Part 3
The rest of the following two weeks had flown by. Lucy had enjoyed the trip to America, and not just because of whom she had met. Her mother had teased her when she mentioned Jeff, although she expressed her surprise to her husband.
"This Jeff has left a real impression on Lucy," she said.
"He seemed a nice young man," John had replied. "Anyway, Lucy would see through him if he wasn't."
"Yes, she would," Caroline agreed. She was even more surprised by the change in Lucy. Instead of flicking idly through job adverts, she was actively seeking one out.
"What on earth are you doing?" Caroline had asked her daughter.
"Getting a job," Lucy had replied, with her usual casualness.
"Doing what?"
"Journalism. I need some experience before I apply for a postgraduate course that will give me a qualification," Lucy said.
"What's brought this on?"
"A suggestion that I've been thinking about," Lucy replied, and Caroline had left it at that. Sure enough, Lucy got a job at one of the local papers as a reporter. Despite having to look at menial things such as cats stuck up trees, and bratty ten-year-olds winning national competitions, she actually enjoyed it more than she thought she would. The reason for this sudden burst of activity was simple; Lucy had considered Jeff's words about doing something that made her happy. So, she'd had a think about things, made some lists, did some research and had settled on journalism as something that might suit her. Plus, it was a career that potentially could lead to her getting work anywhere… Anywhere in the world.
If - and it was a big if - things worked out between herself and Jeff, she would have skills to get a job in America. As they had promised each other, they had stayed in touch. However, Lucy hated the feeling of limbo that she was currently in. She was sure that if she and Jeff had lived near each other, they would be going out together. Their exchanges were not those of lovers but were more than that of people who were simply friends. Jeff had sent her a photograph of himself in his uniform, taken during some special day that his squadron had taken part in. Lucy loved it, and kept it in a frame by her bed, with other photographs of those closest to her. Her mother had admired it.
"He is a rather fetching man, isn't he? When you said he was in the forces, I kept imagining one of those big muscly Sergeant-Majors with a loud voice," she said. Lucy had just laughed. Her mother and herself had never seemed to be of the same mind, but somehow, it didn't matter anymore. She worked hard at her job and applied for a suitable course that would further her cause. She was successful in her application, but before she was due to go on it, she received some news that only further served to fuel her happiness.
"Jeff's coming to London next week!" she announced at dinner.
"What for?" her father asked.
"He's coming over as part of a group that are going to be attending an international conference on space exploration," Lucy explained. "He's here for a few days and thought that we could meet up."
"That's nice, dear," her mother said. "What about work?"
"I've already sorted that out," Lucy replied, with a smile.
"I should have guessed," her father said, dryly.
The next ten days or so went by quite slowly, so it seemed. Eventually though, Lucy was on the train to London, arriving at Victoria station. Then she made her way to Trafalgar Square via the Underground. She had arranged to meet Jeff there as it was the first thing that she could think of that had obvious points of reference to meet someone by. She arrived by the lions, but there was no sign of Jeff. She waited patiently for a few minutes, watching the hustle and bustle of the people going by.
"Lucy!"
She turned round and saw Jeff coming towards her. She grinned a huge grin, and practically ran towards him and gave him a hug, which he returned.
"Your hair looks different," he said, surveying her russet locks.
"Just a bit of a trim," Lucy replied. "Manage the tube okay?"
"Yeah, not too bad," Jeff said as they set off together.
"How much have you seen of London?" Lucy asked.
"Not as much as I would have liked," Jeff replied. Lucy thought for a moment.
"Hey, maybe we could go up the Thames on a boat later. I've always wanted to do that. So long as the weather holds, of course."
"I'd like that," Jeff smiled at her, and slipped an arm through hers. "So, what are we going to do in the meantime?"
"Well, if we stay in the centre, we can have a look at most things," Lucy said. "I know my way around a little bit because of my father, but I'm afraid I'm no tourist guide!"
"You'll do just fine for me," Jeff replied, making Lucy grin bashfully.
"Glad to hear it," she said, brightly.
By lunchtime, they had taken in a reasonable amount of London's tourist attractions. Jeff found that he liked London more than he thought he would, and took his time to admire and photograph the architecture of some of the buildings until Lucy would pull on his arm, impatient and wondering what was so fascinating about an old edifice. She was glad when it was time for lunch.
"Hungry?"
"Yes, I am."
"Let's go and find somewhere to eat."
"Lucy… Can we go and get some fish and fries?" Jeff asked, hopefully. His father had ordered him to try some of the famous English dish, to see if it was as good as his grandfather made out it was. Lucy burst out laughing.
"Fish and chips, Jeff! Alright, there must be a chippy around here somewhere," she replied. After a short search, they found a little place, and got themselves something to eat. They found a bench to sit down on and enjoy their meal.
"What do you think?" Lucy asked.
"Not bad," Jeff said.
"Try some mushy peas," Lucy said, waving a fork in front of him. Jeff pulled a face.
"I'm not that brave," he replied, with a smile.
"You don't know what you're missing," Lucy said to him.
"Yes, I do," Jeff grinned. They sat in silence for a short while, whilst they ate their food. Jeff was almost at the end of his stint in the air force. Another three months, and he would be done, and ready to start his astronaut training. Lucy was to start her postgraduate course in six weeks. They were both progressing with their individual lives, yet somehow they remained on an intertwined path.
