The Reynolds/Bradshaw Connection - Chapter 12: Fixing a Hole (Where the Rain Gets In)
The Reynolds/Bradshaw Connection
Hmmm…used French and Spanish, now time for meine deutschen fähigkeiten. Danke viel Keaira unt Mercy.
Any descriptions of people are fictional, and any similarities to real life is simply coincidental especially the owner of El Mas de Sant Llei and the crews of the Maremagnum bar and Can Majó. The places are real, but the people are not.
Once again, I want to stress that no lyrics used are for personal gain. I profit nothing from the usage of the lyrics, and if anyone does, perhaps it’s the artists themselves. Perhaps someone reads some lyrics and decides to listen to or buy the song.
Opening lyrics come from Coldplay’s X&Y; end lyrics belong to David Gray’s This Year’s Love
Chapter 12: Fixing a Hole (Where the Rain Gets In)
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I'm diving off the deep end
You become my best friend
I want to love you but I don't know if I can
I know something is broken
And I'm trying to fix it
Trying to repair it
Any way I can
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Amy’s POV
As Lucy stormed angrily up the stairs, I knew that I had made a huge mistake. How could I have been so stupid to actually push Lucy away? She had been so thoughtful in making dinner, and I couldn’t deny the romantic quality the dinner had on me. So why then had I put her down so badly? Even I could tell that she wasn’t necessarily trying to just have sex. What Lucy had wanted was to rekindle the flame we once had. The connection between us was what she really wanted to fix, and I had ruined it.
Yes, at the time, when the kiss was about to occur, the first thoughts that had flashed through my brain had been that Lucy was trying to do this intentionally, I couldn’t deny it. Still, no sooner did those words leave my mouth than I regretted them. She had been so hurt, and I would understand if she just wanted to give up now. I had been the one who had agreed to move back to Barcelona, and yet I really was the one who was acting distant. I owed Lucy an apology.
I stood up from the couch, walked up the stairs and went to what used to be our room, the one Lucy was occupying. I attempted to turn the doorknob, but found it locked. Oh no, what if that had been the last straw? I anxiously thought. I clenched my fist, raised it, and it hovered in front of the door for a second, as I had brief second thoughts. Brushing those thoughts aside, I knocked on the door.
“Go away,” Lucy commanded from inside the room. From her voice, it was obvious that she was indeed hurt.
“Lucy, I want to talk. I was a jerk, and I shouldn’t have said that,” I said, words coming faster than my mouth could speak. “Lucy…could we please talk?”
I waited for a few seconds, and no response came from Lucy. It looked as if I had ruined my chance, and foolishly at that. I was about to walk back to my room shamefully, and just as I turned my back, I heard the doorknob turn and the door open. In the doorway stood Lucy, red marks that were not too familiar to me showing underneath her eyes. She had been crying.
“Well, you want to talk?” Lucy asked, a bit annoyed. I couldn’t blame her, if someone had said to me what I had said to her…well, I wouldn’t have been pleasant with them either.
“Yes, I do,” I said, turning back around, “what I said downstairs, it was totally out of line. I know what you were trying to do, and sleep with me was not a major reason for the dinner.”
There was a slight pause before Lucy sluggishly replied, “Apology accepted, but it’s not just that. Amy, do you actually want to be here, or are you just doing this for me? Ever since you got here, you seem to just not be here.”
“I know, Lucy, and I haven’t been here,” I admitted. “I don’t know why I’ve been acting this way. But you’re right I am here just because of you. I’m here because I love you, and I want us to love each other again. I told you that it was going to take time, and you realized that. You’ve been working your hardest to fix the situation, but I haven’t been holding up my end of the bargain. To fix things between us, we’re going to have to work as equal partners.”
“Agreed,” was the only response Lucy gave.
“So, basically, what I’m asking, Lucy, is this. I want to work on this relationship, I want to devote the effort now to doing that, but it’s still going to take time. I know I’ve asked the question before, but will you wait for me?” I asked, looking up at her. The hardness in her face quickly vanished, and I knew that I was going to get the answer I desperately wanted.
“Amy, do think my answer would really change from last time? I’m willing to wait an eternity for you.”
