’
He sat down and helped himself to a glass of wine. His hand was shaking.
It seems that Olivia had met this man before. She had been charmed by him on many an occasion, but last night she had given in to his seductive ways. When she woke in the morning he was gone.
What happened next was totally unbelievable. Early that morning she went looking for him, and burst into his office where she produced a gun from underneath her cloak. All it took was a single shot and he was no more.
In no time at all the police arrived and she was taken away and placed in a cell at the station.
Minutes later a gang had rushed the police station and taken Olivia away at gunpoint.
He dropped his head into his hands and took a few deep breaths. He suddenly composed himself, sat bolt upright and told them that Olivia had been found left for dead on some waste ground just outside the town. She was rushed to the hospital where they fought to save her as she became weaker and weaker.
‘She had asked to see me’ he continued. ‘I was just in time. With her dying breath she gave me this message to bring to you’
‘Miss Olivia regrets she’s unable to lunch today’
Loosely based on the lyrics of the 1934 Cole Porter song ‘Miss Otis Regrets’

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21 comments:

  1. oh that was a delight,, and i am listening to the song right now... what a charmer....

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  2. i can not tell how I feel, it's just so great!

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  3. This is a great story with its swings from one conclusion to another. Just when we think we know what has happened to Olivia there is another (two sentence) chapter.

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  4. oh no!!!! beautifully told. i again didn't see that coming.

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  5. What a neat connection of song to Sunday Scribblings prompt. What bothered me most about Olivia's story is that it seems so ordinary, a random kind of violence that could happen to any woman, and we are left with regrets on so many levels.

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  6. Ah. It would make a great one act play.

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  7. dark!! i like it. what did olivia get herself into?

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  8. Hi Keith, I wasn't sure where this was going and then BOOM! And you qualified it all so well with the Cole Porter number. Amazing!

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  9. LOVEd this Keith! I haven't heard that song in a while, is that what happens in the song?! I remember Bette midler doing it ( well, re-doing it) I can't wait to go play it! VerY creative post <3

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  10. way too clever and funny --- gave me a giggle when i needed it!!!

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  11. How could I not comment on this...wonderful.

    b

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  12. Great read - you've done well for Olivia - amazing take on the prompt and the song, as well!

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  13. What a delicious end after all that excitement. Great story Keith

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  14. What a delicious end after all that excitement. Great story Keith

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  15. Well she is British after all!

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  16. Well she is British after all!

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  17. Well now double comments huh...how cool is that....I'll have a double scotch thanks mate!

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  18. Hi I'm Deeptesh from Calcutta.Do chk out my poems on my blog.I'll be waiting

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  19. Damn...I had no idea where that was going. Very interesting!

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  20. Poor woman - she missed lunch :(

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  21. I never heard the lyrics to that song before, so your story was a complete surprise to me, beginning to end! And you found Ethel Waters - wow.
    But I agree with Rosey. :)

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