I was packing for Thailand when the window smashed. A brick had come through it, and there was a big piece of mail lying in the middle of the bedroom floor. My first thought wasn’t kids. It was Theo.
If Theo goes anywhere near your flat, he’ll end up in prison, and he knows that. That’s why I knew I was doing the right thing by leaving. I couldn’t live in fear anymore. George showed up at my door, worried.
I told him I was fine, but I couldn’t get hold of Dev. I asked him to tell Dev I was sorry and that I hoped the insurance would cover the damage. George said he’d drink my pint and be there by the next round. I had plenty of time before my flight.
At the wedding, Sean was trying to sort out Maria, who was dancing on her own. I was in the corner, all on my lonesome, when a bridesmaid came over. She offered me a free drink from the factory bar. I wasn’t in the mood, but she insisted.
She said she’d been promising to visit me for ages, and she’d never been over. She asked what I was going to do with all the food. I said I’d waste it. She said I wasn’t allowed to be there, but she could cook it.
She called it the last supper. I told her I had a flight. She said I had plenty of time. I said no.
She made risotto anyway. She knew it was over between us. She said, “I know you know it’s over, Todd. But please, just let me do this one thing.
It’s just me and you eating together. Final supper. Even a man on death row gets a final meal, don’t they? ” I gave in.
We talked about Theo. He’d been torturing me about Billy. I kept seeing it in my mind—Billy trapped, crying out, thinking he had a chance to live, but just dying. I wondered when he realized it was the end.
Billy had his faith. I tried to imagine him praying, but I couldn’t. Just him suffering. That man was evil.
He’d taken all of my joy too. He’d destroyed everything I cared about, and he was just walking around the streets. She kept moving the shelf down. I asked her why she was always doing that.
She said, “Just leave it, Todd. ” I told her to stop. She said, “Shrink back. Cower.
Is it to make me feel bad? ” I said no, but she could see how it would, right? She said she was just going for a tea towel. I said sorry.
She told me to stop apologizing. She was trying to do something nice. I said thanks. She said sorry.
I said thank you. She said sorry. I said thank you. She said, “Just stop it.
” I said thanks for cooking. Then she said, “You know what I want? I just want one beer. ” She reminded me that when we first moved in together, I gave up everything for her.
Everything. Because she made me feel like it would be forever, and she made me choose. I could have chosen them. She said, “Could I have chosen them and sacrificed you?
So it was you or them, Todd, or everyone else. ” I loved her. I still loved her. Then she saw the travel adapter.
She said, “Look at this. It’s a reminder that you’re going away. You’re starting your future. Off into the world, aren’t you?
To infinity and beyond. And then you what? You meet somebody else. ” I said I wasn’t looking for anybody.
She said I would meet somebody else and start dating them, and I’d talk about this ex I had, with a wife and kids. I said I wouldn’t do that. She said she couldn’t stand the thought of me being with someone else. I said, “Don’t then, because I can’t stand it.
”
She picked up a knife. I asked what she was going to do with it. She said, “What are you going to do, Todd? Kill me?
” I said no, I just wanted her out of here. She said, “Come on, then. Finish me off. I want you to.
What’s stopping you? Stick it in there. Stick it in my heart, Todd, because you’ve taken everything else. ” She pointed at the travel adapter.
“What about this? You could stay married with this, couldn’t you? ” I told her to back off. She said, “Hi, George.
”
George was standing there. He said, “It’s quality. Only the best for my Todd. You could crush someone’s skull with this.
” He told us to sit down. I said, “I said sit down. ” We sat. He asked what she was doing with the knife.
She said she didn’t call him. He said, “Text him then. ” She said no, she never. He said, “Liar.
” He said we could have both eaten. I go my way, she goes hers. He said Jesse was excited about seeing me. “Watch out, clubs, me little bro’s coming.
” I said clubs sound great. I looked at flights. He said, “Don’t the police have your passport? ” I told him to shut up.
He said I could still do that. I go my way, he goes his. I said the only way I was getting out of this was in a police car. He said, “No, because…
Come on then, George. Tell me. What are you going to do? Not tell the dickie bird?
Particularly not a serving officer. You know, we’ll just forget it ever happened. ” I said, “No, but if it… ” He said, “Oh, shut up.
Don’t make me sound stupid. ” I said, “Hey, leave him out of it. ” He said, “No, let’s have a jolly up, mate. Yeah?
John, if you want to take this out on someone, do it to me. ” I said, “Sit, please. I’ll do what he says. Sit down.
Sit down, mate. ” He said, “What a hero. ” I said, “What? ” He said, “Sit down.
Sit down. ”
Then he grabbed the knife and went for me. I fought back. He used his car key to cut me.
He tied me up. I said, “Let me out. ” He said, “It won’t work. ” I said, “It will.
It’s going to work. It’s tied up. ” He said, “You let me out. Just get out.
Get out. Come on. Get out. Get out.
Come on. Come on. Let me out. ” He said, “Get out.
