by SJ Molloy
We settle into our first class seats on the flight and make plans for when we are home. First things first, I need to get Doris, who I’m missing terribly, check on Mr. Carlin, and call all my girls. I sip on a cold drink then lift the journal from my handbag.
“Can I borrow your pen, Lucca?” He lifts the Swiss pen I bought him from his shirt pocket, and I smile at the thought that he is, in fact, keeping it close to his heart like I suggested. I scroll through my iPod and find Amy MacDonald’s Caledonia and listen to one of my favorite nostalgic songs as I think of home. Then I listen to Tim McGraw’s It’s your Love I start a new page in the new journal and scribble some words.
****
June 17th –
Yesterday was the best day of my life. I feel like my spirit has been lifted, and all thanks to the gift of Love from Lucca. As I agree to be his wife, I am walking towards his light and I want nothing more.
Entering into the next chapter of my life, I ask God to continue to grant me serenity, courage and wisdom. The trust I have given, and my ability to let go of old insecurities, has given me the serenity. Being honest and open has given me courage. Lucca’s kindness, patience and reassurance are helping to make me into a stronger person, giving me wisdom.
For that I love him unconditionally. For Lucca I am grateful.
I have surrendered myself in a way I never thought would be possible. These past few weeks have been an emotional whirlwind for me, a journey of self-discovery as I explore old and new uncertainties.
I have experienced:
Happiness.
Contentment.
Pleasure.
Desire.
Lust.
Passion.
Trust.
Security.
Honesty.
Excitement.
Joy.
Love.
Gratitude .
And Hope.
With this entirely in mind I’ve also endured:
Hurt.
Regret.
Sadness.
Turmoil.
Anxiety.
Upset.
Anger.
Guilt.
Emptiness.
Vulnerability.
Self-Consciousness.
Agitation.
Nervousness.
And Sorrow.
I’ve got through it so far. We’ve got through it together, and all because of love. It conquers all. It heals, it protects and it nourishes. I have a long way to go, but I’m giving my all, and I’m not giving up. I’m still looking towards Lucca’s light. Just as Jason Mraz’s song tells us, I won’t give up on us…..
Today, I vow to give all my love in abundance, and to receive love in abundance. Love for Lucca, and love for myself….
He is my true gift of the day, he is the best diamond I could ever have sparkle on my body…
Something special – always and forever xxx
The End,
For now…
Epilogue
After a meal of southern fried chicken from the drive thru and a carton of Big M milkshake, he licks his greasy fingers clean and throws his jacket on over his broad shoulders then steps into dirty, frayed jeans and puts on dirty, black, wool, fingerless gloves.
Tying up his walking boots, he picks up the crumpled photograph he’d found in the crack in the floorboards of his dingy, one bedroom apartment. He runs his hand over the photo of the brown-eyed girl naked, blindfolded and tied to a metal bed frame; excitement washes over him and he feels his erection press against his denim fabric. He unzips his jeans and masturbates over the photo, then wipes it with a dirty cloth and puts it in his back pocket.
He lifts a can of Victoria Bitter beer and throws it back, then spits into the sink and uses the front of his hand to wipe across his mouth before crushing the can. He lifts a plastic bag from underneath the floorboards in the small rumpus room. It contains rolls of cash, a fake passport, credit cards and some documented certificates. Packing it inside a toilet bag, then into a black backpack he scoops his hair back and ties a band around it.
He walks into the store to purchase cigarettes, not making eye contact with the cashier. He leans with one foot against the wall outside the store and smokes a Marlboro while watching the teenage school girls cross the road in their short, blue and purple checked school dresses. It’s not their turn yet, but it will be soon. He closes his eyes and feels himself getting hard as he imagines the possibilities. His temper flares. “Fucking, teasing little whores,” he spits through his rotted teeth.
For now he has another agenda. He takes the bus to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport and books himself a seat on the first flight to the United Kingdom, paying for it with cash. He uses the internet hub while waiting on his flight and in the search engine looks through various news articles trying to find information relating to a mother and two children escaping from one of the world’s most horrendous cases of prolonged kidnapping in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Not getting anywhere, he types in ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ followed by the name ‘Grace Elizabeth Robertson’.
Hmm.
He scribbles some information down on a piece of paper and puts it in his backpack, saving that twisted thought for later. He knows he has to be patient—he’ll have his revenge in abundance in due time.
