No one is leaving

No one is leaving

by Brian Lucas 27/04/2017

Brian Lucas

9 Sexton Road Brighton South Australia 5048

Ph +61 0412823877 2101 word count

8 couples are invited to dinner by a former school friend (Tom), who is now a very successful IT person.

Tom, a small man with red hair, had been the joke of high school for years, he never fought back, he just accepted the insults and practical jokes. The couples he invited did accept him as a friend, but occasionally he felt, they were only his friends so they had someone to pick on and get a few laughs.

Years had not been kind to Tom and now in his late 30's he could pass for a 50 year old. However while his friends had partied most of their lives away, Tom was now a successful entrepreneur and had recently sold his IT company for over 20 million dollars.

Alana, his pretty and petite wife, who he had met in Hong Kong only 5 years ago, had only weeks earlier been told the worse news. Her Doctor said she had only a few months to live and to get her affairs in order. As they had no children and no siblings, they both decided to donate money to Cancer research.

Tom, was beside himself, what could he do in the last few weeks to make Alana happy? Coming from a poor back ground, Alana simply asked "I would like a wonderful dinner with your friends, before I get too ill as so I can remember forever spending time with good wine, food and company. Show them who we really are." Tom thought this was a strange request, but Alana explained, she wanted to see him smile and suggested a good menu they could both cook and what drinks would be served.

Tom, quickly made the arrangements and invites were opened by the guests over the next few days.

Each couple is somewhat reluctant to attend, as in the last year of high school, they humiliated the host on many occasions and think the dinner invite is just a way of Tom showing off his new wealth to his friends.

"What!..."scoffed Andrew, the first to open his invite, and quickly phoned Peter "a dinner with Tom and his mail order wife, ha ha, I have to go, I haven't seen Ginger (Tom's nickname in school) in years, you coming Peter?" Replying slowly, "I don’t know the bulldogs are playing that night on TV and you know I love my footy" said Peter. "Come on, it will be a laugh to pay him out again" replied Andrew. "Well ok, as long as Ginger has a TV or two" laughed Peter. "More like the worlds biggest plasma no doubt, that lucky bastard" Andrew laughed back.

Each guest had been phoned by Andrew, to confirm if they were going. "Safety in numbers" Andrew said to all.

After talking to each other, they all decide to go and have dinner at Tom's mansion.

The night was cold, with a crisp feel in the air and darkness was only broken by the lights that accompanied the long driveway to Tom's and Alana's house. As each car rolled up, you could hear the signs of jealousy as the guests walked towards the massive double wooden front door. "Unbelievable, what a mansion" whispered Andrew.

Tom was standing in the archway, impeccably dressed in a suit and black tie, with a smile he greeted one and all. "Are you late for a wedding? Joked Peter

After initial welcomes and a few laughs, Tom offers everyone a glass of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945 as a predinner drink. Without hesitation the guests drink one of the world’s most expensive wines. Peter sarcastically says" I'd prefer the 1955 vintage" Tom, just smiled knowing Peter had no idea about wines.

Six couples had arrived and they were waiting for Kym and his wife. "Where is Kym?" Tom thought.

Fifteen minutes later, Kym arrived alone. He apologised for being late and explained that he had lost his wife to a car accident a year earlier and is still getting over it. "I see everyone is having red wine, I'll have just one glass" asked Kym. Tom reluctantly poured a glass for Kym, as if he wanted to say how sorry he was about his wife.

Tom knew a lot about his guests, where they worked, hobbies and interests, by regularly searching Facebook, but he hadn't kept in touch with Kym. Tom looked down and shook his head. "I am glad you are here" said Tom as he escorted Kym to his dinner chair.

They are invited to sit around the dinner table and Tom and his wife Alana are happy to play waiter and cook for their guests. Although polite, Alana is quiet and only talks when asked a question.

The dinner is superb, some of the guests are jealous and assume Tom has his own chef or at least a great take away restaurant who has prepared these meals for him. "Mate, you couldn't cook boiled water, let alone a dinner like this, what's that restaurant called again?" Smirked Colin, the class clown, but somehow had settled down to being jealous of anyone more successful than himself. His life had become routine and loved criticizing anyone and everyone he could.

A cheese platter and the offer of cognac are quickly savored by the guests after dinner.

Peter (the all star footballer who could have paid professionally if it wasn't for his drinking problem that everyone knew, but he deigned) was the first to say he was leaving. For him, this was a boring night, eating and drinking and no TV in the dining room for him to watch. His girlfriend Tina (who also attended the same high school but didn't graduate until two years later) was having a good time catching up on gossip and enjoying quality wines rather than the usual 6 pack of Bourbon and coke Peter would buy every night and offer her a can, before he would polish off a bottle of some cheap liquor he managed to buy on his way home from the hardware store he worked at.

