Excerpts From Stories I'll Never Write

Tea With The King

His wife was having tea with the King, and he didn't even know it.

"If you don't mind me asking..." She swirled her spoon around in her tea before setting it daintily beside her saucer. She did not wait for a response before asking her question. "Why me?"

"Why you, what?" The King asked, sipping his tea. His accent was thick, unlike her's which had lightened since she'd spent those five years in America.

"Why are you, the King, having tea with me?" She swallowed her small sip of tea.

The King set his teacup down, seemingly getting unsettled by her question. "It gets so bloody boring around here. Seeing the same faces every single day. Having everyone do everything for you."

"So...you want to be independent?" The girl asked, mindlessly twisting her wedding ring around her finger.

"Maybe that's it." The King sighed. "I mean, that's how you get here. Nobody is watching your every move, tying you down to traditional rules." He thought for a moment. "How do you come meet me, without him finding out?"

"My husband?" She inquired. The King nodded. "I simply tell him I'm going with friends."

"And that works?"

"Like a charm."