Switch
By Saul Moon
Copyright 2012 Saul Moon
Smashwords Edition
Switch is a work of fiction. Names, places, companies, organisations and events are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial and non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
Other works by this author:
'The Scorpian Visitant' available for sampling or purchase at Smashwords.com
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126521
Switch
After graduating in law I took a post as a trainee with a firm specialising in company litigation. There I met Susan and fell in love. She was the only one for me and soon we were engaged. But we both had careers and so delayed marriage to finish training and begin our respective climbs up the company ladder. One day a senior colleague went down with appendicitis and Susan was asked to cover on a company trip to the United States. On her return, she announced that she had met somebody else and was applying for a permanent transfer to the States.
I had always been shy and awkward with the opposite sex and until Susan came along I had struggled to meet women and maintain relationships. Losing Susan was a hideous blow to me. I kept asking myself over and over again what I had done that had made her stray. As a consequence, I didn't lead any sort of social life for two years following the split.
Eventually, I decided I had to get out and so began using dating sites. True to form my subsequent romances were short-lived and lonely. Dates would be attended by long periods of silence, and when I tried to say something it would be contrived and would unfailingly come out wrong. There'd even be farcical episodes such as spilled wine on the best dress or a trodden foot on the dance floor. Little things that might provide a laugh in sound relationships were always lethal in mine.
Now I was seeing Julia. We'd met through an agency a couple of months back. She was tall with a good figure, and had a strong tanned face with high cheekbones and vivid deep brown eyes. With golden curls falling to her shoulders she was every man's dream. Yet, of late, our dates had been getting fraught and the silences longer.
Julia's twenty-sixth birthday came around and despite our difficulties we had agreed to go out for dinner. And even though I reckoned the affair was going to end shortly, I still thought it best to buy her something.
EA Booth & Son was the nearest department store to my office. The store's address was 1 Ramsdale Street, but might well have been 1 Barnes Street for it stood at the confluence of the two roads. It was a hideous art deco wedge with heavy grooves in the brown brick marking the margins of the four stories. I went through the revolving door at the thin end of the wedge and took the elevator to the first floor where the jewellery, perfume and chocolates were on sale.
I'd already settled on earrings for Julia and soon was heading for the jewellery section. But I was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw somebody I least expected to be at those glass display counters. I had to look twice at the man. The tall broad shouldered frame. The navy blue overcoat with maroon silk scarf. The dark wavy hair neatly clipped. They were all the things I had too, for the man was Ray Butler, my identical twin brother.
I stood and watched Ray a little while. The girl who was serving him was plain but attractive. Quite tall and willowy she was very neat, with small features and her black hair tied tightly back. I thought she'd look more at home in the pharmacy where she could dress in a spotless white overall. But she wasn't talking my brother through some indigestion cure, for there was a precious thing sparkling upon her palm.
My curiosity aroused I sneaked closer for a better view. What on earth was Ray doing buying an engagement ring? We may be similar in appearance and dress habits and both practice law (Ray is a barrister), but where women are concerned my brother was a totally different animal. Confident and assertive, Ray was a great seducer and it was always him who did the ditching. The girl's grey eyes were on Ray and her smiling face told me he'd lost none of his charm.
I was still struggling with the idea that Ray had been bitten by the love bug when I caught the girl's eye. She looked at me in amazement with her mouth wide open. As I reckoned she could well drop the expensive-looking ring, it was time to move in.
'Ray what a nice surprise,' I said approaching my brother with my hand offered. I turned quickly to the astonished girl adding, 'I'm afraid we are a pair of identical twins.'
'Great to see you, Richie,' said Ray, shaking my hand with his usual vigour.
'So what brings you into town?' I said.
With courtroom theatrics, he took the ring and showed it me like an exhibit. It certainly was quite something, for the fine gold circlet had a huge twinkling diamond orbited by a clutch of sapphires. The courtroom drama continued as Ray explained the ring cost £5000 and was destined for the girl of his dreams. Apparently he'd met Lois in a club. She was ten years younger than him, but this time it was for real.
'I'll take it,' said Ray, as if meeting me had finally expunged any doubts he might have had. He handed the ring back to the girl behind the counter, and then produced his banker's card. I'd changed bank six months previously and saw that we brothers now used the same one.
The inevitable delay followed as a male shop assistant phoned the bank to clear Ray's balance. Meanwhile the ring sat unwrapped beside the till under the watch of the man on the phone. The girl came back to the counter and, on seeing me peering down though the plate glass, asked if I'd like anything.
'Could I have a look at those,' I said, pointing down to a card of earrings and, in particular, to a pair of garnet drops priced at just £17.99. I had remembered Julia's birthstone was garnet and was always going to buy them.
'Certainly sir,' she said, withdrawing the card from beneath the counter.