Once seated and ready for take-off, he shuffles in his chair and looks at the pretty brown-eyed flight attendant, eyeing her perky breasts under her blouse and her tan stockings just below the knee of her pencil skirt. As she walks down the aisle securing the overhead compartments, he closes his eyes and inhales her perfume. He imagines another brown-eyed girl smelling just as pure; he clenches his fists, then abruptly releases to accept a flight blanket.
Michael Park’s flight takes to the skies just as another flight crosses the skies of Europe with the very girl he is seeking. This girl is blissfully unaware of his intentions, allowing her own butterflies to take flight as she holds her new fiancé’s hand, relaxing and emancipating her own rules of safety as she feels content and safe with someone close by to lust and love for her with an aura of light.
To be continued……
About The Author – Links
Bio
SJ Molloy, first time British Author of ‘The Luminara Series’ was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. As a young child, her family moved and raised her in Lanarkshire, Scotland where she currently resides with her husband, two daughters and her energetic, hyperactive loving gun dog who is utterly spoiled.
SJ is a qualified Fitness Instructor and Health & Fitness Motivator of various fitness styles and disciplines. Music and dance aerobics have always been a pleasure and passion for her. SJ will sporadically make up dance style routines at any hour of the day when a move comes to her or piece of music moves or inspires her. She is currently not teaching classes, focusing her time into nurturing her yearning passion for creative writing, exchanging one visualisation for another.
As a child, SJ loved to write in journals and make up short stories and has a flare for all things creative. With an overactive imagination at times, SJ adores to make notes, visualising scenes, settings and new characters.
While on holiday with her family one summer reading book after book, she had a flash of inspiration and has had various ideas whirling around in her mind ever since. It was not until she pulled back on teaching classes that she found the courage, time and insight into actually bringing these ideas to life.
In February 2013 she decided to bring that imagination to light by beginning her writing journey with ‘Lussuria’ the first instalment in ‘The Luminara Series’ available from late October 2013.
Being a self-confessed book junkie, she loves nothing better than to get lost in an emotional and moving book. A true romantic at heart, her guilty pleasure is reading heart-warming, passionate stories and falling in love with her favourite fictional characters.
With four books already mapped out in ‘The Luminara Series’, SJ’s busy creative mind has already planned tw
o more fictitious novels, both stand-alone romance books and very different in their own right.
When she is not writing or reading, spending time with family and friends and walking her dog, SJ loves all things practical and creative. Dancing, music, cooking, travelling, and art are her favourite past times along with laughter, lots and lots of laughter.
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Email – [email protected]
Email – [email protected]
Email – [email protected]
Acknowledgements
I truly am eternally grateful with all the love support and encouragement I have received. I have so many ‘grateful’s’ I’d like to share with you and every day I feel blessed to be thankful for these Gifts of the day x
T, A & A – My wonderful husband and two daughters
T – You know you light up my life. I couldn’t have successfully completed this book if it had not been for your love, patience and support. Thank you for understanding how focused and determined I can get when I’m on a creative streak and for accepting that when I’m in the craft zone, I need to embrace and nurture it.
I’m so lucky that you honour and support my burning passion for writing and I want you to know that by giving me my time to write and to give this a go, you are giving me my wings to take flight.
I know at times I have been so busy, focused and distracted that I’ve unintentionally ignored you all at various intervals in my own little world yet, you still never complain. I had no idea I would be so deeply committed with this project.
You accept the time I need to put in even at ridiculous hours of the night when I’m still up. As my writing career has progressed, our lives have become a little crazy, frantic and pressed for time which is why I always cherish all our quality time together and the effort you put in to our marriage.
I’m over-awed with the encouragement and belief you had in me from the onset when I had the notion to do this. You have been with me every little step of this journey and endured some huge compromises that we have all had to make to accommodate my time writing.
You have been a shoulder to cry on, to laugh with and to confide in. You have been my biggest critic but you know I value your opinions, insight and ideas. I need you more than you know in order to grow yet, stay grounded and you help me do that.
T, you sure did break the mould. There are not many who would love me like you do and do such a wonderful job of darning Ballet Point shoes for our daughters Ballet exams I may add. Thank you to the moon and back for being my best friend and soul mate and sending me on an adventure of a lifetime this year on my Eat –Pray –Love – Asia trip with the girls, you truly are like no other and never fail to surprise me.
I promise you all some exceptional love and TLC and of course proper a la carte cuisine again and ‘a promise is a promise’. I’m extremely lucky to be gifted with such a wonderful family, I love you very much xxx.
A & A, Well I hope you’re not reading this until you’re both adults, let’s say… over 30 years of age! I could not have asked for such wonderful, mature and sensible daughters. I’m so proud of you both and the loving, caring, beautiful, respectful girls you have become and how patient you have been.
