Probably only one of a series of short performances in this variety program, her mind ticked over, as the unfinished play developed before her eyes, leaving her, paralysed.
The sunlight cheerily two-stepped over John’s trunk, his head, his limbs….and his finest as his cheeky swimming togs slipped down to his ankles, then thrown casually over the boat rail to sun-dry any wet patches that may be garnishing the frontlet.
As their bodies rhythmically moved, her lightly tanned skin captured the lustre of the sun’s rays as if it were decorating her flesh profusely with lights as a sign of festivity.
Ann-Marie could only imagine what it felt like for her, then she watched them roll over, now she was on top of him, whispering sweet somethings in his ears, he giggled, then a subdued continuous swishing sound as of a stream trickled from her pouting lips.
“Hush,” Ann-Marie uttered softly from the bushes to the sounds of the forest. Mysteriously all became quiet.
In the longing to possess what could never be hers she felt the punishment of pain both physical and emotional inflict its torture through her entire being, almost driving her back to the childish party, afraid, suspicious and resentful that LisaAnn had won the heart of the man they both loved.
There was much sexual attraction between her friend and the prince of Ponder Pond, she felt bitter about LisaAnn’s inner qualities, she knew hers could never match, as she was easily annoyed at the slightest mistakes Josef would make. Somehow LisaAnn was much more patient and understanding, two perfect qualities a good Doctor possesses, but she could not see any flaws in John’s character that could possibly stir any woman, she had a chance.
As she stood there spying, not a drop of guilt flowed through her veins. The lukewarm tenderness Josef mostly displayed bordered on the chilly side, even the few times he made love to her seemed a lighthearted frolic from his view perhaps because she in no way resembled the only woman he’d married, now watching from above.
It was possible, she meditated, that there was something or several skeletons rattling around in LisaAnn’s closet, there must be valuable information he wasn’t aware of about his so called “perfect” lady, that would tear them apart. She didn’t know much about her but would definitely make it a profession to find out. “There is always a dark side to every story ever told, and as soon as I discover it I shall hold more power in my fists than the ruler of this universe – SATAN himself, what damage I could do to you, O Perfect Princess,” she muttered under her breath.
The temperature of her blood soared until it almost scorched the tender flesh of her scrawny vagina as it bubbled out of her like stewing preserve onto the sanitary pad stuffed between her legs. More than anything she longed for John to fertilize her eggs and give her a couple of gorgeous babies she could call her own.
Ann-Marie knew herself to be a bit of a monkey before but was she turning into a gorilla? “Gorilla warfare is setting in,” she told the peacocks that were scratching up the dirt around her. Before she came to the island to stay with Josef she had never had to entertain such thoughts. Psychologists would term her naughty behaviour as savage and crafty.
An angry expression surprised the smile from her stiff lips at their noisy climax, her head began to spin, she had to get out of there before she screamed. She fled through the forest, taking another route to avoid the gathering, completely forgetting the drinks. Finally she reached Josef’s dwelling, the bad emotions making her feel as sick as a dog with the flu, all she could do was down a couple of aspros and nurse the pseudo-bug under the king-size doona, where she burst into a rage pounding the pillows as if she were pounding that pretty face belonging to her rival.
The order for more iced tea slipped from the memory of the party-goers. Peter and Eunice left for Deer Lake and Vaardii and Mavis left for Seahorse Bay.
Jayne helped Ewan pack his bags then she drove him to the airport to catch a plane home, his brief holiday now over, soon he would have to examine and repair decaying teeth, whiffing stinking breath, often as foul as the bottom of a cocky’s cage, well, he thought, it paid for the Champas and the Caviar. He wanted his wife to stay close to her brother and the family, besides, she had planned for a water birth.
“I’ve a dozen washed nappies and a half dozen of John’s underpants to hang on the line, I hope the sun stays out,” LisaAnn mentioned on the way back to the house after a swim washed away the juices. It only took thirty seconds at the most to redress each other into their tiny costumes. Innocently Josef suggested with generosity that his girlfriend help with the nappies and the undies and raced ahead to fetch her.
