Neighborly Complications (Stories of Serendipity)

by Anne Conley

  Her hand encircled his bicep, as she inhaled slowly into his ear. “That’s a nice shirt. Can I talk you out of it?”

  He inwardly rolled his eyes at her blatant pick up line, but since the outfit she was wearing had “fuck me hard” written all over it, he decided he shouldn’t disappoint. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap.

  This was a club, but The Church on a Sunday night had some pretty lax rules about appropriate behavior. With the bass beat pounding through his spleen, he dipped his head and tasted the woman’s neck. She moaned and leaned into him, pushing her breasts against his chest. That was all he needed.

  He nibbled her earlobe, “The last time I had sex in this chair, they asked me to leave.”

  “Then let’s get out of here.” Her hand stroked his erection through his pants.

  So he obliged her.

  Alyssa was making lunches for her kids while they fought over toothbrushes in the bathroom. “Guys, come on! We’ve got to leave in ten minutes. We do not have time for this!” She finished throwing chips and cookies into the brown paper bags, and tossed them onto the couch on her way to the bathroom.

  Extricating the princess toothbrush from Cayden’s grasp and placing it into Sierra’s hand, she said sternly, “Now, get to brushing!” Ten harried minutes later, they were on the way to school.

  In the car, on the way to school, Alyssa cranked up the radio and tuned out the children. As soon as the bickering faded out, the dream she’d had last night tuned itself in. It had been a good one. She blushed at the pool of warmth forming between her legs.

  It must have been some sort of subliminal thing telling her to get out more, because the dream started out in this wild club. Scantily clad women, men decked out in black leather and metal spikes were everywhere.

  After the club, Alyssa had gone home with this beautiful woman and done unspeakable things with her, because in the dream, she had been a man. Was that her subconscious telling her something else?

  She had been an incredibly hot man, for sure. Auburn hair, gray eyes, muscles everywhere, and apparently a boundless creativity in bed. Saliva pooled in Alyssa’s mouth, and she swallowed, thickly.

  At that moment, with her kids in the car, she was thankful her thoughts were private.

  It was confusing. Alyssa was not attracted to women, and had never had any desire to be a man, but this dream was so real. In the dream, she had performed delicious sexual acts with a woman, and Alyssa had enjoyed every bit of it. There was something about kissing the smooth skin, the supple softness, being in control of everything, that was deliciously foreign. The feelings her body had experienced were so strange to Alyssa. It could very well have been a wet dream. Did women even have wet dreams? She wasn’t sure, but she was almost positive she had had an orgasm last night.

  As wrapped up as she was in her own thoughts, the drive was short this morning, After dropping the kids off at their school, she continued on to hers, trying to focus her thoughts on the school day.

  Walking into the school, Alyssa swept her long blond hair up into a pile on top of her head, and secured it with a pencil she found in her purse. She didn’t have time to look in a mirror in the morning, much less fix her hair. She pulled a few tendrils down to make it appear purposeful, and walked to her room, keys in hand.

  Alyssa’s classroom was fastidiously neat. She had motivational posters up on the walls, and spirited orange drapes over the windows. She walked into the room, and opened up the drapes, to let some sunshine into the room. Before she could even grab her coffee cup, and escape to the teacher’s lounge for some caffeine, a tall young man, wearing impossibly baggy jeans and a dirty hooded sweatshirt came ambling into her room. He dropped his backpack onto the floor by a desk and pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his sweatshirt pocket.

  “Ms. Fuller. I don’t get the homework.” He threw himself into the desk, and slouched down as low as physically possible without actually sliding out of the bottom.

  “Well, get a book, and show me exactly what you didn’t get.” Alyssa said to him, after putting her coffee mug back down on the corner of her desk.

  “I didn’t get any of it. I don’t get what a verb is.” He made no move to get a book off of the shelf.

  “Well, a verb is an action word. It’s a word that conveys action, like run, drive, or sleep. But what the homework was over was adverbs. They describe action, and most of them end in -ly. Honestly, Logan, you should have learned this stuff in junior high. Get a book, while I get some coffee, and I’ll come back and help you with it.” She grabbed her coffee mug and power walked down the hallway to grab her morning caffeine.

