Mickey Finn Part 6

This is part 4 of Mickey Finn - Find click here for part one and here for part two and here for part three and here for part four and here for part five

Lucy was sitting outside Starbucks sucking on a cigarette; she smiled at Karla when she saw her come round the corner.

‘Skinny latte? It’s my round.’  Lucy said, Karla noted what a pretty smile she had. Karla smiled back and nodded, a good coffee was just what she needed, work had been arduously boring. She sat at the table vacated by Lucy and lit a cigarette of her own. It was another nice day, a bit of a breeze off the water but plenty warm enough to sit outside as long as the seagulls stayed away. Karla watched the families wandering around eating ice cream.

‘How was the family thing? Lucy was back with the coffee.

‘Barely bearable’ Karla smiled, she was sure Lucy didn’t need to hear her problems.

‘Sounds like you don’t get on well.’

Karla supposed if she did open up a little to Lucy then Lucy might too. She took a swig of coffee and relaxed.

‘Oh it’s not that but it’s always the same,’ Karla blew out a lungful of smoke and stubbed out her fag. ‘My sister is everything I am not, married to an “adorable” man, two “wonderful” kids who’ve got into the “right” schools, a posh house, a creative job. It was like I ceased to exist when those kids were born unless of course my sister needs a baby sitter or my mum needs someone to complain about.’

‘Older?’

‘Two years.’  Karla nodded.

‘I feel your pain, similar for me too.’

‘Then cheers’ Karla clinked Lucy’s paper cup and smiled.

‘Cheers, that’s a good idea, fancy a G and T?’ Lucy nodded over to the pub on the corner.

‘Oh yes, don’t I ever?’ said Karla and the two women wandered over to the bar.

‘I was so stupid, why did I wear that daft mini skirt?’ They were on their second drink when Lucy just started talking from no where. ‘I was asking for it, of course I was, tottering around in high heels and a skirt that barely covered my bum.’

Karla felt powerless, what could she do? What could she say?

‘I told him I wasn’t interested but he bought me a drink anyway, and I thought what the hell free drink. Next thing I know I was dancing with him, then …’ her voice trailed off. Karla waited but Lucy had clammed up as tears rolled down her face.

‘Look for a start don’t blame yourself, it’s not your fault. You could have been stark naked and he didn’t have the right to do that.’ Karla winced at the incentive words she’d used. ‘Don’t blame yourself.’ Karla reiterated. Lucy sniffed, Karla put her arm round her and gave her a hug.

‘What did he look like? Do you remember?’

Lucy nodded and described the same slime ball who had tried to slip Karla the Mickey.

‘Why didn’t you go to the police?’ Karla asked with a sense of trepidation. Lucy was silent for a minute.

‘I felt so ashamed, I didn’t want to tell anyone. I told them in work my aunt had died. I took a couple of days off and since then I have just been a “bit emotional”.’

‘Will you go if I come with you?’

Lucy shook her head. ‘No, no! I can’t, I …’ A tear fell on the table ‘I shouldn’t have come here. I should have just let it go.’  Lucy got up, wiped her nose and left.

‘Lucy!’ Karla called out but she didn’t go after her. She knew Lucy needed space.

Karla sat quietly contemplating what her next move would be. She looked around the pub, there were a few after work drinkers left but it was quiet. The gin was getting to work and she was feeling a bit sorry for herself. What had she got herself into? What had she done to poor Lucy dragging up all those memories? And how much further had she got? Shithead was still out there with his pocket full of pills, lying in wait for his next victim. She didn’t suppose a broken nose would put him off for too long. Her phone buzzed, fuck off Josh she thought as she necked the remains of her drink and left the pub; she was dying for a smoke. 
She stood outside smoking, enjoying the evening breeze on her face. She felt around for her phone to see what Josh had to say for himself this time. She never replied, never encouraged him but the messages kept coming. But this message hadn’t been from Josh but from Lucy.

‘First time I’ve had alcohol since, sorry it seems to have flipped a switch. Just had a good cry, feel better. Coffee tomorrow?’

Karla replied in the affirmative and stubbed out her ciggie in the fag bin. Stuck on that bin was the sign. ‘Like us on Facebook’ she’d seen the same sign on the door of the Real Deal club and the DJ had said something about tagging yourself in pictures on their Facebook page. It was time to get home and do some internet detecting.

Updates on this story can be found here