“Ann-Marie, Ann-Marie,” he called loudly as he searched the house for her, finding her in the last room he looked.
She popped her head out from under the floral doona, her hair standing on end, a sour facial expression and bitter tongue almost swallowing him up as she asked angrily, “What is it Josef?”
“LisaAnn would appreciate your help pegging some clothes on the line, it will be a chance for you to get to know her better, so forget about your monthly foe and meet her at the line,” his style of social intercourse was domineering.
“If you insist!” she shouted across the room. She slowly rose from the bed brushed her hair then placed her large feet into her slip-ons and walked in a loose irregular order to the clothes hoist, at the same time LisaAnn showed pushing the trolley with the laundry basket filled to the brim with the damp nappies and briefs.
“Thanks so much for coming to help me, it has become a blowy morning they should not take long to dry,” LisaAnn said, looking at Ann-Marie’s facial curves and noticing a slight resemblance to herself. “I didn’t get your last name.”
“My full name is Ann-Marie Porter.”
LisaAnn threw her a quizzical glance, “Did you say Porter?”
“That I did,” she answered in an unusually quiet voice.
“I share the same maiden name.” After the nappies were pegged Ann-Marie insisted she finish the chore. As she hung John’s underpants on the line, the three she had already hung flapped in her face, she breathed in the jasmine fragrance of the fabric softener.
Goose bumps formed on Ann-Marie’s face as she explained the warm relationship she shared with her father Marcus Porter and mother Melanie whom she had heard died in a motorcycle accident not far from Lamb Island, whilst she was studying art in France. “We all enjoyed working together in my father’s engineering business during my growing up years. I had a nice life. I miss them, I’ve just celebrated my twentieth birthday what a pity they couldn’t be there to share it with me.”
She never got to read the write-ups in the local newspaper at the time and LisaAnn and John had not kept a copy.
Chilled by fear LisaAnn struggled to speak, but the words froze in her voice box. Five minutes of silence passed between the two women finally LisaAnn burst out the words, “Your father was my father and your mother was his mistress, they had married after the death of his first wife who of course was my mother. You must have been conceived before your parents married.” She hurt deep inside, her heart ached as she unthinkingly spoke the ugly title, “Illegitimate mongrel, leave my place you stranger, you do not belong here.”
Ann-Marie’s two fingers parted in a vile gesture at LisaAnn, then she screamed in return, “I live with my boyfriend Josef and our little girl Rachel and I’m not budging, I suggest you shape up or ship out, nobody calls me an illegitimate mongrel and gets away with it. Someday I’ll make you pay, what a pity you are my half-sister you selfish, toffee-nosed cow, if you breathe a word of this to anyone I’ll bury you!”
She ran back to Josef’s place seething at the bit but cooled off when she went inside.
“How could you and your slut bring another child into this world, pour your love on her and deprive me of the love I should have received. I was the trash and she was your treasure. I hate you both,” LisaAnn cursed at the hell below her feet. She decided to keep the details that were published in the newspaper a deep dar
k secret.
She let the fury disappear from her heart then strolled casually back to the house not breathing a word to anyone about the bad news.
John was busy in his study sketching a roughout of the lighthouse both external and internal, it would have twenty bedrooms, each with a private bathroom ensuite, one large entertainment room with a pool in the private courtyard and a connecting bridge and extra quarters on the other side of the courtyard for staff and security guards.
He wondered what his wife was doing and decided to check on her. He found her in the country-style kitchen baking scones to freeze. Jayne was seated at the kitchen table flipping through baby magazines and chatting about nesting.
“It’s nine o’clock twin brother, you’ll both be late for work,” warned Jayne. LisaAnn spun around, lips quivering, repeating in a stamour, “wwwwork.”
“We are having the day at home today to let LisaAnn rest, we don’t want to go too fast too soon,” John explained to her.
