Southend U3A

Writing for Fun

July 2017

Déjà Vu - Maureen Rampersaud

Brian was worried. Leonie was acting in a very shifty way. When he asked her where she’d been, she avoided eye contact and stuttered out an implausible answer. He hoped it wasn’t déjà vu. Sylvia, wife number two, had displayed the same behaviour just before she ran off with all his money. He shrugged and went down the pub.

He was feeling quite merry when he returned, eventually managing to turn the key and burst in through the front door.

‘I’ve got to go.’ Leonie hastily put down the receiver. Before he could ask who was on the ‘phone she muttered something about an early night and disappeared upstairs. Brian collapsed into the armchair. He recalled the time that Beth, wife number one, had done exactly the same thing . . . just before she ran off with Derek from next door. He sighed and switched the telly on.

Brian trudged home from work the next day with a cloud of gloom around his ears. The house was dark. Well, either she’d taken the lunchtime flight to Malaga with all his money, or she’d taken the lunchtime flight to Malaga with Ian from accounts . . . or maybe both. Tears burned in his eyes as he fished out his keys, was he a born victim?

‘Surprise!’ Forty friends and family jumped up and down with balloons and party poppers.

‘You didn’t think I’d forget your birthday, did you?’ purred Leonie, wife number three, as she encircled him with her arms.