Another pint...........by Vic Davey

 ANOTHER PINT.....

Another pint?"  said Jack, raising his empty glass.

"Silly question", was the reply, "anyway, I thought it was my round".

"You get the next one. Why don't you grab the darts and I'll thrash you again"

"Cheeky bugger!"

Jack wandered over to the bar while Will took a few practice throws.

Two glasses were deposited on a little side table next to the dartboard and a game commenced and the next hour or so was taken with metal thudding into cork and the usual easy banter shared between close friends.

After the game was over and Jack had indeed thrashed Will, they sat and reminisced. 

"How long have we been doing this every week?," asked Will.

Jack thought for a moment. "Mmm must be close on 20 years?"

Will nodded. "Do you know we've known each other since we were 6 or 7 years old?" 

"And your still ugly," was the reply

"Yeah, and you're pissed!"

Ah, but I'll  be better in the morning!

Come on", said Jack, hauling his friend up and guiding him to the door, "Think its time we went"

They lived close together, no more than ten minutes from the pub in a straight line, although that was pretty impossible after the booze they had imbibed.

Jack deposited Will at his front door and then weaved his way to his house, just around the corner. He crept in, not wishing to disturb Mrs Jack,  tumbled into bed and had the best night!s sleep for ages, well, at least since his last night out with Will.

Jack awoke bright and early as usual, a quick breakfast and then off to the factory where both he and Will had worked together since leaving school. It was only about 10 minutes walk and he arrived in good time, clocked in and looked around for his friend, not a good timekeeper at the best of times.

Half an hour later and there was still no sign of Will. Another hour went by and he had not made an appearance, which Jack thought was strange since Will rarely had time off ill.

The lunch break came round so Jack thought he would pop round to Will's house to see if he was  ok. He knocked at the front door, waited, no answer and then knocked again, noticing the front room and upstairs curtains were drawn.

The door cracked open and Will's wife Rosemary peered out, her face ashen and her eyes red. "Oh Jack," she said with a croaky voice. 

"What's up Rosy, has something happened? Where's Will?"

"You'd better come in," she said, bursting into tears.

"What's wrong?" said Jack, fear in his voice. 

"Its Will, something terrible's  happened," she cried bursting into tears again. "Will's dead!"

Jack stood there, stunned. "How? Why? He was fine when I left him last night". His voice shaking.

He helped Rosy to a chair and she started to explain.

"Well, he got up at the usual time, you know how he is in the mornings... Sob...I asked him if he could pop down to the vegetable garden before he went to work and cut me a cabbage to have with dinner tonight....sob...

Out he went and five minutes later he still hadn't come in. Didn't think anything about it until another ten minutes goes by so I went out to see where he was" She burst out crying again. 

"And so?" said Jack when she had calmed down a little.

"I found him, lying in amongst the vegetables.....massive heart attack so the doctor said" dissolving into a flood of tears once more.

"Bloody hell, Rosy, that's...that's just terrible! What on earth will you do now?"

"Well, I'll just have to open a tin of peas........