The assumption- A short story - Fiction

                      

Jack sat in the restaurant sipping his coffee slowly. The coffee was cold and tasted awful but he did not even notice. He had been sitting there for more than two hours now literally just staring into space trying to make sense of the incident that he saw that morning. 

He was shocked and hurt and he could have opted for whiskey instead but decided against it. It was way too early, and he had to process what he saw earlier, and he would not have been able to do that if he was not completely sober. He suddenly noticed the coffee was cold and called the waiter to bring him another cup.

He was tired and all he really wanted to do was to to go to sleep. He had a hard night at the hospital and worked a double shift the previous day because he wanted to spend some time with his fiance tonight. They were getting married in two weeks. Or at least they were before he saw her this morning. It was their anniversary today and he had planned a special night out. A last date before the wedding, before all the family members came to take over their lives.  

His phone buzzed for the millionth time and when he checked he saw that there were already 13 messages from Sylvia. She must be worried sick he thought for a second and then remembered the scene he saw that morning. 

He was on his way home and Dr Bronson gave him a lift. He jumped out at the corner as it was out of Dr Bronson's way to drop him off. He walked the rest of the block, but when he came around the corner he saw something that he would never forget. His lovely Sylvia was standing there kissing another man. 

He stopped dead in his tracks and felt a hurt that he could not describe. Was she entertaining men while he was working his butt off saving people in the emergency room? How can she do this to him? He had never felt so betrayed in his life, and took a cab to the closest coffee shop, and this is where he has been for the last few hours. 

Questions were floating around in his head...

"Was he not good enough for her? Did she want some last exciting affair before they got married? Was he not exciting enough? Did he work too hard?"

He was tired. All he wanted to do now was to go to bed and sleep for twenty four hours. He didn't want to listen to her excuses, he just wanted to break off the engagement and go to sleep. He didn't care what she said or what excuses she came up with...No one has ever betrayed him so badly. 

He paid for the coffee, and took a cab home. It dropped him right in front of the apartment and he reluctantly walked up the stairs. He stood for a minute and took a deep breath before opening the door to his apartment. The apartment that he bought for them so that they could build a life here...but now it was all for nothing. 

He opened the door and heard laughing coming from the kitchen. 

"Was there someone else there?"

He closed the door behind him and Sylvia appeared in the doorway from the kitchen. 

"Hey baby......you're late, and you look terrible...did you have a hard night in the ER last night?" she asked as if it was the natural thing to do. 

He was just about to answer when another Sylvia appeared in the doorway putting her arm around his Sylvia.

"Look baby! Look who came to surprise us early for the wedding! My sister Julia. She decided to change her plans to come help me out with the rest of the arrangements before the wedding. Her boyfriend left this morning but I'm sure that you will meet him later." 

Jack's ears turned red immediately when he walked forward to meet her twin sister Julia. Her identical twin sister that stays in London and he has never met before.  

 

                           

                          

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