Lilac Blossom Ch. 01

Please note, all characters and events depicted are fictitious. All rights reserved.

This is a longer story, with some build up. Comments welcomed, indeed encouraged. I'd like to think my writing is improving -- I hope you agree. The usual disclaimers about copyright, age appropriateness and state laws apply.

*

Samantha Jones plopped herself down on the couch, exhausted; it had been quite a day. She had gotten the groceries bought, the Christmas presents wrapped, the cards written and mailed, and collected her daughter from school. Now it was time for her to relax. She groaned. This was the time of day she dreaded the most, because, once her daughter had gone to bed, she would be alone again.

Samantha lived alone with her daughter, Caroline, now seven, as they had done for four years. She valued her independence, her freedom and loved being a mommy, even though it was desperately hard sometimes. Still, those long evenings alone stretched out in front of her like a prison sentence. It was as though she was being punished, but for what, she could not be sure.

She dragged herself out of the couch, hung her purse on her bedroom doorknob and kicked off her pumps. "Well, I guess we'd best eat, at least", she muttered to herself. But first, after checking that Caroline was safely and happily occupied, she needed to get out of her dress, get showered and into something altogether more comfortable for the evening ahead of her.

Stepping out of the shower and drying herself, she pondered her situation and how to improve it.. She was a happy person for the most part; just lonely. And yet, as she had told herself and her friends numerous times, she felt that she wasn't ready to share her home, or her life, with anyone else. In addition, she especially she did not want to expose Caroline to a succession of men, only for them to disappear again. But mostly, she did not want to introduce a new partner into her daughter's life if he turned out to be abusive or manipulating like the last one. Truth be told, on top of all this, she was afraid to open herself up again, to expose her heart and to risk it being broken again.

At 46, she had been married and divorced twice. Her son James was all grown up and had long since moved out; a few years after which, she had moved away from her family and her hometown to be with her second husband; a long, long way from home as it happens -- overseas, in the American Mid-West. She had borne him their daughter, whom she adored with every fiber of her body. To all intents and purposes, she was now a single mom. Caroline's father did not pay child support as he should have, and paid little to no attention to poor Caroline.

So now, except for Caroline, her family lived many, many miles away, and that second divorce had been brutal. As it turned out, he had not been quite the charming gentleman that he had seemed when they had first met. Oh, everything had been fine to start out with; he was quite the catch, or so he had seemed. However, as the first couple of happy years had faded into memory, he had become completely self-absorbed and sullen; he had treated her as an irrelevance bordering on contempt. As her personal happiness had dissolved in front of her eyes like the scarcely remembered fragments of a dream upon waking, her finances had plunged into a disastrous melee, caused, for the most part, by her husband's spendthrift ways. She barely had time to catch her breath, before she found herself working two full time jobs to support them while her husband returned to full time education and looked after Caroline. Suffering from exhaustion, she found herself staring at bankruptcy square in the face. Add to that his sexual advances, if they could be called that; more like forced celibacy on her part, interspersed with being, essentially, her husband periodically raping her. Her reluctance to be used in this way only fueled his contemptuous treatment of her.

Release had finally come when she had divorced him, but, in a cruel twist which she should have foreseen, given all that had preceded, he had successfully convinced and connived her into paying him an astronomical settlement, which had crippled her financially more than ever. Now, four years later, working just the one job, having quit the second one in order to look after Caroline, she was utterly exhausted, bankrupt, undergoing therapy, financially crippled, and lonely.

The only bright spot in all of this had been her dalliance, while still married to him, with Sophie, a co-worker. Desperately lonely, even more so than now, being simultaneously lonely and married, she and Sophie became fast friends at work. While Samantha had always harbored bi-sexual tendencies, she had never before had acted on it beyond mere schoolgirl experimentation, and had never had sexual relations with another woman, far less a lesbian affair. But there it was -- for six glorious months, while she was being alternately ignored and abused at home, she and Sophie would lunch together, enjoying each other's company and friendship. Lunches had turned into rare evenings spent together, at bars, and, on days off and when the weather was pleasant, at the park; eventually, in each other's arms and in Sophie's bed. That affair had come to an abrupt and tearful end when Sophie was relocated. Despite protestations as they said their goodbyes that they would remain in touch, that had just not happened. For several weeks, Samantha's heart was breaking. Yet, it had set her soul alight to the possibility that she could love, and be loved, again.

