Beth gave the oyster a little sniff. Then a second sniff. She raised it towards Aiden. ‘Bottoms up.’
They both knocked the oysters back, before chewing and swallowing.
A quiet fell over the table as they waited for the verdict.
‘Oh, fuck me,’ Beth exclaimed. ‘That’s bloody awful. That tasted as bad as it looked.’
‘Is it too late to tell you that raw oysters are alive?’
She looked at her husband and gagged. ‘I hate you.’
‘Honestly,’ Aiden said, ‘the hot sauce masked the flavour a lot. The texture is a bit like… you know when you have phlegm at the back of your throat…’
Beth gagged again.
‘I’m teasing,’ he stated, over the sound of everyone laughing, ‘It really wasn’t that bad.’
Beth grabbed a handful of fries and stuffed them into her mouth. ‘Never again,’ she said. ‘I’d rather starve.’
* * *
Dinner led to drinks in the garden, where Erin lit the firepit as the sun went down.
‘Can I get anyone anything?’ she asked, before spying Jasper at the side of the garden wall.
‘Jasper… stop that,’ she yelled. Everyone turned to see Jasper down low, his butt wiggling furiously towards something unseen.
‘What on earth is he doing?’ Beth asked.
‘Hunting,’ Erin informed her. ‘If he drops a mouse on your foot, it means he likes you.’
Beth shuddered. ‘If a mouse comes anywhere near me, I will pass away.’
She sunk back in her chair, keeping one eye on Jasper. She was exhausted and it was only 8pm. The evening hadn’t even begun and she was ready to say goodnight. Beth closed her eyes for a moment, hoping the fatigue would wash over her and away, instead of wrapping around her, refusing to let go.
‘Jeez, Beth,’ Tara said, filling up the tank of her vape kit. ‘How much did you drink? Get some coffee down you, before you keel over.’
‘She’s just tired,’ Paul interjected. ‘She’ll be fine.’
‘You always were a bit of a lightweight, eh?’ Tara said, a huge cloud of vapour escaping from her mouth. ‘Always the first to bail on a night out.’
‘Maybe coffee is a good idea,’ Erin suggested, seeing Beth’s face scowl. ‘I’ll just—’
‘You don’t know anything about me!’ Beth exclaimed. ‘As usual you just love the sound of your own voice.’
Tara laughed in surprise. ‘Relax,Bethany. Who pished on your chips?’
Beth could feel Paul’s eyes burning into the side of her head, probably begging her to let it go. But she was rattled now.
‘I really don’t know how you can inhale those disgusting things,’ she said haughtily. ‘I see my students puffing away on them, really smart kids, and it just makes me sad. All these healthy bodies, just voluntarily damaging themselves. Morons.’
‘Are you calling me a moron?’ Tara asked through a cloud of smoke.
‘I believe I called my students morons, but if the shoe fits…’
‘Wow, Beth. Glad to see you’re still as judgemental as ever,’ Tara remarked. ‘Thank God I’m not still smoking cigarettes; you might pull out a fecking PowerPoint and bore us all with a TED Talk.’
‘I am not judgemental!’ Beth replied, ‘I’m just stating facts. I mean, I’m sure it’s terrible to be addicted to something, but these kids—’