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Chastity’s POV
As I sat in Corleone’s vacated chair, surrounded by his blood and its glorious smell, I couldn’t help but be a bit nervous reflecting on everything that was going on. The bastard was dead, but yet, the way he reacted, it was if he had expected me to do this. It was as if he was actually enjoying it as I stabbed him over and over again. The man had been a genius, but he had truly gone insane. Once he had been a friend, and a mentor, but the time had come for the pupil to inherit the master’s kingdom, and if I had to kill to expedite that process, I most certainly would.
Then there was the whole damn situation with Lucy and Amy. Corleone’s words kept bothering me on this topic as well. Apparently, he had known what I was trying to do, and he was right…I didn’t have this completely thought out. If Lucy was back with Amy, which would have been the only reason Amy would have come back from the United States, then it spelled disaster. If Lucy did not choose to rule the world with me, she would have to die, as would Amy, but it would be a potentially lethal fight.
I certainly wasn’t ready to give up everything that I had just gained, or would be gaining after the short phone call I had just had with my father. He was a very smart man. Even hating him for disowning me, I had to admit that much. He saw an opportunity when it presented itself, and my ascension to head of Pink Thunder and its crew of European “all-star” criminals was quite enticing to him. If creating a joint union between Pink Thunder and the LeFleur family had to mean making amends with me, then he would do it. Unfortunately for him, I was smarter than him, and not as forgiving.
The power I would gain with that move would all be for naught, however, if I couldn’t solve this little problem that presented itself. I knew Lucy, and although I wanted to believe that she would agree to be my partner, I couldn’t see her doing it willingly if she was back to fucking the D.E.B. Good thing I could easily persuade her then using one simple tactic.
The D.E.B. would be dead within the week.
“Are you ready, meine dame?” a voice asked behind me. I spun the chair around to face the front of my desk, and the camera that was stationed about fifteen feet in front of the desk. Behind the camera, my new assistant with benefits, the blond haired, blue eyed Heidi waited. Heidi had been an assassin for the Stasi in East Germany, working only a few years before the wall had fallen. After the Soviet Union relinquished control of East Germany, and the Stasi went into hiding, she had continued operating for them discreetly. In bed, she was no Lucy, but she held her own.
“Oui, I am ready,” I replied. The lights flanking the camera sparked to life, temporarily blinding me, and a blacklight above me turned on, as well, highlighting the blood on the table. The camera soon began to roll, and with it, the live feed would be shown to all Pink Thunder headquarters around the world. Now the world would know that Chastity Red…excuse me… Charitine LeFleur was on top of the crime world.
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Lucy’s POV
For a few days now Amy and I had started to actually work on things, and I was really pleased with the state of the relationship. For the first time in about a week, I had the feeling that the connection, the bind that kept us with each other was returning slowly but surely. It was like a rush of blood, the feeling was exhilarating. It was as if something that was dead had been resurrected from the grave.
So far, it had been the little things that had changed, but those little things were just the start. Finally, Amy and I had been able to have conversations again. We hadn’t quite gotten to the point where we had used to be, but at least we weren’t blowing each other off or screaming at each other whenever we tried to talk. Also, while Amy still didn’t seem quite comfortable holding hands like we used to, she was retracting her hand slower and slower each time. Once she actually had held hands for a bit before suddenly realizing what she was doing, which, I guess for her subconscious was a good sign.
Amy and I were also getting back to life as we used to have it as well. Amy had no longer been sitting in a completely different chair when we were watching television. Occasionally I would be tempted to execute the “yawn” move, but I didn’t want to rush things, one step at a time was good enough for now. We had also finally worked together at something, even if it was only making dinner a couple nights. All in all, everything seemed headed in the right direction.
I was lounging on the couch, just watching a bit of TV absentmindedly, not really paying much attention to the show; I was lost in thought. Even through my contemplations, I was brought back to reality by the sounds of footsteps walking down the stairs. I sat up straight on the couch and Amy walked over next to me and sat down on the couch as well.
“Lucy, the past few days have been great,” Amy began, but as she bit her lip and squinted a bit, I knew something was on her mind and bothering her. “Something’s been going through my mind, and I can’t shake it.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, genuinely concerned.
“Well…Chastity was your ex-girlfriend, right?”
“Yes, you already know that Amy,” I responded, potentially too harshly than was called for. It was a redundant question that she already knew the answer for.
“And you say that even though you slept with her, you have no feelings whatsoever for her?” Amy asked, still a bit tentatively. It was as if she thought she was treading on unsafe territory here.
“Right…I told you that before,” I replied. I had no idea where this was going.
