"You know what? After all that nervous strain, guess what I really really want to buy?" Annabelle said, an impish smile on her face and kissing the tip of her lover's nose, her arms wound round her neck.
"What do you really want," laughed Simone, the lightness of mood flooding the balcony.
"A hot dog from that stall, no make it two hot dogs," bantered Annabelle.
"Then make that four between us," joked Simone, planting a long, soft kiss on her lover's soft irresistible lips.
In no time at all, they were kicking up sand on the beach with their sneakers and clinging to each others arms like excited schoolkids, laughing and chattering. Life's possibilities had opened up and brilliant daylight cast on the fears that had haunted the dark backyards of Simone's mind. Today's experiences had brought them even closer together in delicately illustrating what each of them could do for the other.
"Together, we are unbeatable," sang out Simone excitedly into the gentle air."We can do anything we want."
"'We'" breathed Annabelle dreamily as the sunlight dazzled her eyes and her hair flicked into her face."I sure love the sound of that word. So simple."
They slowed down, strolling lazily along the beach towards the steps off the beach and trotted up to the top, feeling perky and positive. They suddenly realised that they'd be facing Mr Middle America again but this was no big deal. They had the money and the will to succeed.
"Not you two goddamn lesbians again," he growled. He hadn't forgotten the way they'd taken the rise out of him a few days ago.
"Lesbians certainly but customers also," Simone retorted perkily."Our money is as as good as anyone else's." This snappy reply drew a grin of appreciation from the dark haired woman.
"It looks like we're near neighbours so you'll be seeing quite a bit of us," sang out Annabelle in her cool, most misleadingly innocent tones."The more some jerk says I can't do something, I want to do it all the more so make it four regular hot dogs with French mustard, two cans of coke and make it snappy."
Grumbling and grousing under his breath, the man dished the food and let the two women carry on their way. He had a business to run and, besides these two smartass women could run rings round him.
This was heaven to Simone. A delicious feeling spread through her senses of somehow returning to her teenage years. They strolled along the wide sidewalk, scoffing cheap food and feeling good about themselves. Simone casually pulled the ring off the top of the can and took a big swig out of bravado. Somehow the bubbles coursed up her nose and her little gesture rebounded back on her. Annabelle saw this and hastily took her half-eaten hot dog off her lover. She looked on tenderly and a warm smile illuminated her face. Simone was such a babe.
They wended their way lazily back to the beach hut and the younger woman's hand slid along the rail that bordered the decking. The feel of the wood was now a familiar , reassuring sensation which said to her senses, 'this is home.' It was a small, unpretentious abode but passing along this way made her feel secure and anchored, especially as the presence of her lover made her feel relaxed and wanted, that she had some purpose in the world. In some long ago existence, her nerve ends had stood out like stalks whenever the imposing front door of her parents had shut noiselessly behind her as if it were some kind of prison. A twinge of nervousness crept through her system that she was going to revisit that source of her psychic solitude. She was seriously banking on Simone's presence to keep the worst of these bad vibrations at bay. Annabelle reached for Simone's spare front door key that had been given her and slid the glass door aside. She gave out a sigh of satisfaction. Everything was there as it should be, she thought, with joint proprietorial interest in their home.
"Want a mug of coffee? It's not yet tea time,"she asked lightly, exchanging smiles at their shared joke.
"I'd love one. I'm really thirsty," came the grateful answer.
The younger woman paced lightly into their kitchen, laying her hands on the coffee jar, the sugar, the milk in the fridge and two mugs with practiced ease, everything feeling comfortable around her. Soon, she returned with two steaming hot mugs of coffee out onto the settee on the decking where Simone was waiting.
.
"I love this home," Annabelle said with sudden passion, her emotions flying free."I've never had a real home before in my life. My parent's mansion felt so cold, so empty. I know I sound like poor little rich kid," the younger woman suddenly added defensively , feeling suddenly awkward."
"I'd never think that way, Annabelle. You know it," Simone quickly interjected, laying her hand on her forearm. The younger woman's quick smile through a few tears was like sudden sunlight on a cloudy mountain lake.
"This home is beautiful, everything I could ever want in my life- and so are you, Simone. I've seen so many different sides of you since I've been here and I love them all."
"You brought me back to life darling," Simone said softly and simply. It said everything in her heart. They curled up together, slowly sipping coffee on a warm and sunny day.
"I know," Annabelle said enthusiastically right out of the blue, cueing Simone into another bright idea in the offing."Why don't you try that last song you learnt only I'll play guitar around you. I know it'll work"
The fair-haired woman brightened considerably at this implied compliment and they sat inside on the larger living room sofa which offered more space. Simone's newly polished guitar face faced Annabelle's green patterned instrument, the fair-haired woman feeling slightly nervous. She knew she'd come a long way very quickly but also knew what a proficient musician her lover was.
