She is a PA who dreams of running her own art gallery. He is an IT technician gambling away everything he wants. They meet and fall in love. Their relationship is threatened by endless bets even whilst they share their love of paintings.
Genre: FICTION / Romance / ContemporaryLimited sales for this short story
Then…Him…
“I’m reckless.” I’d looked up the meaning of Téméraire after seeing Turner’s painting in the National Gallery. It is an adjective meaning rash, bold, fearless or reckless. What else could I say? I had sent the text nearly an hour ago and I’m still waiting for a reply. Reckless and rash, I had not been fearless, or bold, just reckless and stupid. Now I’m apologetic but too late. I almost sent Téméraire in the text but I did not think she would get the reference in her current mood.
“It’s a good bet, near certainty,” that is what Jim had said. Jim from down the pub, the closest thing to a friend I had. I tried to explain to her during the first call. She had hung up.
“Look what I could have won,” I thought out loud sounding like the old TV quote. Luckily I had not actually said it. It was not time for a wry observation. It was a time for a heartfelt apology or better still a winding back of time. Make it not have happened at all. No recklessness, no rashness, no need for the apology, the calls and texts. It never happened but it had. Instead I sent another text.
“I’m really sorry, honest.”
I waited for the reply. Normally our exchanges would be almost instantaneous, apart from that time when she had lost her phone, or I was stuck on a train with no signal.
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Celso Fernando Xavier Gomes Corrêa dos Santos
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Author review: Excellent and speedy work - I slowed the process down |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by RPP Translations
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