“Well, do you not have any feelings for her anymore because you slept with her?” Amy asked, and my jaw hit the floor. I was astounded. It was as if she was grasping at straws here to break up what we had gotten going. Amy, as if realizing what her mouth had just said, quickly stammered, “I just mean, you must have had some feelings for her, right? I mean, she was your ex.”
“Amy, what the hell?” I asked defiantly. “Yes, maybe I had feelings for her, but they don’t even rival the feelings that I have for you.”
“But Lucy, if you weren’t drugged, would you still have done anything with her?”
It was the moment of truth. As much as I wanted to lie and tell Amy that the kiss had never occurred, I had made a resolve to be truthful to her. Facing this situation, I regretted making that decision. Conjuring up all the calmness I could muster, I told her the truth, “Amy…yes…I wouldn’t have slept with her if I knew what I was doing, but I need to tell you the truth. That night, before I was drugged, I think, I did kiss her. But I realized that it was wrong, and I broke it, and cleared my head and I was going to leave her at the bar.”
Amy’s face morphed into a frown, as I had expected. Despite the fact that I had thought better of it, it was the action itself that Amy was going to have to reconcile with. “So, Lucy, you’re telling me then, that I’m basically right, that you have no feelings for her anymore because the kiss got them all out of your system.” Amy was right, to an extent, I hated to admit, and from the pained expression on her face, it didn’t really feel good to be right.
“Yes, and no, Amy - I did have feelings for Chastity, but I didn’t have the connection that you and I have, the one that binds our souls. Chastity and I don’t have that thing that makes you and me us, and not just you and me,” I bared myself to her. She needed to know that what we had was special. I may have had something a long time ago with Chastity, but it had all been a lie. I knew no greater truth than what Amy and I felt, but I don’t know if she felt the same way.
“What is your problem?” Amy asked angrily, shocking me. I had just shown her a truthful side of me and she had just rejected it and brushed it aside. “You think you can just admit that you had feelings for Chastity, and suddenly that’s better because you have more for me?”
“Amy…”
“Don’t say a word!” Amy shouted, interrupting me. Throughout this discussion I had been trying to stay calm, but it was fairly obvious to me now that Amy just didn’t want to solve anything. She’d rather keep blaming me for everything and not do any work.
“Damn it, Amy. I’m tired of this! One day you say you want to work equally to make things better and then the next you’re accusing me of this?! Make up your mind…do you want to fix things, or not?”
She hesitated before saying, “I want to fix things,” but the hesitant moment told me everything I need to know.
“I’m out of here, Amy…have the damn house. I don’t know if I’m coming back,” I told her frustrated that all my efforts had just gone down the drain. I stormed out of the room, reaching in my pocket and palming my keys. I opened the front door, walked out and slammed it shut behind me. I needed to drown my sorrows.
I hopped in my car and headed to my favorite local bar, Maremagnum’s Blue Margarita bar. All through the car ride I couldn’t help but wonder whether or not this was actually my fault. I mean, I had been the one to start the entire situation, but Amy was the one who refused to work it out. If she was perpetually going to be this way, was there any point in putting in any more effort?
Arriving at the bar, I parked at the curb outside, got out of my car, entered the bar and sat down at one of the vacant stools. The bartender, a young woman, probably around Amy and my age, with gorgeous Latina looks, made her way over to my position. The bar usually catered to tourists, so the common language in the place was English, which was why it was my favorite bar.
“Hey, can I get you anything?” the bartender asked. I hadn’t seen her before, she was probably new. She spoke without a Spanish accent, so perhaps, despite her looks, she wasn’t actually a native.
“Sure, I’ll take a rum and coke,” I responded. Surveying the people in the bar at midday, it seemed that, with a few exceptions, these were all probably the regular stragglers. On the stool closest to me sat an older man, whose hair - what little he had left of it - was gray. He was dressed in a tattered suede coat and smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. The group on the opposite side of the bar from me looked like they might have been Spain’s charter of Hell’s Angels. Despite the heat, most were wearing leather jackets, and those whose arms could be seen had tattoos running up and down their skin.
My mind would not leave Amy as I sat there, waiting for my drink, and I guess my face showed my thoughts because as the bartender came back with my drink, she asked, “Is everything alright? You look down on your luck.”