'Yes those are them,' I said to the girl, hardly giving the garnet drops a second glance.
The girl then looked at me with great seriousness, explaining that it would not be possible to exchange earrings for pierced ears should I wish to do so. I told her I was sure about my purchase and asked her to gift-wrap the earrings, at the same time offering my banker's card, which was also for an account in the name of RA Butler (Ray and I share our grandfather's name, Alfred).
Meanwhile the male assistant had finished on the phone and my card and Ray's were duly swiped through the reader and our purchases wrapped.
Both little boxes came back in the same shiny red foil with the repeating gold fleur-de-lis of EA Booth & Son, a yellow ribbon bow atop completing the impression of expense. I checked my receipt and slipped my little package into my overcoat pocket, before shaking Ray's hand and wishing him all the best.
For our dinner date Julia looked ravishing in her golden figure-hugging dress. And from the moment the French maître d' showed us to our table the evening went surprisingly well. We talked freely and laughed a lot. Now the liqueurs were served and Julia was enjoying a cigarette. As she kissed her filter tip, she would toss back her wonderful golden hair and regard me with smouldering deep brown eyes. For the first time since Susan I was filled with irresistible desire for a woman.
Yet a great dread was growing inside me. As my desire mounted so too did my regret at buying Julia a present as cheap as those earrings. And with each passing minute the nasty little box in my pocket seemingly got heavier. I could just imagine the happiness evaporating from Julia's lovely face when she saw those wretched garnet drops. Panic was getting the better of me. I swilled down my second brandy and ordered my third. For the first time that evening I caught a flash of reproof in those dark eyes and knew I was starting to send out the wrong signals.
I was no gambler with women. I always wanted to play safe. Sickened by the thought of losing my chance with Julia on account of such little pieces of trash, I considered not giving her my present. But then I told myself she might be the type of girl that believed it was the thought that counted. My mind then turned to what I might say on seeing her with those earrings. The fear of saying something crazy like GANNET DROPPINGS DARLING obstinately refused to budge from my brain. Thus I prevaricated until the point came when I would either fall off my chair or give her the things and be damned. So I fished in my pocket and produced the little box in its shiny red and gold foil, the yellow ribbon atop.
'For you Julia,' I said, offering the tiny package. I saw the instant delight on her face and cringed.
'Oh darling, I do so love getting presents,' she said.
'It's nothing,' I blurted out like a madman. But it was too late, for Julia's face was already coming at me from across the table. She planted her moist lips on my cheek, and then sat back in her chair to undo the foil wrapping.
I watched out the corner of my eye as slowly the yellow bow was undone, and the red foil peeled away to reveal the little indigo velvety box. Then her long fingers were working the golden catch. My eyes fell to the table cloth and I heard the lid snap open.
There was a piercing shriek. Then Julia was saying, 'Yes, yes, yes - I will my darling.'
I looked and saw the big diamond on the third finger of her left hand. The expensive stone was sparkling in the crystal light of the chandeliers. The maître d' saw it too, for he snapped his fingers and a wine waiter came to him.
Julia was quickly back across the table and this time she was kissing my mouth ravenously. She only stopped when the maître d' brought over an ice bucket and presented champagne with the compliments of the house.
'Of course I'll marry you, Richie, my love.'
The next morning I showed my new fiancée from my flat which was now to be our home. As we kissed on the doorstep, I felt a slight twinge of guilt at my happiness and resolved to go right away and see Ray. The least I could do was pay for Julia's ring.
My brother lived in the wide sweep of a Georgian terrace on the west side of town. With a little trepidation, I climbed the steps to the front door and found his bell push in the panel. I could hear the buzzing within, and any second was expecting the intercom to crackle into life. Instead the intercom remained silent. I pushed the button again and, though my finger stayed there long, Ray did not answer. I was just about to leave when the heavy, panelled door swung inwards to reveal a stout ruddy-faced lady. The woman must been in her mid-fifties, though her curly hair was still the colour of coal. By the pinafore she was wearing and the duster in her hand, I guessed she was the domestic.
'Is that yourself, Mr Butler,' she said in a thick Irish brogue, whilst standing back from the door to let me in, 'You'll have forgotten your key.'
I always did find it cumbersome to explain to strangers who mistake me for Ray that I am actually his identical twin. 'Yes...have,' I muttered, stepping onto the big black and white diamonds that chequered the hallway floor.
The woman gave me a knowing look. 'Oh, I just knew it couldn't be true,' she said, and then pointing up the flights of iron-railed stairs, added, 'Real mischief makers they are up there.'
'They?' I said, my eyes following her finger pointing up into the highest reaches of the stairwell.
'You know,' she whispered conspiratorially, 'the Allisons.'
