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One Man's Meat:
The Year of Short Stories,
by Jeffrey Archer.
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Jeffrey Archer seems seriously into his idea, of not making a choice but giving all possible alternate scenarios he can develop, to a story past a point. When he did that to Alexander in Heads You Win, he wove the two alternate scenarios together from a point on, driving a reader crazy attempting to make sense. Here, he's kinder, letting readers pick which one of four to read, or pick after reading.
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"‘What about you?’ she asked as the three-minute bell sounded.
"There was no such line in my script.
"‘Me?’
"‘Yes, Michael,’ she said, a hint of teasing in her voice. ‘How did you come to be looking for a spare seat at the last moment?’
"‘Sharon Stone was tied up for the evening, and at the last second Princess Diana told me that she would have loved to have come, but she was trying to keep a low profile.’ Anna laughed. ‘Actually, I read some of the crits, and I dropped in on the off-chance of picking up a spare ticket.’
"‘And you picked up a spare woman as well,’ said Anna, as the two-minute bell went. I wouldn’t have dared to include such a bold line in her script – or was there a hint of mockery in those hazel eyes?
"‘I certainly did,’ I replied lightly. ‘So, are you a doctor as well?’
"‘As well as what?’ asked Anna.
"‘As well as your partner,’ I said, not sure if she was still teasing.
"‘Yes. I’m a GP in Fulham. There are three of us in the practice, but I was the only one who could escape tonight. And what do you do when you’re not chatting up Sharon Stone or escorting Princess Diana to the theatre?’
"‘I’m in the restaurant business,’ I told her.
"‘That must be one of the few jobs with worse hours and tougher working conditions than mine,’ Anna said as the one-minute bell sounded."
Protagonist invites the beautiful doctor to dinner as they leave theatre.
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Rare
She's free, accepts, they have a lovely dinner and more.
"‘You make me sound like an After Eight mint,’ said Anna with a laugh.
"‘I can think of at least three replies to that,’ I told her as Mario reappeared, looking a little disappointed at the sight of the half-empty plates.
"‘Was everything all right, sir?’ he asked, sounding anxious."
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Burnt
Before she can answer, her handsome doctor husband collects her. Michael finds his car impounded, his job gone and finally the car stolen while he called the workplace.
"‘As a matter of interest, sir, did you leave your keys in the ignition?’
"‘Yes, I did. I was just making a quick phone call, and thought I’d only be away from the car for a couple of minutes.’
"‘Then I think it’s unlikely you’ll be covered by your insurance, sir.’
"‘Not covered by my insurance? What are you talking about?’
"‘It’s standard policy nowadays not to pay out if you leave your keys in the ignition. You’d better check, sir,’ were the officer’s final words before ringing off.
"I put the phone down and wondered what else could possibly go wrong. I slipped off my jacket and began to climb the stairs, but came to a sudden halt when I saw my wife waiting for me on the landing.
"‘Maureen . . .’ I began.
"‘You can tell me later why the car is a total write-off,’ she said, ‘but not until you’ve explained why you didn’t turn up for this evening, and just who this “classy tart” is that Gerald said you were seen with at the theatre.’"
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Overdone
This time she's free, accepts, but everything goes wrong thereafter - they're caught in heavy rain after not getting a table at restaurant of choice, to begin with.
"I took a closer look at my companion, and began to wonder if I’d made a terrible mistake. Despite her efforts in the washroom, Anna wasn’t quite the same girl I’d first seen – admittedly at a distance – when I’d nearly crashed my car earlier in the evening.
"Oh my God, the car. I suddenly remembered where I’d left it, and stole a glance at my watch.
"‘Am I boring you already, Michael?’ Anna asked. ‘Or is this table on a time share?’"
After the unsatisfactory food, his car is clamped, Anna (who's lesbian by the way) takes a taxi, and Michael is informed at home by his wife about the fire in his restaurant.
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À Point
Anna is accosted by the tall, fair handsome doctor before she can respond to the invitation, but he's her brother. The three manage to dine at the restaurant they've chosen, because Michael has influence with the head waiter.
"‘Three fettucini and a bottle of your best Chianti,’ said Jonathan when Mario returned.
"Anna leaned over to me and whispered conspiratorially, ‘It’s the only Italian wine he can pronounce correctly.’
"‘What would have happened if we’d chosen fish?’ I asked her.
"‘He’s also heard of Frascati, but he’s never quite sure what he’s meant to do when someone orders duck.’
"‘What are you two whispering about?’ asked Jonathan as he handed his menu back to Mario.
"‘I was asking your sister about the third partner in the practice.’
"‘Not bad, Michael,’ Anna said. ‘You should have gone into politics.’
"‘My wife, Elizabeth, is the third partner,’ Jonathan said, unaware of what Anna had been getting at. ‘She, poor darling, is on call tonight.’"
Soon, Jonathan is called away, and in a reasonable mix of the first two scenarios, things go excellently well for the couple, who are both single.
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Who'd choose any but À Point?!!!
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July 10, 2021 - July 10, 2021.
Purchased February 13, 2021.
Kindle Edition, 58 pages
Published August 18th 2011
by Pan (first published August 1st 2011)
ASIN:- B005HW21EO
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