Since the divorce, Samantha had dated a little, but never very seriously and never for long, the longest being for three months with Julian, who adored her, but whose adoration she did not return, so, finally seeing that she had to do the right thing, she broke it off with him. His reaction had stunned her, when he broke down in floods of tears. She felt a little ashamed and rather embarrassed to have caused a grown man to cry so openly. However, no matter how painful or uncomfortable, she knew it was the right thing. That was three years ago. Since when, she had been single and untouched.

Samantha's thoughts were broken by a knock at the door.

"'S open," she called, correctly imagining the source of the knock to be Jamie, her neighbor. Still dressed in just her bra and panties, she slipped into her jeans and walked out into the living room pulling a loose fitting blouse around her as she did so.

"Hey girl, what's up?"

"Hey yourself; have you eaten yet?" came Jamie's response.

"Nope, just got out of the shower. Why, what'ya thinking?"

"John and I were just ordering pizza for us and the girls, and wondered if you'd like to join us"

"Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you!"

"Don't be daft -- we saw you pull in, and figured you probably weren't doing much this evening."

"How very perceptive of you," chuckled Samantha.

"So, how'd you get on? Did you get everything?"

"Yeah, you know, I'm actually feeling kinda proud of myself."

"Great! Well, come on, girl; grab your things and your cherub. The girls are anxious to see her, and you can tell me what all you found over pizza."

And so, for tonight, at least, Samantha's evening was saved. Samantha and Jamie spent the evening talking incessantly, as was their habit, with the girls - Caroline, and Jamie's two, Rachel, 12, and Jemima, 6 - goofing off all the while. John, Jamie's doting husband, joined in the rolling conversation periodically. Not for the first time, as she enjoyed the family's company, Samantha thought how safe and secure she felt in their presence, and, despite her oft-stated fear of over-staying her welcome, their reassurances that she was always welcome at their home had finally had the intended effect. They were truly a wonderful couple, a wonderful family whom she had come to love dearly. She almost felt a part of the family. Almost.

In her heart, she knew that, while she claimed not to be ready for a relationship, what she really wanted more than anything was some of what Jamie and John had -- happiness, total comfort with each other, security, and, most of all, to love and to be loved.

Also not for the first time, she pondered what life would have been like if either of her husbands had been cut from the same cloth as John. Of course, had it not been for her second, awful marriage, she would not now have Caroline, so she was generally philosophical about her lot and how, despite the hurt and abuse, Caroline and James made it all worth it.

****

The next day being a Saturday, the Saturday before Christmas, in fact, Caroline didn't have school, and had arranged to spend the day at the home of Jenny, one her school friends. Samantha had called the girl's mother to ensure that this was all fine. Rebecca, Jenny's mom, had reassured her that it was fine, that she had encouraged Jenny to invite Caroline or one or two of her other friends over.

"In fact, when you bring Caroline over, why not stay yourself for a while? If you're not busy, that is. I'd welcome the company if you're not busy Christmas shopping," Rebecca had added.

So it was set; at about eleven, Samantha and Caroline were to set out for Rebecca and Jenny's home on the other side of town, a fifteen-minute journey. Having ensured that Caroline was getting ready, that they had both eaten, Samantha showered and thought about what to wear. While it was not a formal event, just hanging out with the mother of one of her daughter's friends; still, she figured she should at least look somewhat presentable.

So, having showered, shaved, dried off and toweled her curly hair, she selected a cute denim skirt, one of her favorites, and a powder blue, semi-formal button down blouse. She always tried to keep her nails well manicured, and her lilac nail polish complemented the blouse perfectly. Thanking her lucky stars that she had good skin and features so that she really did not need to worry about makeup, she simply wiped a subtle, barely there lipstick on and checked her mascara. Slipping on her calf length boots and her jacket, they were ready.

Caroline apparently noticed at least, as she gave her mom a hug before they stepped out of the door.

"What's that for, sweetie?"

"You look pretty, and I love you."

"Aww, thank you, angel, I love you too sweetheart. But you know I am no match for my beautiful daughter. The boys are going to be in so much trouble when you grow older." Caroline giggled at this. "Ok, are you set?"