“Ah, girlfriend problems,” I replied. At this point, I didn’t care who knew that I was gay, it didn’t really matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore if Amy wouldn’t have me back.
“Dammit, yer one a them,” the disheveled man next to me slurred, “too many a them withose new laws.”
“One of them?!” I asked defiantly roused, taking his words as a slur against lesbians.
“Don’t mind him,” the bartender said, “Charlie hates everyone. He’s a second generation American-Italian, apparently, but he hates Italians and Americans too. All in all, he’s just miserable.”
“‘Ey now, I’m…ah don’t hate everyone…like the beautifulll laaydies, evven if they’re not inta guys,” he said, giving me a good lookdown.
“Don’t worry, he also makes moves on every lady who comes in here. By the way, I’m Lena,” she introduced herself as she stretched out her arm, hand open and inviting.
“I’m Lucy,” I replied, grabbing her hand and shaking.
“So, what’s the problem?” Lena asked.
“Well, my girlfriend and I got in this huge fight and we’re trying to fix things, but it doesn’t seem as though she really wants to fix things,” I sighed, picking up my rum and coke and beginning the process of easing my troubles with a good liquid friend. Lena walked away from my end of the table as a new customer sat down on the side of the bar perpendicular to my end.
“Do ya llove ‘er?” Charlie asked, still with the drunken slur.
“Yes, more than anyone in the world,” I replied. I don’t know why I was being so honest and open today, but it just didn’t feel good to keep things inside right now; maybe I just needed to release frustration.
“Eh love’s fer foolss...doesn’t exist…” I ignored that comment. “Anyyyway, Sweep ‘er offer feet, that’d work,” Charlie recommended. For a racist, bigoted drunk man in tattered clothes, he seemed to somehow be astute.
Lena walked back over to me and upon hearing Charles asked, “Is he bothering you?”
“No, just giving me some advice,” I responded. Actually the advice hadn’t been bad. In fact, if I could think of a way to sweep Amy off her feet, perhaps that could actually work.
“Don’t mind Charlie, his entire life is in shambles, and he drinks so much that he often sleeps on the street without realizing it. His wife left him and he thinks he can give others advice about love.”
“Speakin’ o’ drinkin’,” Charlie said, emitting a loud burp and sloppily slurping up the remainder of his beer, spilling some of the amber-colored beverage on himself, “get me anotha beeah.”
“Charlie, I told you. No more. You’re drunk,” Lena reprimanded. I was impressed, bartenders weren’t supposed to give alcohol to people who were obviously drunk, but I’d never seen anyone actually follow that law.
“Ah, can’tcha make a exception?” Charlie asked.
“No, wait an hour,” Lena said, “you can burn off one of your beers in an hour, and maybe you can actually get back to your apartment tonight.”
“Ahright.”
“So anyway,” Lena began, turning her attentions away from Charlie and to me, “what you want to do is probably what he told you. You’ve got to sweep this girl off her feet.”
“How’d you know what he said?”
“He tells that to everyone he gives advice to. His problem is that he can say that, but he can’t tell you how to do it. That’s where I come in,” Lena said, smiling. “Some things to consider, some things that could work and usually do - flowers, music, strolls on the beaches, dinners at romantic restaurants, that sort of stuff,” Lena listed, bending each finger on her right hand back in succession with her palm as she counted off each idea.
Those weren’t bad ideas, really. In fact, it might be time I dusted off my acoustic guitar. I had gone way too long without ever playing that guitar for Amy.
“Hey now, y’know, yer two woul’ make a good couple,” Charlie piped in. I just rolled my eyes.
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Chastity’s POV
Waiting on the grass at El Mas de Sant Llei, a private estate in Barcelona which often rented out for various celebrations, weddings, and other events, I was growing impatient with my father’s lack of promptness. He was supposed to arrive a half hour earlier, and I had been waiting at the estate’s helicopter landing pad for the full thirty minutes. Luckily, the estate’s owner was a friend of my father, so I was granted full access to the premises at all times.
Suddenly, I heard the faint whir of helicopter blades in the distance. I turned my eyes to the skies and saw a small object, steadily growing, that I knew was my father’s helicopter. The loud noise of the motor grew louder and louder as Claude LeFleur, my father, lowered to the ground. The motor was cut and the blades started to die down, turning slower and slower with each rotation as the door opened and my father stepped out.
