THE TRUTH

John was sweating despite the light beaming down on him, he could feel his heart beating in his ears and his head felt light and dizzy. He picked up the packet of cigarettes with shaking hands and placed it between his lips and lit it, the warm sensation of the smoke entering his lungs did little thought to calm his nerves as he looked at the man sat opposite.

"You've got to understand it was a mistake, just a simple mistake, a lapse in judgement, nothing more..." The other man just shook his head slowly.

"You know that's not going to cut it here, not now, you need to do better than that."

"But how, I don't know what else to say, I never meant it to happen." He tapped his cigarette against the side of the ashtray before taking another pull. "Surely you understand that, there has to be logic."

"I understand, I really do." the man replied. "But the facts are the facts, pure and simple."

John wiped his nose with his hand and wiped it absent-mindedly on his trousers, he felt like crying, like running away and never coming back. He could imagine life on the open road doing good wherever he went, living from one meal to another but he knew he couldn't run, not this time.

"I could pass the blame, I could..."

"No." the man barked, "No you can't pass this onto someone else, your caught, there is no escape, there is only coming clean that can rectify this."

"But I can't." He sobbed, "I can't do it." The conversation fell silent again as John sobbed quietly to himself, and it felt like years before the man spoke again.

"Look, I understand it wasn't something you planned to do, I know if you could go back in time then things would be different, hindsight is a wonderful thing but it does not change the facts."

"That's easy for you to say." John shouted as he slammed his hands on the table angrily. "You're not in my shoes, you don't know how I feel." 

"You're right." the man said, "I'm not in your shoes. And if I was, heaven forbid it, I would have to come clean. This is going to weigh you down, you have to confess and take the punishment, and there is no other option open. You can't run and there will be no chance to hide; you will be forever sleeping with one eye open waiting for the retribution to come back. Truth will protect you."

John looked up, his eyes sore and red now from the tears. "Can you promise me that?" he whispered. "What assurances can you give?"

"None.”

"If you were me, what would you do?"

"Well, for a start." He replied standing up from the table with his pint in his hand."I would keep your wedding anniversary in a diary and never, ever forget."