"Yes, mommy."

"Ok, then let's get going. Look out world, the sassiest girls in town are out on the prowl!"

Caroline giggled again. "You're funny, mommy!"

"Thank you, dearest! "

The ride to Rebecca and Jenny's was remarkably easy and uneventful, despite the pre-Christmas traffic. Pulling into the driveway at the address that Rebecca had given her, Samantha glanced at the exterior of the house. Modest in size, it was a two-storey town house, with a single car garage. Red brickwork at the base of the house rising to the level of the first floor ceiling, which gave way to wooden siding which was painted a very pretty pastel green . The yard looked well kept, with nicely trimmed grass and, despite the almost leafless single tree, the yard was also leaf-free.

Stepping out of the car and letting Caroline out of the back door who had already unbuckled herself as they pulled into the driveway, Samantha approached the front door, still admiring the well-kept look of the house, not seeing that Rebecca was waiting at the now open, front door.

"Do I have leaky gutters?" she called.

"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry, no, not at all. I was just admiring your home. It's very pretty and looks like it is very well loved and taken care of," replied Samantha, blushing slightly.

"Well thank you. Yes, I love this house. Thank goodness for Robert. He's a neighbor who helps me with the yard work and upkeep," explained Rebecca, "won't you both come in? Hi, Caroline, how are you? Jenny's through in the playroom, straight down the hall there."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ridley," Caroline said, very politely, before dashing off down in the direction indicated.

Rebecca and Samantha laughed at her as she went. "Hi, you must be Samantha, I'm Rebecca. It's so nice to meet you. Caroline is such an adorable little girl. You must be very proud of her. Jenny talks about their escapades together incessantly!"

"Uh oh!" laughed Samantha, "Thank you, yes, she's my angel. And yes, I'm Sam, Samantha. It's wonderful to meet you too," she said, smiling.

"Here, let me take your jacket, and we'll go through to the living room. Do you like coffee? Or I have soda, water, or if you're feeling adventurous, I have some beer," offered Rebecca.

"Oh goodness, it's way too early in the day for beer!" exclaimed Samantha. "Coffee's just fine, thank you. Black, one sugar, please"

"Coming right up."

A moment later, Rebecca led her guest through to the spacious living room. A large TV sat in the corner, a large, comfortable-looking, modern couch on the opposite wall, two matching chairs at the far end, and, opposite the couch, the centerpiece was a beautiful, redbrick mantel and fireplace, adorned with a brass toolset, and a red, leather and brass bellows hanging from a brass hook in the brickwork. A large wooden cocktail table with a glass top and wrought iron legs sat in front of the sofa, and the walls were decorated with a red, floral border at mantel height, with very traditional, red and white regency-striped wallpaper below, and pretty, gold, almost magnolia colored painted walls above.

"Wow, this room is magnificent, it's beautiful," Samantha remarked, almost whispering.

"Thank you! It's rather a mish-mash of styles, but I love it. This is my sanctuary at the end of the day, once the workday is done and Jenny's in bed."

"I don't doubt it. I'd say 'eclectic' maybe?" smiled Samantha. "What do you do?"

"Won't you sit down? I work in the DA's office downtown."

"Oh? Doing what?" Samantha said, as she sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Well, actually, I'm an assistant DA," explained Rebecca.

"Oh, I thought the name Ridley had a familiar ring to it. Do you enjoy it? That must keep you away from home for long hours?"

"I do, and it does but I'm able to go into the office early as soon as I drop Jenny off at school, most days. Sometimes I am able to pick her up, other times the Boys and Girls Club picks her up, from where I collect her once I am done. It's not perfect, but, it works out for the most part."

"And Mr. Ridley? What does he do?" asked Samantha.

"He doesn't. There is no Mr. Ridley any longer. Tom died in a car accident when Jenny was just two"

"Oh I'm so sorry, that's awful. How on earth do you cope alone with such long hours and such a responsible job?"

"Thank you. Well, like I say, it's not perfect, but we get through it", Rebecca smiled ruefully. "And what about you, what do you do?"

"I work for an insurance agency downtown, I'm a claims adjuster. Rather boring, but it pays the bills. Well, almost."

