Stabbed In The Back

by Charles Richard Laing

The knife in my back hurt like hell. It hurt twice as much as the one lodged in my shoulder.

I couldn’t believe it had actually happened. My best friend Tom had slept with my girlfriend Claire. The two people I cared about most had betrayed me. As if that wasn’t enough, Tom had to stab me in the back. Claire aimed for my back, but missed.

I’ve been staggering around like this for days. Every breath is an agony. But I noticed something today. Once I got over the self-pity, I started looking around. Most of the people I saw had eight or nine knives in their backs. I swear one poor sap must have had at least twenty. But they seemed to be getting on with their lives. I could learn from them. It was time to move on.

I found myself thinking about that girl at work. She had two knives in her back. That gave us something in common. Maybe it was something we could build upon. There was only one way to find out.

Copyright © 2004 by Charles Richard Laing