You got the key? ” He was fumbling. I said, “Flaming sausage fingers. I don’t know what me hands are shaking.
” He said, “Here we go. Please. Yes. ” Then he said, “And the kids.
Kids. They’re… No, no, there’s one here now. There’s a police officer.
He’s here. He’s just up the stairs in the flat, locked in. ” He said, “You should have told him what he was in charge of. ” He said, “It’s the police.
Hi, you excited? It’s Kit Green. I need you to send a unit to Coronation Street, outside Viaduct Street. We’ve got a violent offender in breach of his DAPO.
Yeah, I’ll wait for backup. Yeah, go and get safe. I’ll be waiting in the flat. ”
George said, “Why don’t you just lock him up and throw away the key?
” I said, “Have you got a key? Yeah, it’s that one, all right? It’ll feel like it’s sticking. You’ve just got to keep…
” He said, “Don’t worry about him. You just put him up there. He’s in this state in the first place. Just get him out of there.
” I said, “I am. No, no, not anymore. Yeah, there’s like a heavy marble bowl… Go now, all right?
He’s in the back. We saw him tying him up. Okay, go on. Go on.
I’ll let you know if he tries to leave. ” He said, “We’ll do our best. Come on. ”
I called Kit.
“Kit, I want to report an assault. ” He said, “Yeah, I’m off duty. ” I said, “No, no, no, you are not ever off duty. Right, I’m a civilian who’s just been at a wedding.
Go and ring the police and get some help. ” He said, “You’re really brave, punching him. ” I said, “Not sure it really qualified as a punch. It’s not a punch punch.
It’s like when you’re in the Beano, they have a splat bubble. I think mine would be more of a… ” I just knew he was going to show up. I had this feeling.
People said he wouldn’t, but he did. He said, “But he’s going to prison now, isn’t he? For how long? ” I said, “Yeah.
Thanks. ” He said, “Maybe he should just go to Thailand permanently. ” I said, “What? No.
No, your life’s here. Your job and your friends. No, Theo, he’s not taking that away from you. ” I said, “My case is still at the flat.
” He said, “No, you are not going back there now. There’s a bag upstairs in my wardrobe. Just borrow what you need, and anything else you want, just get it at the airport or in Thailand. You should go back to the…
” I said, “No. Look at the state of you. No, we’ll give Kit time to sort things out at your place and then I’ll drive you to the airport. ” I said, “You’ve had a drink.
” He said, “Then I’ll sort you a cab. Oh, and then I got you this. Present. Yeah, well lower your expectations.
Travel adapter. Chrissy was even less impressed. ” I said, “No, no, it’s great. I hadn’t even thought of that.
Thanks. Thank you. ” He said, “You’ll be okay now. ”
I called my girlfriend.
“Hi, love. Babe. Yeah, sorry. I just got caught up with a bit of business.
Yeah. No, I’ll be back in a bit. Yeah. All right.
Love you. Bye. ” Then I heard a door. I said, “What’s that door?
If you’re in here, show yourself. ” Theo came out. He said, “Oh. Am I supposed to be scared?
” I said, “What were you thinking? ” He said, “I wasn’t. Let’s just hope you haven’t scuppered everything. ” I said, “How dare Theo show his face around here again?
” He said, “Yeah, my feeling exactly. ” I said, “Did he hit you? ” He said, “Yeah. It’s all right, I got to dig back in though.
” I said, “You hit Theo? Is Todd all right? ” He said, “Yeah, no, he insisted I came back here to YouTube. He’s got a cab coming any second.
He said he’ll text me when he gets to the airport. ” I said, “Well, I’ll get you a drink. Do you want the same again? ” He said, “Oh, lovey, do you think you ought to slow down a little bit?
” I said, “Why? We’re celebrating, aren’t we? I hope he’s too tall for that metal bed or whatever he has to sleep on. Cockroaches and rubber gloves search.
And a blocked bog. Here you are. He’s still breaths. ” I said, “So, where’s he staying tonight?
I mean, you can’t bail him. He’s already proved that he can’t respect a restraining order. He won’t get bail once we find him. ” He said, “What?
You’ve never let him get away. Please tell me you are not that incompetent. He must have already gone down the scaffolding when you was coming up the street. I will not sit here and let you let him escape.
” I said, “No, George. George, be careful. George. ” He said, “What?
You okay? ” I said, “Yeah. Yeah. No, of course I am.
Come on, you need to get going. You need to get you to that airport. I love you, Josh. ” He said, “I love you back.
Come on. Get in here. Take care, won’t you? Yeah, let me know when you get there.
” I said, “Yeah. Okay. See you, mate. ”
I got in the cab.
I said, “When do you go? ” The driver said, “Sorry, mate. Can you stop? I forgot my phone.
Two secs. Can you just wait 5 minutes? Just wait, please. ” I said, “Hold on now.
It’s fake. It’s fake. Can you touch me down, mate, please? Three in it.
Let me ask you a question. I love you. “