"And so how do you cope? That must be a nine to five job, right? And you're a single mom too?"

"Yes, it is. My neighbor, Jamie, usually picks Caroline up when she picks up her girls from school, and she stays with them until I get home. I get to pick her up myself when I have the rare day off, or if I manage to get out of the office early."

"And you're a single mom too?" pressed her friend.

"Yes, single mom," Samantha sighed. "Long story, but the quick version is, I've been divorced for four years, and glad to be rid of him, despite the financial mess he left me with," she conceded.

"Oh I'm so sorry. That's rough. He pays child support, though?"

"Once in a month of Sundays, and then only if I'm really lucky." Samantha tried to hide her bitterness. "But like I said, I'm better off without him, and I don't want his money."

"I'm sorry and I understand. But still, he's legally obligated."

"Yeah, I know. Hasn't done me any good so far."

"Well, you know, sometimes it helps to have friends."

"Mmm, I s'pose."

"Look, I'm not going to poke my nose in, but if you need some help, let me know, OK?" offered the lawyer.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"So, Jenny tells me that you're English; I caught the accent. Tell me about home."

The two women sat and talked, telling each other of their past, their interests, their likes and dislikes, and of course, their previous relationships. Despite their very different upbringing and backgrounds, it seemed that they had much in common. Samantha felt very comfortable with Jenny's mom, as if she was a long time friend. Rebecca, with her long, straight blonde hair which was fetchingly clasped in a hair clip at the back of her head, dressed simply in khaki pants and an equally simple white blouse, was undeniably attractive, and equally classy; seemingly very at ease with herself, and her movements graceful. As they continued to talk, Samantha, with her shoulder-length, chestnut brown hair, could not help but admire this new friend.

Samantha learned that Rebecca was almost the same age as Sam -- at 44, just a couple of years younger. She and Tom had met in college, but had delayed tying the knot until she had finished law school and sat her bar exam. Like Sam, he had worked in the insurance industry. Unlike Sam -- whose elder brother lived in England - Rebecca was an only child.

They talked easily together for what seemed like just a half hour or so, but when Samantha checked her watch, she saw that three hours had passed by. The girls had come in periodically, but for the most part, they entertained themselves, and their mothers occasionally heard their daughters' squeals of delight or giggles at each other's antics.

"Oh, my gosh! Have you seen how long we've been nattering?" exclaimed Samantha.

Rebecca giggled. "Nattering? Really?" Samantha grinned. "Yeah, well, blame it on the English heritage, or my age, or .... well, anyway. We should really get going"

"Why the rush, do you have plans today?" asked Rebecca.

"Well, no, but..."

"Then stay. I can fix a light dinner. Or a late lunch. I'm sure the girls will have worked an appetite up by now, and it's just as easy to knock something up for the four of us as it would be for just me and Jenny."

Samantha laughed at Rebecca's easy mannerisms. "Well, ok, provided you're sure, but you have to promise to let me help you."

"I'm going to make no such promise. You just sit right there, it won't take me long."

In what seemed like little more than a moment, Rebecca was bringing through to the dining room two steaming plates that, closer inspection revealed, contained a good size portion of shepherd's pie with asparagus spears to the side.

"Jenny! Caroline! Come and get some food girls!" called Rebecca down the hallway.

"Oh my goodness, you didn't just make this, did you?" gasped Samantha. "This looks wonderful!"

"Well, I cheated, but yes," smiled her friend. "What would you like to drink? Water? More soda? That beer, or I have some red wine if you prefer?"

"I could get used to this!" exclaimed Samantha, "Wine would be lovely, thank you!"

As Rebecca fetched the girls' plates and glasses of fruit juice with ice cubes chinking on top, the two girls came bounding into the room, laughing and talking up a storm.

"So, what have you two been up to?" inquired Samantha.

"Oh my gosh, Mom, you'll never believe what Jenny has in her room! Guess!" cried Caroline.

"I don't know I give up. What does she have?" laughed her mother.

"A whole room full of cuddly toys, and a mirror, and jewelry, and makeup, and a makeup table and a bench, and just, wow!"

Caroline looked comical in violet eye shadow applied inexpertly, and a little heavily, and pink rouge likewise. Samantha noticing this for the first time laughed, and said, "So I see"