"It works like this Simone. You play and sing like you have been doing and on the second or third bar, I'll start playing finger picking style and play melodies round your rhythm."
"Ummn, I hope I'll be OK,"Simone replied nervously. She was worrying that anything that distracted her from the straight and narrow path might make her mess up.
"Don't let it throw you, just concentrate on doing your thing. OK," Annabelle answered in easy relaxing tones,"You've got a natural feel for music. You'll be fine. Trust me."
Simone placed her fingers on the fretboard and began to sing and play her song, making herself comfortable when, all at once, she heard a tracery of single notes plucked effortlessly out of the air around the strummed melody that she was playing. For a second, she was tempted to stop and admire her lover's artistry. Annabelle read the thought and mouthed encouragement to Simone keep playing and singing. For the first time, the fair haired woman could hear how music could be built up on and enhanced.
She was entranced to hear an artful sprinkling of notes, take shape and form and then wheel, dip and slide round the chords that she struck and the sweet aching sounds framed by her voice and her mind. She could hear the ensemble music they were making that she was also a part of. As they carried on, she shifted away from merely plugging away regardless, sticking rigidly to her chord arrangement and ended up moulding it with Annabelle's complementary music. To her soaring senses, it felt as if they were making love together especially as she felt Annabelle's sunshine smile as she picked away on her guitar. Right at the start of the final chorus, Simone was entranced to hear her lover's lower pitched voice slide in and underpin her singing perfectly. Together, they rode this song home and her last strummed chord matched perfectly the last couple of single notes, plucked off the magical green guitar while their soft voices tailed away into the peace and tranquillity of their home.
"Hey, that was a fabulous experience," Simone breathed. The younger woman was overcome with emotion to feel the way that her vision of how the two of them could play music together had come true. One lurking reservation broke surface and in their heightened emotional state, demanded to be given voice.
"You didn't mind me joining in with the singing? I felt so good as we played together that I couldn't resist it. I was going to teach you how harmony singing works and I thought I'd just do it."
Annabelle looked so sweetly apologetic that Simone laid aside her guitar, tenderly embraced her lover and gave her a loving kiss. She sensed how much this dark-haired woman had put so much care into enabling her latent talents to flourish. .
"Oops, "she laughingly exclaimed as she realised that her display of physical affection was in danger of damaging either her lover or that intriguingly patterned guitar or both.
"You don't have to worry sweetheart. I felt protected by you while you were playing and your singing felt so right."
Annabelle looked around her in a dazed fashion. She'd started this thing of teaching her lover what she knew as a generous gesture and somehow, she'd tapped into knowledge she didn't know that she'd retained. She'd expected that it would take Simone time to gradually pick up on chords and rhythms not to say going through the pain barrier of the skin on her fingertips gradually hardening over time. Instead, she'd moved ahead with uncanny speed while her singing voice was a joy to listen to and to weave her voice around.
"We've come a long way so fast. I never expected this to happen," she said in a quiet voice, almost detached from herself as if some other being was commenting on herself.
"I'm happy to push right on to wherever we're going," Simone said brightly."In the meantime, we need something to eat and drink."
This drew an instant grin of appreciation and both women busied themselves in the kitchen getting dinner ready. The more the days went past in slow motion pleasure, the more they became accustomed to each other's little ways. It seemed no surprise that Annabelle placed in Simone's hand the spatula she was thinking of using to help cook the meal and that Simone passed two plates that Annabelle was perfectly ready for to set their evening meal. Nor, when they'd eaten their dinner and felt deliciously full, they lay together on the settee, feeling wonderfully content
It was nighttime when they went to bed that the thought they'd been relentlessly suppressing all day finally broke surface.
"You know we're seeing your parents tomorrow. It won't be easy," Simone said gently as she slipped off her lover's top. This was the thought that both of them had done their best in suppressing in all the time they'd been relentlessly playing music, acting like teenagers in buying coke and hot dogs. As this day finally crept its way towards its end and the day of reckoning was at hand, it was only natural that they'd be scared. What if they failed to get a single dollar bill out of this trust? Neither woman dared contemplate such a situation.
"I want you to hold me darling," Annabelle said with a tremor of fear in her voice as she unclipped her lover's bra."I want to be made to feel secure."
The older woman knew very well just why Annabelle should feel this way though she had her doubts as to what comfort she could possibly offer. They slipped under the duvet and their bodies became interlocked, each smoothing the other's soft skin and long hair. Together, they'd somehow get through the night, they reasoned.