The Rock Star Neighbour
Sammy King
Chapter One.
Lucy was angry at the world, angry at God, angry at the universe and angry with life. She didn't understand what she had done so wrong that it could justify punishing her so badly. It had been three years since she buried her husband Hudson. Like it wasn't bad enough that she had to watch him slowly waist away to nothing, the chemo stripping his body of all muscle and weight, his skin cracked and opened, his hair gone and his life ebbed into a skeleton. The only thing Lucy could be thankful for was that Hudson hadn't been sick long. It felt like it was overnight that they were reeling from the diagnoses of bowel cancer to him closing his eyes for the final time. Lucy hadn't had time to truly grieve; she hadn't even had time to think about what was happening. The grief didn't really hit her for a year after she had left her husband of ten years in the ground on the wintery blustering ocean cliff gravesite. By the time the grief hit her family and friends felt that Lucy should be over the pain, they thought she should have just got on with her life, however, until a person loses the love of their life, she defied them to recover, pick themselves up and move on.
Since Hudson's death Lucy went through life just existing. She did her work, she ate and she went to bed. She didn't socialise, she no longer laughed and smiled, she just wasn't interested. Her friends had all drifted away long ago, bored of her grief and getting on with their lives. Some had persisted longer than others, some tried to explain how she was only thirty, she should be still full of life and other's reminded her how Hudson wouldn't want her to be miserable. Like they would know. She had no idea of what Hudson would have wanted for her, how would they know? Lucy thought.
The only thing that Lucy truly loved was to walk along the little personal piece of beach that sat nestled behind her property that she had once shared with her husband. The property that they had planned to spend their lives into retirement, the place that they had wanted to raise children, Lucy couldn't stop the tears when she thought of the children that she would never bear, never see, never watch grow looking like their father, with the same twinkle in their eyes when they laughed.
"At least I have my paradise" Lucy scoffed as she marched up and down the beach.
Her mother reminded her often how it wasn't healthy for Lucy to be spending so much time on her own, how she should get out and meet another man. Melinda, Lucy's mother, longed for her daughter to find a nice guy to settle back down. Melinda often said to her husband, Colin, that if Lucy just went and found someone, she would smile again, she would laugh again, she would be more human. Lucy hated the conversations and tried to avoid her mother at all costs. Which was a bad idea in itself, too many missed calls resulted in a frantic Melinda on Lucy's doorstop with a tirade about how she was only trying to help.
It was far easier to just pay her mother lip service just to get her off Lucy's back. Lucy was happy in her own way, she was happy in her peaceful place, in her private beach that she only had to share with the neighbouring property and that had been sitting empty for years, so it meant that she had the place to herself. She loved to collect what the sea presented her, the different shells, drifted wood, pumice stone and all sorts of fantastic booty to turn into art pieces that she sold at local markets. It was her time to drift into another world, a world where everything was alright, where everything was at peace.
Lucy sat down on one of the large driftwood logs that had floated onto the beach staring out into the vast ocean, which occasionally had a whale leap out of the surface or seal chase fish in the waves. She felt peace; it was like Hudson was beside her. Lucy sat staring out at the waves crashing along the cliff walls in the distance and the boats the floated by seeking their booty in a school of tuna, when her phone shrilled in her pocket. Lucy fumbled with her phone and looked at the screen to see her mother's number illuminated. Lucy swore and closed her eyes, sending a little prayer for patience before clicking the answer button.
"Hi mum" Lucy said attempting to sound as sweet as she could muster.
"Hi sweetheart, how are you?" Melinda replied.
Lucy rolled her eyes. Melinda never called just to see how she was going; there was always an ulterior motive. Usually it was to lecture Lucy about being alone and spending so much time in her art room. Lucy sighed and ran her free hand through her long auburn hair.
"I'm doing good thanks mum, how are you?" Lucy said trying to force the irritation from her voice.
"I'm good now that I've spoken to you" Melinda said cheerfully down the line "now listen, I was at the supermarket this morning"
Lucy sighed; she knew where this was going. Melinda had been trying to set Lucy up with her friend's single sons for the last year.
"Mum please, I don't want to go out on a date with some random guy that you have discovered is recently single" Lucy cut in.
She could hear Melinda cluck her tongue in irritation.
"Seriously Luciana," Melinda only called her Luciana when she was trying to drive home a point.
"You can't just stay at home all the time. Granted your art is beautiful and you have made a very successful business out of it, but you have to get out there. You have to meet more people. You can't spend the rest of your life being miserable" Melinda lectured.
"Who says?" Lucy argued purposely goading her mother.
Melinda sighed down the line and Lucy could envision her shaking her blonde hair, perfectly in place, her make up done just right with her beautifully manicured nails. Lucy shook her head and looked to the sky to push the tears from her eyes.
"Mum please. I just don't feel ready to be with another man. I know it's hard for you to understand, but I am happy. I am at peace. I don't need a man on my arm to feel that way" Lucy tried to explain for the umpteenth time.
"Fine Lucy you have it your way, you be single for the rest of your life, you die alone with no children, don't mind that your father and I might want grandchildren to spoil. No as long as you are happy Luciana Maree Jenkins" Melinda spoke harshly.
Lucy rolled her eyes; it was the same every time her mother rang. It started off all sweet and loving ending with a tirade about how selfish Lucy was for not giving them the grandchildren they needed. In truth her mother only wanted grandchildren so she could parade them around her friends circle.
"Alright mum, I'll go to the sperm bank and get on the children making for you" Lucy sighed.
"Lucy, seriously. I am hurting here. I long for grandchildren, you know that children have always been my life" Melinda whined.
"So get onto world vision and sponsor one" Lucy spat.
Melinda huffed down the phone. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was getting under her mother's skin. They were close once, before she had lost Hudson. She had even convinced him to buy the property because it was close to her parents; however now she thought about moving so far away that it would take a plane, boat and train just to get to her. Somewhere with no phone coverage sounded good to Lucy.
"Alright Lucy, I see you're feeling cantankerous today so I will let you go back to whatever you were doing. I love you sweetheart" Melinda spoke with a sigh.
"I love you too mum" Lucy said before hanging up and shoving her hands up through her hair.
Chapter Two
It wasn't that Lucy couldn't find another man, she was good looking enough. Her auburn hair with natural waves hung down over her shoulders, a small smattering of freckles still dotted her nose. Her skin was a creamy white, her body was good, her breasts were just bigger than a handful and her hips were in proportion to the rest of her body. Lucy liked her body and she never had much trouble with men noticing her. On the couple of occasions she had let her friends convince her to go out with them she had plenty of suitors wanting to buy her drinks. It was just that none of them compared to Hudson.
He was funny; he looked at her in a way that made her feel like a Queen and princess all rolled into one. The way he touched her was as if he was discovering a precious diamond. She didn't want just a quick roll in the sheets; she wanted someone who was going to give her the same feeling of butterflies every time she looked at him. She wanted someone who would handle her with care. Most of the men she had met, including the ones her mother insisted on her meeting only were after one thing. Sex. Lucy liked sex no that is an understatement, she loved sex and she missed it like crazy. However, she was prepared to let her battery operated rabbit take care of those needs for the time being.