  The rest of her day passed in a blur. Trying to get kids to understand the parts of speech and basic grammar principles was the reason she had chosen not to teach junior high. She had never in a million years thought she would be teaching it to tenth graders.

  Seventh period was her conference period, and also when her children were bussed over from the elementary school to hers. They bounced into the room about halfway through the stack of papers she was grading, and opened the snack drawer to get some nuts and juice Alyssa had stashed there just for them.

  “Hey, guys. How was your day?” Alyssa’s brain was mushy by this time of the day, but she had to sound chipper for her kids. She had learned a long time ago, her moods rubbed off on them.

  “It was awesome.” Sierra answered matter of factly, like she always did.

  “It was awesome.” Cayden parroted his sister. He idolized her, and did everything she did.

  “Did you guys do anything interesting in class?” Alyssa had to prod to get details out of the kids.

  “Ummm...Jonafon stole my turn wiping tables. I was supposed to be fe helper today, but he stole my turn.” Cayden’s bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

  “Did you get mad and throw a fit?” Alyssa asked.

  “No, I told the teacher it was my turn, and she said I could do it tomorrow.”

  “Good, I don’t want to hear about any fits at school. You’re my sweet boy.” She leaned down and brushed a kiss across the top of his head. “How about you, Sierra?”

  “Today was art class. I got a star.”

  “Good! You’re my sweet girl.” Alyssa brushed a kiss across her daughter’s head, too. “Now, you guys get started on your homework. Mommy doesn’t have to do duty today, so we can leave at 4:00. Okay?” They giggled at the words ‘do duty’, like they always did, and Alyssa rolled her eyes.

  The kids pulled out their work and sat at the big kid desks, their feet swinging under the chairs, and got busy. By the time Alyssa was finished grading her papers, the bell had rung. No students came in for tutoring after school, so they left as soon as they could.

  In the car on the way home, Cayden started whining to go to Grammy’s house.

  “Not today, honey. We’ve got to get home, so I can fix supper.”

  “Awww...Please?” Cayden persisted.

  “Not today, maybe tomorrow.” She was constantly putting him off, it seemed, but visits to Grammy’s house never lasted less than an hour. Her mother wanted to visit every time, and the visits invariably turned to asking favors, and Alyssa just didn’t have the time today.

  “I wish parents didn’t exist. Only Hotwheels.” Cayden pouted. Alyssa smiled to herself.

  She couldn’t laugh out loud, or Cayden would think she was laughing at him, so she said, “You can play with your Hotwheels when we get home before dinner. I promise.”

  Somewhat appeased, he stayed quiet the rest of the way home.

  When they got home, Alyssa turned on the radio in the kitchen on to the local country station, and went about her task of making a healthy dinner her children would actually eat. She had put some chicken in the crock-pot this morning, so she added some cream cheese to the pot and started on side dishes. These were always tricky. She wanted her kids to eat veggies, but they didn’t always agree with that philosophy. She put some green beans on to cook w
ith bacon fat, and sliced some raw veggies as a back up plan.

  After dinner was bath time, which with Cayden was no problem, but Sierra tended to stay and float in the water instead of actually washing herself, so Alyssa sat on the toilet to help keep her motivated. Tonight, she was appalled to find out her daughter had a bona fide boyfriend.

  “What’s his name, Sierra?”

  “Adam, and he’s new, but he was in my class last year, before his parents took him out of school to home school him.”

  “Hm...” Alyssa didn’t really approve of the parents who took their kids out of school for “home schooling” just because they couldn’t get along with or agree with the teacher. She had experienced this at the high school level.

  “Mikala asked him if he liked me, and he told her he did. And then he told her he was my boyfriend. At recess, he gave me a shiny rock. I’m going to cherish it forever.” Sierra sighed dramatically, as she sank back down into the water.