As he said his good byes with Tina’s arm in tow, he stopped at the dining room door which lead out to the corridor to the front door, Standing there for a second (which seemed more like several minutes), he turned around, sat down and said, "maybe I can stay a little while longer, don’t want the drinks to go to waste".

No one thought this was strange as Peter had a reputation of changing his mind. Tina was happy as she could now finish off her 3rd glass of red. The stories around the table soon turned to how Tom was the laughing stock of Highschool and even now the guests would bait Tom with cruel nicknames from years gone by. Tom became more aloof, ignoring they sarcastic overtones and he occasionally patted Alana's hand and gave a small smile of reassurance to her.

"We are only joking", Andrew said more than once as he laughed while helping himself to another glass of cognac. What do you think Kym? Ginger Tom knows we are just having a laugh?"

Kym, who had been quiet most of the night, started to speak " Tom, I just want you to know, my life has been miserable, I've had more jobs than I can count, I've lost my wife, the kids hate me, I'm in debt" "Don’t ask for money Kym, he will charge you double interest " interrupted Peter. Kym glanced at Peter, "I'm not here for money, I've lost everything and tonight I just want peace of mind" growled Kym. Turning back to Tom "Tom, I'm sorry for all the cruel things we did and say in school to you, I was a different person then and now I realise, I should have been a good friend to you. Can you forgive and forget?" Asked Kym.

"No" whispered Alana. Tom squeezed Alana's hand firmly. "I can forgive, but I can't forget, anyway you can't change the past, its too late for that" remarked Tom, "we have this lovely dinner and drinks, so lets enjoy this night like its going to last forever". "I'll drink to that" Andrew and Peter said in unison.

As the night went on, each guest couple, would glance at each other, giving the secret code that they had had enough and let’s go. Andrew and his wife Michelle always used their children as an excuse, even though they had arranged for Michelle’s mother to look after them all night, while they would slip away to a nice hotel after dinner. "Well," as Andrew yawned, "we have to go and pick up the kids, thanks for dinner Tom and Allaaanna" (Andrew slurred his words as he was trying to be sophisticated) Andrew could not tell a red wine from cordial as his idea of a good dinner party is ordering KFC and a slab of Millers beer. Still he managed to build a successful career as a motorbike mechanic.

As Michelle and Andrew stood up and walked towards the dining room door, they suddenly paused. "Have I forgotten something?" She asked. "Andrew, I know I have forgotten something, let’s stay until I remember" Andrew replied, “well ok but remember the kids” (as he gave a wink even a blind man could see)

Each couple gave an excuse to leave, got up went to the door , paused and either quietly sat down, or made up a feeble story on why they would stay a little bit longer.

Tom, sat quietly and listened as his guests kept saying it's late we must go, then change their minds. Tom would occasionally say, "That’s ok, there is plenty more to drink, I'll just open another bottle and try the caviar.”

Peter was getting more and more agitated, drumming his fingers on the table. "I want to go as Ginger is being a real snob in his fancy house, but I want to make sure I drink enough of his wine, I'm getting something for nothing, so I'll stay" thought Peter.

12 midnight came and went, the conversations became short and flustered. One o'clock followed by two and three. Mary and John, who were always joking with Andrew about Tom's lack of popularity at school, suddenly stood up. Mary could not control herself and started shouting "lets go, I want to go, but I can't," as tears ran down her face.

Tom casually looked up and say "Leave if you want to, its up to you" "But I can't no one can, Michelle, Andrew why haven't you left? Colin and Jan, why haven't you gone, you said you were working in the morning and had to go early, why hasn't anyone left? "Cried Mary.

Arguments broke out between couples as they questioned the motives of each other staying late.

"Shut up Mary and have another drink" Andrew said slurring his words. "You shut up", shouted John

"It's you Tom, you are holding us against our will," shouted Peter as his aggression rose from too many wines. "Leave if you want to" replied Tom, who was now had a smile a poker player would use to bluff his playing partners.

"I want to leave NOW, we all want to leave......We are going to die here, " Andrew pleaded with Tom and the other guests nodded in approval.

Tom, ever so calm, simply said, "You can’t die here, you are already dead"

"What, what do you mean?" stuttered Michelle.

Tom stood up and slowly walked towards the empty wine decanter that was placed on a small table near the dining room door, he picked it up.

"The Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1945, you all drank early this evening, my lovely wife Alana brewed up a batch of arsenic and Aconite and blended it so well in the decanter" replied Tom.

"You see Aconite causes arrhythmic heart function which leads to suffocation and is untraceable once digested." Explained Tom.

"This is my gift to you, a wonderful dinner, interesting company and a murder/ suicide, all in the name of revenge, You see we are now all ghosts and your spirits can never leave this mansion.”

"After years of cruel torture and insults," explained Tom,” I finally have given you what you deserve. Alana, my sweet wife, is dying and her only wish before she was to die was teach you all a lesson, and what better way than all of us spending eternity together, anyone for another cognac?"