I love you very much, more than you’ll ever know, to the moon and back and I hope I never let you down as your mum. I’m sorry for the late night typing, rushing around, lack of house work and daily chores but I hope one day when your both old enough, you ‘get it,’ why I do this for you.
If nothing else were to ever come of my writing, I’ll always remember the little sparkle in your eyes of complete adoration and excitement when I told you I was writing a series of books. That image alone will never leave me and in years to come, that’s what will fill my heart with happiness and joy and make me thankful I choose to do this.
I want nothing more for you both to be healthy and happy and have a carefree, fun-loving future and as I write this my eyes are teary thinking of how patient and understanding you have been whilst I fit my writing in. I do this for you both…
I hope you both follow your dreams and always make time no matter how many challenges you come across or face to do something you truly love. To try and try again and find something that makes you happy and ignites all your burning passions.
One day, you’ll know what that is and if you believe in yourselves and stay positive then those dream visions will become a reality. Live your life with love and happiness, girls.
I love you both xx Mum xx
Jennifer Roberts-Hall – Editor – Exceptional – Extraordinaire
Jennifer, Oh my goodness. – Amazing!
Honestly, no amount of words or appraisal could to thank you enough for everything you have done for me. There is no doubt about it; I wouldn’t have accomplished what I did in such a tight pressurised time scale without your direction, co-operation and tireless help.
You have been honest, supportive and extremely professional and set me up on the right foot with highly regarded professional contacts all of which are lovely and kind and I would have been lost without this direction.
I know I inundate you at times, okay all the time, but nothing fazes you, and you always find a way to make it work. My book wouldn’t be what it is if you never managed my final draft. You have a way to just make things sharper, flow and tie in effortlessly.
You’re extremely skilled and it has been a true honour working with you on this series. I am extremely lucky to have you working with me and I have an unyielding massive amount of respect for you and your skilled talents.
You took my very wordy MS and made it the best it could be. Your ingenious suggestions on style, length, format and dialogue not only helped me bring it together, it also has given me a fundamental structure for continuing this series which flows and gels together so much better.
Not only do you shine at your ability to make novels the best they can possibly be, you’re also a warm loving and caring person and I adore your sense of humor. For you Jennifer I am eternally grateful xx
Joanne Carlin Sinadinovic – Design Divaz
Thank you to Joanne from Design Divaz, for providing an impressive professional design package for me. I am absolutely thrilled with the amazing graphics, personalised designs, logos and images you have created for my cover art, website, Facebook page and of course marketing and all the swag for my branding.
You worked to my exact design brief and were able to further enhance my brief with your expert insight and creativity. The individual graphics you have designed are truly outstanding and fit the story perfectly.
You went way above the call of duty to carefully create individual designs and logos, photo manipulation and my overall theme, which are solely copyrighted and protected to my brand because of your help.
You had ideas I never thought possible so for that I’m extremely thankful. My website – www.sjmolloy.com, one word… WOW.
I am absolutely delighted with the quality, features, spec and professionalism of it. You are inspiring and it’s been a pleasure to continue working with you on this series.
Vera
My little Aloe Vera – Manly, Sydney February 2003, we never thought then, that exactly ten years on to the day… I would begin typing The Luminara Series.
Melbourne Australia June 1991 – It all started with a tub full of lollie
s, I bet you regret imprinting me with that bribe now that you can’t shake me off.
A very heartfelt, special thank you is for you, my best cousin, counsel and multi-tasker – Vera. I have been having a little teary Magsie moment this morning thinking what I would like to say because there is so much.
I’m feeling very emotional writing this because I truly am blessed to have such a protective, caring, loving big cous, who would help me with anything and I mean anything. The miles between us have never caused distance, in fact it has made us closer over the years because we talk, type and chat every day and I would not have it any other way.
From the onset you showed interest in helping and reassuring me that you would catch me should I fall. You keep me on the right path and tell me not to worry ‘my little Magsie head’. Well, in proper Burns trait, I do worry although you’re always there to calm me down from my little stressed moments and ridiculous questions at any hour of the day. You reign me in when I’m having an episode of asking relentless questions when I get something in my mind and help empower me.
You have the patience of a saint and are my saving grace, without you none of this would be possible. You compromised an immense amount of time to beta read, copyediting my first draft, and setting me up with all things tech -y.
Continually, you pull me out of my tech-y challenged frenzy every day, and as they say every day is a school day. I have learned so much from you and I love that I’m still learning. You are like my little open learning programme.