“Charitine, mon dieu, vous vous êtes développé dans une belle femme depuis que je vous ai pour la dernière fois vu,” Charitine, my God, you’ve grown into a beautiful woman since I last saw you, he said as he walked over to me and wrapped me in an involuntary and unreciprocated hug. That was my father for you, a ruthless bastard who only cared about power. Without power, I had been too ruthless and vicious for the family, but, now that I was in power, I was speaking his language.
“Oui, Claude,” I had decided a long time ago not to call him father, at least not out loud. He was my biological father, but he wasn’t my father. In my mind, I was still an outcast from the family, not welcome in it, and therefore, this was strictly a business meeting. Still, a part of me yearned for his acceptance, but I brushed that thought from my mind. “Je vous vois ne pas avoir abandonné votre affection," I see you have not lost your affectionate ways, I spat.
“Aucun besoin de rudesse, Charitine. Vous avez su les règles pendant le vol, et vous les avez cassées. Je ne vous avais explicitement dit aucun meurtre; Je vous ai dit que qu'il était dans-et-dehors charge, et soudainement nous a eu un massacre sur nos mains.” No need for harshness, Charitine. You knew the rules during the robbery, and you still broke them. I had explicitly told you no murders; I told you that it was an in-and-out job, and suddenly we had a bloodbath on our hands.
“Ils m'ont attrapé, que diable étais-je a supposé pour faire?” They caught me, what the hell was I going to do? I explained, like I had many other times. Still, Claude LeFleur insisted that I had done wrong. I had left the baby alive at least; I had only killed the other four members of the family. Since Claude was the patriarch of the family, he was always right, so I had been cast out of the family, something I would never forget.
“Quoi qu'il en soit, je suis fier de vous, ma fille. Nous sommes famille, non?” Anyway, I’m proud of you, my daughter. We are family, aren't we? Claude asked. He could make me so aggravated at times, especially his habit of trying to sweet talk people in French. He always relied on his accent for charm - too bad for him that I was impervious.
“Oui, Claude, je suis lié à un morceau d'excrément comme toi. Merci pour me rappeler.” Yes, Charles, I am related to a scum ball like you. Thanks for reminding me, I retorted.
“J'ignorerai ce commentaire pendant le temps, Charitine. Vous avez dit que vous voudriez revenir à la famille, non?” I will ignore that comment for the time, Charitine. You said that you would like to come back to the family? Claude asked.
“Oui, et alors nous pouvons combiner nos forces. Faites l'unité de crime la plus puissante en Europe, ou même dans le monde. Avec les femmes du Pink Thunder et vos hommes, nous serions pratiquement imparables.” Yes, and then we can combine our forces. Make the most powerful crime unit in Europe, or even in the world. With Pink Thunder’s women and your men, we would be virtually unstoppable, I reasoned with him.
“Oui, nous serions renommés. Combien il a coûté. Vous vous attendez au paiement, naturellement.” Yes, we’d be renowned. How much would it cost. You expect payment, of course.
“Ah, mon père,” alright, there was at least one circumstance where I would acknowledge him as my father. If I could do anything to manipulate someone, I would, “tous qu'il coûterait devraient être écrits dans la testament.” My father, all it would cost would be to be written back in the will.
“Mais oui,” Claude said brightly, a false smile on his face. “Of course,” he repeated in English
All I would need to do would be to sign the papers. After that, I would have another name to add to my list of casualties. The LeFleur family would be under my control before anyone knew what was going on.
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Amy’s POV
I woke up and stretched my arms wearily, just yearning to feel the stretch’s effects on my arms. Reaching out, I felt the warmness of a body next to me. Turning my body and my head I could see Lucy, turned to the side. It looked as if she was asleep, so I rose out of bed and walked over to the dresser. I grabbed my jeans and started to put them on, as I turned back to the bed and was horrified by the sight that I saw.
In Lucy’s arms on the other side of the bed, was Chastity. Her mouth was pressed to Lucy’s hungrily, devouring her. Lucy turned her head and smiled an evil, devious smile at me as Chastity grabbed something on the bed, rose to her knees and pointed the object, a gun at my abdomen. She pulled the trigger, and I felt fear pulse through my veins as the bullet flew through the air. It was only inches away from my body…surely I would die.