"I'll have to come and visit Canterbury one day," Jeff said.
"Yes, you should," Lucy said. "It's quite an interesting place, historically. Lots of old buildings for you to gawp at."
"Hey!" Jeff replied, pretending to be offended. Lucy chuckled.
"Anyway, my mother is keen to meet you at some point."
"My mother doesn't think you exist," Jeff said with a laugh. "She thinks I'm making the whole thing up to stop her asking me about when I'm going to settle down."
"Really?"
"No, she's just teasing. With me being an only child, both mother and my father are anxious for me to follow the right path," Jeff said.
"And what's 'the right path'?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, you know, good job, good money, nice family," Jeff said.
"I suppose all parents are like that," Lucy said.
"Yeah, but you've got your brother. When it's just yourself, the expectation can be a lot," Jeff told her.
"You should do what you want to," Lucy said. "Nobody lives your life except for you."
"I know. That's why I went into the air force, so I didn't have to go into farming. But my parents are proud of me, and that's what matters."
"What matters is that you are proud of yourself," Lucy said.
"Well, you can't argue with being chosen for a moon landing," Jeff replied, with a smile.
"No, you can't," Lucy agreed.
They finished their meal and wandered along to where the tourist boats were docked, ready to take their passengers up the Thames. The ride was a little bit choppy, and both of them ended up wishing that they hadn't eaten beforehand. Other than that, it had been quite enjoyable. Jeff had to be heading back to his hotel in a couple of hours, and Lucy had a train to catch, so they decided to go for a walk in a park, in order that there was somewhere quieter to talk. For the first time that day, they held hands as they walked side-by-side.
"Well, my course is only six months, so I can look for a good job soon," Lucy said.
"Have you thought of applying for a Visa?" Jeff asked.
"I haven't," Lucy admitted.
"You could apply for one that would allow you to work in the States for a few months," Jeff said.
"I've heard something about that," Lucy replied. "But I've also heard that it's hard to get one."
"It'll take a few months to come through, so maybe you could apply for one now, and by the time you've done your course, you'll be able to come over."
"But I'd have to have a job to go to, won't I?"
"Yes, but there's always vacancies for your line of work," Jeff assured her. "And you'd have somewhere to live – you can live with me."
"Really?"
"Yeah, sure. I'm getting an apartment in Houston. There'll be plenty of room for you," he smiled. "That's if you want to come, of course."
"Of course I do," Lucy said, coming to a stop and making Jeff do the same. She looked up into his deep cobalt eyes. "It's what I've been working towards."
"I know you have. I really want to make a go of this, Lucy," he said, seriously.
"So do I," Lucy replied, equally as serious. Jeff gazed back at her. He suddenly broke eye contact and fished around in his jacket pocket.
"I nearly forgot," he said, bringing out a small flat box. "Here's a little something I got for you."
"Thank you," Lucy said, taking the box and feeling a little guilty that she hadn't thought to get him anything. She opened the box up to reveal a pretty rose-gold chain. She took it out to admire.
"Jeff, you shouldn't have. It's beautiful!"
"I just saw it one day and thought that it would suit you," Jeff said. He helped Lucy to fasten it round her neck.
"Does it look okay?" Lucy asked, unable to see herself.
"It looks perfect," Jeff assured her. Lucy popped the box into her bag and gave Jeff a hug.
"Thank you," she said, again. She raised her head and reached to give him a kiss on the cheek. He took her hand and held it tightly, looking into her eyes again.
"Lucy…"
"Shh," she interrupted, quietly. It didn't matter to her that they were standing in a park in full view of anyone who might be passing by as she reached a hand up to the side of his face. She didn't have to reach very far before she felt his lips press against hers, hesitatingly at first, then more committed. Lucy melted inside. She had waited so long for this moment, and she didn't want it to end. It had to though, and she found herself gazing into Jeff's eyes again, with a smile. Jeff tucked a stray bit of Lucy's hair behind her ear.
"I wish I didn't have to say goodbye," he said, softly.
"It won't be for much longer, if everything works out," Lucy replied. Jeff nodded, and pulled her close again, unable to resist another kiss, despite usually not being one for public displays of affection. Although he had instinctively felt drawn to her the moment he first laid eyes on her at the charity event in New York, like her he had tried to resist getting too many feelings at first. But now… Now returning home was going to be harder than he thought. Wordlessly, he took her hand again and together they continued their walk through the park. When they reached the other side, they came to an Underground station, and they made their way into it and onto a train.
"My mother's useless at this," Lucy remembered. "She can never work out where she's going. I was only about twelve and had to help her navigate!"
"She sounds quite a character," Jeff said.
"She drives me up the wall…but I suppose I do the same to her," Lucy said, thoughtfully.
"I bet you do," Jeff said, slyly. The comment earnt him a poke in the ribs. They giggled like a pair of schoolchildren, earning them strange looks from the other people on the train. Eventually though, they reached Victoria Station.
"Time to say goodbye again," Lucy said, trying to sound upbeat.
"It's not goodbye, it's just that we won't see each other for a while," Jeff answered, trotting out the well-known phrase.
"At least you didn't say, 'It's not goodbye, it's just that I won't ever see you again.'" Lucy smiled, quoting a favourite film. Jeff wrapped her in a hug. They kissed again, not wanting to part. As he hugged Lucy for one last time, Jeff lowered his head so he could tell her something that he could no longer keep to himself.
"I love you."
