The Night Before

“And just where did you stay last night?”
Failed. Opening the front door with burglar-like precision had been easy, getting past the family dog had been a snitch, walking past a closed door with his Mother ironing on the other side was as he expected, impossible.
“Morning mum”, he replied hastily as he began his ascent to the bathroom. Halfway up he heard the whooshing noise that the bottom of the door makes when in contact with carpet, and turned to face his mother at the foot of the stairs.
“Did you sleep in your clothes again?” She asked. What Kyle now expected was an interrogation. It wouldn’t be over in minutes, it would more than likely stretch out over the next day or so. And it wasn’t question after question, it’d be slipped into an everyday conversation. One minute she’d be telling him the latest plot in her favourite soap-drama, the next she’d ask if he’d seen “so-and-so” in “such-and-such” a bar. Thus confirming whether or not he’d been there. Yet now, Kyle was already putting a twist in the tale by telling a lie.
“No, ‘course not. I slept at Barry’s, it was easier to share the taxi fare to his than try and walk back”. An appropriately timed flash-back informed him of the real true version of events.

‘I think I’ve had enough, what about you?” She asked as she flashed her deep green eyes. He’d been dancing with his friends on the podium in the local ‘70s bar, miming to Night Fever. After a while they’d been joined by a group of young women dressed as school girls. Now usually, Kyle would be occasionally looking in their direction trying to meet their eyes, before sharply looking away. Then have a quick look back to see their reaction. But tonight, he’d promised himself he’d be good. His girlfriend was away with her parents sunning herself in Egypt, so he’d taken the opportunity to go out on the town with his friends. It wasn’t that he didn’t go out usually, just that with her away he felt some space.
‘Erm, I’m okay actually’. Kyle was just at that point with alcohol where he knew what he was doing- not sober, but still in control. Then the eyes, her beautiful wide smile and seductive stance, one hand resting on her hip as the other moved to caress his bicep.
One moment of weakness, that was all it took. A confident smile appeared across his face as he put his bottle-less arm around her slender waist and gestured for her towards the door. He heard wolf whistles and cheers originating from the direction of his friends to which he acknowledged with a turn of the head and a wink.

“Anyway mum, am gonna grab a shower, I’ll talk to you after”. With that Kyle turned, galloped the remaining stairs and rushed to the bathroom where he quickly slammed the door shut. Leaning back against the door he closed his eyes and sank to his knees. Now, not only had he lied to his Mum, but he may have to lie to his girlfriend, her friends, his friends, the list was endless. All for a moment of weakness that quite unknown to most, rose to the surface much too often for his liking. And he hated himself for it.