clinked glasses.
Linda picked up her handbag. 'Now it's present time. Close your eyes and open your hands.' Kevin opened his arms as wide as if he was about to carry a tree-trunk. 'Smaller.' He moved his hands a few inches in. 'Smaller.' His palms were touching when he felt something laid in them.
He opened his eyes, tore open the envelope and two flight tickets fell out on to the table. 'What's this?' He already knew the answer.
His smile grew wider as Linda rattled off the details. 'Our five-star Greek holiday! Just think, Kev! Sun, sea and sand. I've been saving up for the last year. No caravan for us!'
He leaned across the table, pulled her head towards him and kissed her lips. He didn't care
who saw him. Thank you, sweetheart. It's the best present ever. I can't wait.' Kevin reached into his inside pocket. 'And now for yours. Close your eyes and open your hands.' Linda cupped her hands and brought them in front of her.
He dropped the slim black box into them.
Linda smiled as she wrapped her fingers round the leather and opened her eyes. 'Mmm. Looks good already.' She snapped the box open and her jaw dropped. She was silent for a moment, but her eyes said it all.
'The Augusta!' It was the loudest whisper anyone had ever heard. Now it was Kevin's turn to grin from ear to ear.
'I just love it, Kevin. You know I do. Thank you so so much. I bet it cost a fortune and this one looks amazing. Look how the pearls glow. You'd never know. They're so beautiful. Thank you.'
She took the necklace out of its box and put the Augusta round her neck. As the diamonds sparkled in the candle-light, his wife had never been more beautiful. She was a princess.
'Thank you, Kevin. I don't care if we're broke for the rest of our lives. I love my Augusta, and I love you.'
Kevin couldn't contain his excitement. He also felt guilty. 'Linda, I need to tell you the truth about all that extra work I've been doing this week, and what I did last night.'
Linda was still smiling, not really taking it all in.
Kevin leaned over the table to whisper, 'I robbed the bank. My bank. And it was great.'
'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got old Rowland's money, did you? Are we off to buy our island?' She stroked the necklace. 'And are you going to buy the real one now?'
'Linda. It is the real one . . .' He told her the whole story, how he switched Linda's Augusta with the real one in Jessica Drake's deposit box.
'Course you did, Kev,' she said, when he'd finished. 'I'd expect no less of you on our anniversary.' She smiled. 'Listen, I don't care that this Augusta isn't real.'
'But it is. I've got to go back to the deposit box tomorrow night and swap it back again. She's leaving town on Monday.'
'You don't need to pretend it's the real one, darling. It's beautiful, and you gave it to me, so it's even more special than Jessica Drake's. You're the best husband in the world, Kevin
Dodds.' She picked up her glass. 'I propose a toast to my perfect husband.'
Just then two guitarists in red shirts appeared, strolled up to their table and started to play.
Kevin raised his glass to his wife. The musicians were playing a Billy Joel song. Their Billy Joel song. Just as Kevin had asked Mark to arrange. '"I love you just the way you are", Linda. I want to tell you over and over again. I love you. I love you. I love you.' Linda was overwhelmed. As the guitarists played on, her eyes filled with tears.
Tears welled in Kevin's eyes too. Everything felt different now, and really good. It was the biggest kick in the world to see his beautiful wife wearing a priceless necklace. He hadn't wanted to rob the bank for money, it wasn't about that. And it didn't matter that nobody knew what he had done. What mattered was that he knew, and he was proud of himself. Never again would he let women like Debs take the piss out of him or his wife. Never again would he be pushed around by the Symingtons and Jessica Drakes of this world. The grey man had gone.
Kevin drank the last of his
Linda picked up her handbag. 'Now it's present time. Close your eyes and open your hands.' Kevin opened his arms as wide as if he was about to carry a tree-trunk. 'Smaller.' He moved his hands a few inches in. 'Smaller.' His palms were touching when he felt something laid in them.
He opened his eyes, tore open the envelope and two flight tickets fell out on to the table. 'What's this?' He already knew the answer.
His smile grew wider as Linda rattled off the details. 'Our five-star Greek holiday! Just think, Kev! Sun, sea and sand. I've been saving up for the last year. No caravan for us!'
He leaned across the table, pulled her head towards him and kissed her lips. He didn't care
who saw him. Thank you, sweetheart. It's the best present ever. I can't wait.' Kevin reached into his inside pocket. 'And now for yours. Close your eyes and open your hands.' Linda cupped her hands and brought them in front of her.
He dropped the slim black box into them.
Linda smiled as she wrapped her fingers round the leather and opened her eyes. 'Mmm. Looks good already.' She snapped the box open and her jaw dropped. She was silent for a moment, but her eyes said it all.
'The Augusta!' It was the loudest whisper anyone had ever heard. Now it was Kevin's turn to grin from ear to ear.
'I just love it, Kevin. You know I do. Thank you so so much. I bet it cost a fortune and this one looks amazing. Look how the pearls glow. You'd never know. They're so beautiful. Thank you.'
She took the necklace out of its box and put the Augusta round her neck. As the diamonds sparkled in the candle-light, his wife had never been more beautiful. She was a princess.
'Thank you, Kevin. I don't care if we're broke for the rest of our lives. I love my Augusta, and I love you.'
Kevin couldn't contain his excitement. He also felt guilty. 'Linda, I need to tell you the truth about all that extra work I've been doing this week, and what I did last night.'
Linda was still smiling, not really taking it all in.
Kevin leaned over the table to whisper, 'I robbed the bank. My bank. And it was great.'
'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Got old Rowland's money, did you? Are we off to buy our island?' She stroked the necklace. 'And are you going to buy the real one now?'
'Linda. It is the real one . . .' He told her the whole story, how he switched Linda's Augusta with the real one in Jessica Drake's deposit box.
'Course you did, Kev,' she said, when he'd finished. 'I'd expect no less of you on our anniversary.' She smiled. 'Listen, I don't care that this Augusta isn't real.'
'But it is. I've got to go back to the deposit box tomorrow night and swap it back again. She's leaving town on Monday.'
'You don't need to pretend it's the real one, darling. It's beautiful, and you gave it to me, so it's even more special than Jessica Drake's. You're the best husband in the world, Kevin
Dodds.' She picked up her glass. 'I propose a toast to my perfect husband.'
Just then two guitarists in red shirts appeared, strolled up to their table and started to play.
Kevin raised his glass to his wife. The musicians were playing a Billy Joel song. Their Billy Joel song. Just as Kevin had asked Mark to arrange. '"I love you just the way you are", Linda. I want to tell you over and over again. I love you. I love you. I love you.' Linda was overwhelmed. As the guitarists played on, her eyes filled with tears.
Tears welled in Kevin's eyes too. Everything felt different now, and really good. It was the biggest kick in the world to see his beautiful wife wearing a priceless necklace. He hadn't wanted to rob the bank for money, it wasn't about that. And it didn't matter that nobody knew what he had done. What mattered was that he knew, and he was proud of himself. Never again would he let women like Debs take the piss out of him or his wife. Never again would he be pushed around by the Symingtons and Jessica Drakes of this world. The grey man had gone.
Kevin drank the last of his
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