We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes

"S'that you Gray?" Shelia called as she heard the door opening.

"Yeah it's me Sweetie Pie. You alright?" Graham came into the room. "Oh! Hi Gail."

"Hiya Graham." Gail smiled at him.

"Don't call me Sweetie Pie, I'm not a bloody budgie."

"Sorry Shelia."

"You're very late?" The question was conveyed amply in both look and tone.

"Yeah, Mr. Dodd offered me a couple of hours overtime, fifty quid, so I said yes. I'll put it in the bank tomorrow. We'll be out of here before you know it at this rate."

"That's great Graham." Gail could always be relied upon to appreciate Graham's efforts, despite not herself standing to benefit. She knew how much Graham wanted to be able to move out of the couple of dingy rooms he shared with Shelia.

"Yeah." said Shelia, "That's fantastic."

Graham looked put out as Shelia's comment managed to sound a little sarcastic.

"Gray, will you nip out and get us all some fish and chips? I've promised Gail some, and we're starving."

"We had pizza just yesterday Shelia."

"Oh go on Gray, I really fancy some, and you've just made fifty quid."

"But we're supposed to be saving." Said Graham plaintively, and then glanced at Gail and blushed, wishing she wasn't there to witness a potential argument. He liked Gail. She wasn't what you'd call a 'looker', not like Shelia, who always drew admiring glances wherever they went, but she was quite pretty for all that. Gail was Shelia's best friend, and the two spent quite a lot of time together. Graham worked hard, so he appreciated that Gail kept Shelia happy whilst he wasn't around.

Shelia however didn't want an argument, she wanted fish and chips, so she adopted a persuasive tone.

"Oh go on Gray, be a sport, we all go a little mad sometimes."

Graham winced at Shelia's catchphrase, which she trotted out regularly to justify spending money that he'd rather save. Wasn't as if she contributed.

She gave him a winning smile and Graham bowed to the inevitable.

"He's really sweet." Said Gail.

"Yeah. Just got to make sure he knows who's boss." Replied Shelia.

Three weeks later.

The letterbox clattered, and Graham sauntered over and picked up the couple of letters, and the complimentary small pile of circulars for takeaway food places that came with them. These he threw in the recycling bin, hoping they wouldn't be seen, and thereby give Shelia ideas.

Having pulled a face at the gas bill and setting it aside unread, Graham opened the second letter, which contained a bank statement. He stared at the balance for a long moment. Then he looked at the transactions, and quickly identified the one responsible for the balance being so much lower than he'd expected.

"Shelia." He roared. Then he marched into the bedroom, where Sheila was painting her toenails a lurid shade of green. He thrust the statement under her nose.

"Who are 'J.D. Ridings Ltd, and why have you spent £600 with them?" He demanded angrily.

Shelia looked guilty as hell, but went straight on the offensive.

"It's our money, I can spend some if I want to."

"Who. Are. They?"

"They're a travel company. I've booked us a nice holiday in the New Year. It was gonna be a surprise."

Graham felt sick with anger.

"That's our money yes. Money we're saving to get out of this dump. Money I earned."

"Oh yeah here we go, you earned it so it's yours."

"You didn't even ask me about it."

"It was going to be a surprise."

"Six hundred quid, that's quite a bloody surprise."

"Look, it was a special offer, limited time deal. It's ten nights full board in Barbados. You'll love it, sea, food, music, me... I thought we deserved a holiday." She petered out for a moment then rallied with, "We all go a little mad sometimes, so I thought what the hell, and put down the £300 deposit each."

"Deposit!" Graham choked. "How much is this going to cost us?"

"Oh Gray, it's only a bit over a thousand pounds, plus a few airport fees and whatnot, we can soon put it back next year. I'll get a job, help us save. I just wanted us to have a nice holiday, we all go a little mad sometimes..."

Without saying another word Graham pulled on his coat and left. He didn't slam the door.

Shelia looked after him. She didn't feel guilty exactly, it was their money after all. She did however feel uneasy, and she wondered where he'd gone.


"Hi Graham are you ok... What's wrong Graham? You look ill?"

Graham stopped, and with an effort he managed to say,

"Hi Gail. I'm... not ill. I'm just, well I'm bloody furious to be honest."

Gail looked sympathetic, she could make a guess as to what he was angry about. Shelia's spendthrift ways were obviously a problem for the poor man.

Making a snap decision she took him by the arm.

"Come on. I'm going to buy you a drink, and you can tell me all about it."

Graham stared at her for a moment, then he sighed heavily.

"Yeah okay. Thanks Gail."

They walked to the Bell and Bear, Gail instinctively giving their usual haunt a miss. There she bought them both drinks, and they sat in a quiet corner and he told her about his unpleasant discovery.

"Honestly Gail, I despair of ever getting out of there. But worse than that, if we did get somewhere better, what would it be like? Shelia doesn't know the meaning of restraint. We'll never have any money, not when she's always thinking 'we all go a little mad sometimes.' ", for this last he mimicked Shelia's voice. Gail burst out laughing.

"Sorry. Sorry. Couldn't help it." She apologised. Then she suddenly thought, 'it's now or never.'

"Graham." She began, "There is an alternative."

He looked at her not comprehending.

Gail leaned forwards and kissed him, briefly, but with passion. Then she sat back and looked into his eyes, taking in his startled expression.

Graham felt his world re-arrange itself.

"Gail..."

Then they shared a much longer kiss.

Forty-five minutes or so later as they walked hand in hand back towards Graham's rooms, they met Shelia, who had decided to look for Graham and try to smooth things over. When she saw him and Gail, and took in that they were holding hands she rounded on them.

"What the hell's going on?"

"We're through Shelia." Graham told her calmly.

"What do you mean, we're through?"

"As in done. Finished. It's over. I don't want to be with you any more."
"Why?" She asked, her voice was almost a whine.

"Oh you know Shelia. We all go a little mad sometimes."