The Second Chance of Joshua Messer by Rodney Strong

Author:Rodney Strong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LoreQuinn Publishing

14

I

t was still pouring with rain when Joshua woke the next morning with a sore head. As he dressed, he vowed to dilute the vodka next time Emily came to visit.

He had the kitchen to himself, but just as he put the bread dough aside to rise, Emily joined him.

‘You were never much of an early riser,’ Joshua said, as she reached for the teapot and poured herself a cup of tea.

‘Neither were you. I’d be lucky to see you before midday on a Saturday.’

‘How would you know? You were always at the gym.’

‘You have to admit, it was worth it.’

‘You know I thought you were attractive—’

‘Hot. You thought I was hot. Attractive is someone in their thirties. I didn’t put in all that work to be attractive in my twenties.’

‘There is no way I’m going to call you hot.’

Emily peered over her drink. ‘Perhaps not now, but there were plenty of guys who thought it back then.’

‘Em!’

She laughed. ‘Alright! Safer grounds. I loved that house. Have you ever been back?’

Joshua shook his head.

The old wooden bungalow in the southern suburb of Kilbirnie had been the first place he lived after leaving home and it had as soft a spot in his memory as any place he’d lived, but he was never that nostalgic about things. Virtually identical on the outside to every other house on the street, it still had the original Rimu wood floors, along with all the other features that came with a decades old house – warped window glass, rotting window frames, no insulation, and water pipes that made using the shower an exercise in patience and physics.

‘I drove past it a little while ago on the way to the shops. They’ve painted it light blue and there’s some roses out the front, but apart from that it looked just the same.’

‘I’m surprised it’s still standing. It’s older than I am by fifty years and I’m barely standing.’

‘Good bones.’

‘Me or the house?’ Emily took another sip of her drink, failing to cover her smug look.

The sense of being manipulated came back to Joshua, but it was the familiar feeling of memory rather than the abrasive present. ‘I was a bit grumpy last night…’ he started, and she burst out laughing.

‘Joshua, on a scale of your grumpiness that didn’t even register.’

‘You make it sound like I’m grumpy all the time.’ His tone triggered fresh laughter and he scowled. ‘What do you know about Ana?’ he asked, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from him.

Emily placed her cup on the bench top and straightened the ring on her left hand. Joshua had been at her wedding when she’d put it on the first time and told the world she would never take it off. Despite having been widowed for fifteen years she still held true to that promise.

‘What has she told you about herself?’

‘Nothing. She said she wanted to stay in character while we were making the movie.’

‘So you’re asking me to gossip?’

Joshua picked up the kitchen cloth and began wiping the clean bench.

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