On the Road

The White Hart Inn had a warm glow in its black-wood belly, thick and soft against the outside, so if you snatched a look you’d be protected by the golden reflections flickering in the windows from the blue ink, clear moon night outside.

Twisting a rag in a glass, I glanced at the clock over the slumped shoulder of our last remaining regular. Five past eleven.

‘Lock in tonight, Ted?’

The regular’s baleful eyes met mine, and he gripped his pint. Nodding slowly, he seemed to shrink in deference. If you would, Leah, his wet paper bag stance said. He dug his fingers into the wet corners of his eyes. Please.

‘Wonderful idea.’ Jerry, the landlord, came out of the back room with a fresh box of crisps and started stuffing handfuls into the basket on show. ‘Not a good night to be out.’

I tiptoed for the keys on their brass hook, and glanced at Ted. A damp sniff escaped from the gaps in his fingers. His hand was over his face. Remembering his wife.

The door burst open. ‘Help! Come quickly — please!’ It was a young guy, my age, and I wouldn’t have said no. His shirt had been ironed that night, but was now heavily creased. The cold air snuck its fingers in and around him, teasing hints of expensive cologne.

I lowered my arm slowly. Ted didn’t turn round, but Jerry squared his fists and asked what happened.

The new guy’s eyes pinballed around the empty bar. ‘It’s… God, it’s so bad, please… there was an accident and my girlfriend got hurt.’

I looked at Jerry. His face was grey and blank as a new gravestone.

‘Please!’ The new guy’s voice pitched. ‘You’ve got to know first aid, I’ve got no signal out here, it’s only up the road!’

‘Where?’ I said.

‘I don’t know, about half a mile maybe, up the lane — we were heading this way.’

Jerry grabbed the landline we use for bookings. ‘I’ll call 999.’

The young guy went white. ‘N-no… she needs help, now! An ambulance won’t get here in time -’

Jerry shook his head. ‘We don’t go out,’ he told him. ‘Not on nights like this.’

Fear, revulsion and anger passed over the other guy’s face in waves. ‘What do…

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