  “Every little girl should love shiny rocks...” Alyssa wasn’t sure what to say to this revelation. Her eight year old had a boyfriend. Oh boy...

  After Sierra had washed her hair and all of the essentials, Alyssa left her to float and swish in the tub, while she cleaned the kitchen. Cayden was happily playing with his beloved Hotwheels in the living room, so Alyssa could do the dishes in relative peace.

  While she scrubbed and rinsed, she reflected on her day. It had been hectic and busy, like always. Sometimes it seemed like she just ran and ran all day long, taking care of other people. Making sure her own children were clean, fed and happy, as well as making sure she provided a safe, comfortable learning environment for her students, was difficult on a good day, which this had been. She briefly thanked the heavens there weren’t any major conflicts at the moment, and wondered how long it would be before something came up. She couldn’t imagine her life going this well for too long.

  Once both of the kids were bathed, she double-checked their homework, and put a Scooby Doo video on for them to watch in their room. Since the divorce, they insisted on sharing a room. Her ex, Steven, didn’t like it, but he wasn’t calling the shots anymore, was he? They experienced a devastating blow when Alyssa and Steven had split up, and they seemed to find a measure of comfort in sharing a bed with each other. She knew it probably was inappropriate, but it was temporary, and she was a firm believer in picking her battles. The whole bed situation would change, and soon. For now, though they were all happy, and sleeping well.

  After making up a short bedtime story for the kids, and singing them her special Scooby Doo lullaby, she tucked them into bed and went into her own bedroom for the night.

  The rest of the evening was hers. Alyssa ran a hot bubble bath, and immersed herself into the fragrant water, remembering her still vivid dream from last night. The sensations the dream evoked were alien to her. She had never been touched the way the man in her dream had touched that woman. He had touched her everywhere, and had touched her with urgency, like he had to have her. And the places he touched her. Alyssa thought the woman could have faked her reaction to those caresses, but she didn’t think it was likely. It looked like the man knew what he was doing. Alyssa rubbed her own hands over her body, in the bathtub, feeling the soapy bubbles dissolve under her fingertips, but she didn’t know what else to do to herself, to evoke those kinds of sensations. She knew about self-love, but never had felt comfortable enough with herself to actually perform it.

  Her thoughts drifted to Steven, her ex-husband, and his views on sex. Procreation only, that’s what he said. Masturbation was totally out of the question. Sighing heavily, she rose from the tub, and wrapped a towel around her body. Putting on her pajamas, she went to bed, falling asleep almost instantly, hoping to dream of the man again.

  Turn to the next page for the first chapter of Chef’s Delight, from the Stories of Serendipity Series by Anne Conley:

  Chapter 1

  Jessica sighed and took a sip of her whiskey and coke, grimacing at the taste. “Heard from Kathy, yet? She should be here by now.”

  Summer shrugged. “She texted me a little while ago. Said she was having a problem at work, and might not be able to make it.” Summer drank deeply from her frozen margarita and grimaced. “God, this drink is awful. Doesn’t even taste like a margarita. I think I’m going to get wine on my next round.”

  “Yeah, this drink’s pretty bad, too. I should have stuck with beer.” They were at the Gin, actually, its official name was the Shelton Hall, but since it was an old renovated cotton gin, most everybody just called it the Gin. Decorated in neon beer signs, and posters featuring bikini-clad women, it was definitely a dive bar, but one of the only places to go in town for a drink. Apparently, tonight was not the night for mixed drinks though. The bartender must be new, Jessica thought to herself.

  Summer was bouncing in her seat to the beat of whatever rap-type, top-forty song the DJ was playing. “You feel like dancing, Jessie?”

  “Naw, you go ahead though. I’m fine right now.” Jessica took another swig of her drink.

  Summer hopped up and boogied out to the dance floor, and Jessica watched her pull some of her moves. They had been friends since high school, and managed to still get together occasionally. With both of them trying to keep small businesses afloat, though, it was tough to be able to have social time.