Jayne thought it a good idea, the twins crawled around the floor trying to push themselves up onto the face of a fixed full length mirror just outside of the kitchen.
“Doo doo,” they chatted poking their fingers at their reflections.
“Who are they Joey-John? More babies?” John asked pointing into the mirror, a piercing laugh causing their father’s head to spin.
In walked Marshall-Justus with his violin in his hand and a music book tucked under the same arm, he had been giving lessons in the Chapel Of Love all morning and had just sent his last little virtuoso of nine years off a happy student.
He placed his violin gently on the pine table and the music book on top then gave LisaAnn a hearty grin, her arctic gape told him all was not well. Moving over to her he placed his hands on her smooth shoulders ever so gently and asked, “Is something the matter my dear niece?”
Ann-Marie’s rumbling voice popped into her mind, “If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I’ll bury you.” A shiver ran up her spine and she drew back a little watching his cool gaze and sympathetic eyes, her throat muscles worked overtime swallowing strenuously, she raised the front of her lower jaw to a higher level. It was easier to look directly into her Uncle’s face than it was to look into her own father’s face shrouded with that blood-thirsty look Ann-Marie never saw.
He was so close to her she could smell the faint fragrance of his classy after-shave that matched his sweet nature, unlike her father, who reeked of foul odours that matched his nature, rotten to the core.
She needed to pour her heart out to her uncle about her half-sister and her cruel threats but her dry lips buttoned themselves tight.
If only I could tell you the way in which my father made your sister suffer. You don’t know how I long to sit on your knee and tell the parts of my story to you that I have found hard to relay even to my own husband about the unfair way your brother-in-law treated me, were her secret thoughts.
“Excuse me, there is something I need to tell you LisaAnn and John,” Jayne’s meek voice and choice of words stunned her. All eyes studied Jayne’s mouth as they spilled out the words, “I saw Ann-Marie follow you both today,” they stung like a bull-dog ant, LisaAnn bowed her head and wept bitterly.
“We didn’t know, what would we do that would interest her?” asked John.
LisaAnn’s mind began to crumble, but still no words escaped, it felt like her father was strangling her spirit to shut her up.
Both babies bellowed for milk, she picked them both up, excused herself and fled to the privacy of the master bedroom.
“Maybe she was studying mother nature,” Marshall-Justus suggested.
“Or the sexual behaviour of Doctors,” Jayne wisely mentioned.
“Don’t you think she looks like LisaAnn from a certain angle?” John cleverly worked out.
“I think Josef wanted a girl as beautiful as yours John.”
Jayne’s idea made him shudder.
Since Ann-Marie had begun living with Josef she insisted he install a telephone for emergencies. Sitting on the window seat she stared out at the view of a bank covered with pelargonium and geranium of various shades of pink. “I must not be too hard on you sister,” she said to herself. “First I shall telephone you and apologize then I shall invite you and your household to dine with us this evening.” She picked up the telephone and began to dial.
“Oh, hello Jayne is LisaAnn available? It’s Ann-Marie.”
“One moment and I shall get her for you.” She slowly climbed the staircase and walked over to her door and knocked.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Jayne, you have a call from Ann-Marie.”
She stopped breathing for a moment she lay the twins in their cots and raced down the steps to the telephone in the lounge room.
“Hello Ann-Marie.”
“LisaAnn I’m sorry for my outburst this morning, I shouldn’t have taken it so hard.”
“I accept your apology.”
“I’d like to invite you and the members of your household to dinner tonight with Josef and myself.”
LisaAnn accepted the invitation vowing to keep their secret and placed the telephone receiver back on the hook and returned to the kitchen.
“Ann-Marie apologized for following us through the rainforest, she said she didn’t see us as she was busy bird-watching,” she lied to the family covering for Ann-Marie in case it would spark another fiery rage if Jayne were to say anything at dinner. The decision was made by all to attend the evening meal at Josef’s.
Ann-Marie told Josef they were expecting guests for dinner that evening.