From the intercom panel I had noticed that the top flat was indeed occupied by folk named Allison. 'Oh them,' I said. But by now the lady had narrowed her eyes and was looking at me with mild suspicion. Maybe our conversation was mature enough now for me to reveal that I was actually Ray's twin? Then again I was anxious to hear more, so I second guessed her. 'What have they been saying about me now?'
'Well, as you know Mr Butler, it's not my place to go around repeating malicious gossip. But what they've been saying this time is laughable - you being a barrister and all. Why the last thing you'd be getting involved in is a fight.'
'A fight?'
The woman was looking very hard at me now. 'It's a complete joke,' she said. 'You've not been kept in any hospital. Why there's not a mark on you.'
I felt a mild pain sweep over my left cheekbone, and let my fingertips follow its path across. I wondered then whether this was some paranormal sensation I was sharing with my twin. In any case, I was getting very concerned about Ray. 'Did the Allisons say where I was supposed to be laid up?'
'St Paul's.'
A shiver ran down my spine at the mention of its name. St Paul's was the specialist eye unit in the city's big university teaching hospital. I knew I had to get over there fast, and so made an excuse and took my leave of the woman. As I went down the steps I could feel her eyes burning into my back, and I thanked God my car was parked out of view around the corner.
A few miles drive brought me to the great concrete and glass edifice that was the City University Hospital. As I got out the car to buy my "pay and display" ticket, I tried to imagine what had happened to Ray - perhaps a random attack by thugs emptying from the pub at closing time? As I passed through the red sliding doors into Accident and Emergency, my thoughts received some support from the sight of a small but very powerfully built young man grappling with two security guards. The young man wore a bright red jersey that matched the colour of his angry face. These days there were plenty of people on the edge, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation or even at no provocation at all. The struggling young man's bawling swearing voice receded with my progress down the corridor towards the eye unit.
The outpatient's of the eye unit was packed. Row upon row of folk were sitting opposite the big reception desk as if waiting for a theatrical performance to begin on its semi-circular counter. I went up and asked the lady receptionist if there had been a Raymond Butler admitted to the unit.
After a few taps on her keyboard followed by a long stare into her monitor, the receptionist asked who I was. I saw by her name badge that she was called Marjorie Pheasant, and duly introduced myself as Ray's brother. Marjorie was happy to accept that and told me Ray was on the male surgical ward.
I wandered unheeded to the centre of the ward. There was no sign of Ray there. A middle-aged couple sat at the bedside of a young man with a fresh dressing on his right eye. The boy was sitting up, eagerly gulping down a bowl of fresh cornflakes as if he'd not eaten for days. Just then I was startled by the ward sister. She came up very quietly in the blue dress of her profession. 'Mr Butler,' she whispered. I nodded and straightaway she took me gently by the elbow and ushered me to her office.
Sister told me my brother had been admitted the previous night with a sliver of glass in his left eye and right now was down in theatre having it removed. If everything went well he'd be home in a couple of days.
'Glass you say?' I said bemusedly, 'How did that get there?'
'It was hardly your brother's fault,' said Sister.
'An accident then?'
'Well, kind of,' said Sister, the gentle smile falling from her pleasant face to leave a slightly perplexed expression. 'I don't believe for a moment the lady meant to go that far. I'm sure that's why Ray - Mr Butler - told the police he won't be pressing charges.'
'Police?'
'Apparently, Mr Butler was in a restaurant yesterday evening when his companion took exception to something and went to throw her drink over him. But the glass slipped from her hand and broke in poor Ray's - Mr Butler's - face.'
I could see it all now. And how through a simple mix-up we twin brothers had switched luck and happiness.
Sister got up. No doubt she had plenty to do other than watch my incredulous reverie.
'Thanks for your help,' I said as she took me to the door.
Out in the corridor something was happening. There was a gaggle of folk in the green garb of the operating theatre. They were walking alongside a trolley which was being wheeled down the shiny floor towards the ward. The trolley was well bolstered with white bedding and on it was a man lying on his side with a clear plastic mask covering his nose.
Ray saw me with his good but sleepy eye and gave me a tired wave. A pretty theatre nurse with dark eyes smiled at me and said, 'All done. There'll be no permanent damage.'
The end
I hope you enjoyed 'Switch'. If so please encourage your friends to download their own free copy at Smashwords.com.
Perhaps you might be interested in my full length novel, 'The Scorpian Visitant', which is available for sample and purchase at Smashwords.com
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126521
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About the author
Saul Moon studied physics and chemistry at university. He is employed as a scientist in the chemical industry. He is a single parent and lives with his two children, now young adults. His participatory likes are reading (fiction and history), writing, languages, star-gazing, walking, swimming, fast cars and carp fishing. His sedentary likes are football, both codes of rugby, cricket and horse racing.