  As her eyes flickered around the bar, Jessica noticed Asshole come in the door. “Great,” she muttered under her breath as he noticed her and sauntered over to where she was sitting. The smile on his face was smarmy, in a totally creepy, domineering way.

  “Hey gorgeous,” he was leering at her now. She had to struggle not to vomit up her drink.

  “Chad.” Jessica crossed her arms and leaned back. Exes could be asses on a good day. This particular ex deserved the moniker with a capital A.

  She appraised him, carefully, wondering what attracted her to him in the first place. Granted, he was good-looking, but he knew it, and reminded her constantly.

  “You out trying to find my replacement?”

  “Maybe. Although, if I do find another one of you, please put a bullet between my eyes.” She took another sip of her drink, grimacing. ”You’re definitely a one of a kind, kind of asshole.” She wasn’t sure why she was trying to provoke him.

  His eyes narrowed, as he grabbed her knee under the table. “You know you really shouldn’t say things like that, Jessie. It’s not nice.” His fingers tightened on her knee.

  “Fuck off, Chad.”

  “We had something great, Jessie.”

  “We had sex, Chad. Nothing great.” She tried to pry his painful grip from her knee, with no avail.

  He smirked at her. “It was great, and you know it.” His grip released, and he got up from the table to wander over to the bar and get a drink.

  Not wanting to stay there, Jessica swigged down the rest of her drink, stood from the table, and meandered over to where Summer was grinding with some strange man on the dance floor.

  “I’m going to get some air. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “You okay?” Summer asked her over the loud thumping of the music.

  “Yeah, Asshole showed up.” Jessica swung her chin in the direction of the bar, where Chad was standing. “I just need a minute.”

  “Let me know if you’re ready to go home.”

  “Not yet, but I will. Thanks.”

  Jessica walked out the front door and around behind the building. There was a scenic little footbridge somebody had built, in an effort to make this area look like it overlooked a creek, instead of a ditch. She sat down on the boards, and put her head in her hands.

  “Fuck.” She couldn’t understand what in the world had possessed her to go out with Chad in the first place. It seemed like, in retrospect, it had all been wrong. He was a cop who had pulled her over for speeding. After letting her off with a warning, he had then looked up her phone number from her DMV records, and called to ask her out. The first date was alright, the two of
them ending up in her bed, having crazy sex. The next time he called, there was no date. The rest of the “relationship” had been a series of bootie calls, interspersed with occasional belittling remarks. Jessie got tired of it, and him. When she broke up with him, he went nuts, giving her a black eye and a broken rib after punching her and throwing her off her front porch. She called the cops, and Chad’s immediate supervisor had come out himself to drag Chad off.

  Jessie hadn’t pressed charges against him, which looking back, had been a mistake. Apparently, he took it as a sign of weakness, and thought that whatever they had was special enough to make her go back to him.

  Now, everywhere she went, he managed to show up. She wasn’t sure what to do with him now. She didn’t exactly feel like she was in danger, but she wasn’t sure.

  Connor was upset. Tonight had been a disaster. The restaurant hadn’t even been open two weeks, and already, his dairy supplier was flaking out on him. He had ordered goat cheese and goat milk for the restaurant. He had several menu items requiring those ingredients, and he had had to take them off the menu tonight, because he couldn’t do the cheese tray appetizer, the fig and goat cheese pizza, or the goat’s milk ice cream. And one of tonight’s specials was supposed to be a filet mignon with a goat cheese cream sauce. So, of course, that didn’t happen.

  Then, his refrigerator had gone out. He couldn’t even begin to figure out that one. It was a brand new, commercial-grade refrigerator. Why it had gone out was beyond him. So he had to use ice-chests all night, and pray that the department of food safety didn’t pay a surprise visit. Whatever hadn’t been used would probably have to be thrown away. What a waste.

  Kathy, his head hostess/kitchen manager/waitress/sous-chef in a pinch had generously decided to close up shop for the night, and let him go get a drink. So here he was, at the Gin. He had only been here once before, and it wasn’t really his style, but the beer was cheap, and cold. And the music was loud.