Wedding of Berty and Bonny
Box turtle
Chapter Eleven
The afternoon was short-lived as it skidded towards early eve. LisaAnn lay on her bed staring into the black sky, although she’d had a long afternoon nap her body fought the sluggishness brought on by a weary battle. Dragging her body over to the safe she lifted the painting and opened the door glanced at the time and decided after all not to read the letters and put the painting back but forgetting to shut the door to the safe.
John had fallen asleep on the porch on a swinging seat. After wrapping a pink fluffy towel around her naked body LisaAnn slowly descended the steps switching on the outside light and tiptoeing through the front door the moment she noticed John’s limp body. All sorts of voluptuous female movie stars danced around her head as she wondered just which one dominated his dreams, forcing his loafing wee willy winky to tower. She peeled off his frontlet and tickled the tip with her long fingernails reciting the famous question, “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
His eyes fluttered open and a gorgeous smile bloomed on his face then he said, “Careful honey, my colt 45 is about to go off,” and it did, a whole cupful of his savory sauce spurted up her arm.
He took a corner of her towel and wiped off the semen, when suddenly the fluffy fabric unraveled at the top and slipped to the slats below. His tender fingers tickled her plaything relaxing her entire body until she shivered with delight as she climaxed, red nectar bubbling like stewing preserve.
He flipped the frontlet back over Mr. Wally Wobbly and wrapped the towel around her body and carried her to their private bathroom where they bathed their dirty bodies that smelled like they had been chasing each other naked in the hot, hot sun for far too long.
After they dried and dressed each other and the jasminescented pad had been attached to her satin panties, he neatly tied her wavy hair into a twisted bun, dressed her and ran his hands delicately over her figure hugging gold crocheted gown designed by Vaardii, kissing the peaks of her well-rounded bosoms.
Around her sweet neck he fastened a silver chain, from it hung a solid silver Dachshund two inches in length with one inch long clip on earrings to match, her sparkling silver shoes matched her bag of silver and gold thread.
Jayne’s tender curvy body, elegantly ladylike and pretty as a picture in a loose broderie anglaise fresh white
frock with scalloped hem LisaAnn wore when she was carrying. A rose ribbon added that elegant touch to her low ponytail, a sparkly flower clip pinning back her honey blonde fringe. On her feet she wore her old favourites, a smoky pink pair of mock-croc shoes and matching clutch bag.
John wore a sleek, sky blue suit, light pink shirt with a white bow tie and white soft leather shoes. Marshall-Justus handsome in a cool mint green suit with a cream pinch pleated shirt set off with a lilac bow tie and snazzy lilac open weaved shoes.
The nights were still a little chilly, light mohair shawls kept the ladies’ shoulders warm enough on their stroll down the grassy slope to Josef’s home.
The twins had been bathed after their parents and dressed in their brushed coveralls and their Winnie The Pooh slippers.
Jayne placed Lisa-Marie in the twin coach rider stroller and LisaAnn placed Joey-John beside her. Once they reached the bottom of the grassy slope a palm avenue guided them to a man-made lagoon bordered with lilies of every kind, capturing the magnificent views of Bunya Pines with Chinese hat plants around their base scattered around both sides of Pine Hill west of Josef’s brick home. They stepped across the steppingstones, and when they reached the garden path, LisaAnn blew a wish to the stars above, and silently prayed that Ann-Marie would not throw a wet blanket over her intimate relationship with John.
A low set window on the porch of the Wright residence was left open to let in the fresh breeze.
Josef opened the teak door inviting his guests to enter his beautiful home.
“When did you carve the amber waves on the front door Josef?” asked John running his strong hands over the intricate work.
“Last week. It took me four days of solid work.”
“That’s why we didn’t see you round much,” John said, lifting his baby boy out of the pram LisaAnn handing him his daughter. Jayne set the brakes on the twin-stroller and they walked inside.
“Did you build this home Josef?” questioned Jayne.
Lap of Luxury Page 12