I woke in a sweat, eyes forced closed as they harshly adjusted to the light. The dream that had been haunting me for days remained. It seemed so real each time I experienced it, and it always had the same effect on me. Every night I would come closer to my impending death before being wrenched away at the last minute to reality. If I kept having the dream, and it ever got to the point where the bullet pierced me, I didn’t know what would happen. They say that if you die in your dreams, then you die in real life. I didn’t even want to think about it.
Perhaps the dream was one of the roadblocks I had put in the middle of Amy and my reconciliation, and it wasn’t fair. True, the dream was scarily vivid and haunting, but to react wrongly to Lucy in real life because of a dream…well that wasn’t fair to her. I had definitely been too harsh on her with the comments about Chastity. Of course Lucy did not really love Chastity. I knew that. It was just…she had admitted that she had feelings. I hoped that I had not pushed her away for good with that comment. As far as I knew, she had not come home last night. I had waited until 4:00 AM painfully waiting for her, and yet, she didn’t show up at the door. Ugh, this whole thing was just too confusing.
Opening my eyes, and finally able to see without pain a new object caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned my head to be able to look at it clearly, and, in surprise, thinking it could possibly be an illusion, I blinked and rubbed my eyes. On my dresser stood, or more appropriately, sat a giant stuffed animal bunny. I rolled out of bed and walked over to the dresser, staring at the rabbit. It was a cute thing, white for the most part, with green rings circling the black beads that served as eyes. It had a little pink nose and pink was the color of the ear’s inner lobes as well. The rabbit sat on all fours, just as a normal rabbit would. The thing was large, maybe two feet tall. Next to the rabbit was a card in a black envelope. I picked up the envelope and extracted the card, which bore a picture of a tuxedo.
Amy,
I’m sorry. As I said, I love you, not Chastity. Let me prove it to you.
Get dressed for tonight, formal attire only. I’ll meet you downstairs at 4:30.
Yours lovingly,
Lucy
I turned my attention back to the rabbit. It was so entirely quirky, but I loved it. Lucy knew me in and out. I would have been happy with a bear, but bears were commonplace. Bunnies, giant, white stuffed bunnies…now that was thoughtful and creative.
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Lucy’s POV
I had the day planned out for Amy and I, or at least the entire night. I was attempting to make this night magical, one of the best Amy and I had ever shared. I wouldn’t say that this was going to be my last attempt, or that it was an attempt in desperation. No, it was more like my following the advice Charlie had lay out - sweep Amy off her feet. Perhaps this wouldn’t work; perhaps I was indeed listening to the inane ramblings of an old drunkard who gave advice that he himself couldn’t follow, evidenced by his poor state. I thought it was worth a shot.
I picked up the phone in the motel room I was staying in - I had not wanted Amy to see me, nor did I want her to know much at all about tonight. I dialed the number for Can Majó, the restaurant at which I had made reservations.
“¿Hola, Can Majó, puedo ayudarle?” Hello, Can Roca, can I help you? A male voice picking up the phone asked.
“Sí, tengo una pregunta. ¿Podría hablar con un encargado?” Yes, I have a question. Can I speak with a manager?
“Sí, déjeme apenas ponerle en el asimiento por un segundo. Le transferirán a través a nuestro encargado.” Yes, let me just put you on hold for a second. You will be transferred through to our manager, the man said as the connection was cut and soon an orchestra playing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony was playing on the phone. It was only about thirty seconds before the manager picked up the phone.
“¿Hola, cómo puedo ayudarle?” Hello, how can I help you? another male voice asked.
“¿Usted habla Inglés?” Do you speak English? I asked. I really preferred not to talk in Spanish all that much. I was practically fluent, but English was still my language of preference.
“Sí,” the manager said, before chuckling a bit, “sorry, I meant yes.”
“I have something I want to ask you about tonight. It’s something that I’m sure you don’t really get all the time, but it’s a special request.”
“What would you like?”
I explained to him my request, and luckily they had what I was looking for, and they agreed to let me do what I want to do. My plan would go down at 5:30 PM, in the middle of the dinner. I was pleased, everything should work out.
“Thank you,” I said to the manager.
“My pleasure, Madame. Have a good day, and we’ll see you at the restaurant at five tonight.”
“Have a good day,” I said, hanging up the phone.
Now all I had to do was to keep practicing.
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At 4:30, just as I had promised, I opened the door and entered the house. Amy still wasn’t downstairs, so I sat down on the couch. Can Majó was a black-tie restaurant, so I was dressed in a black button-down blouse with frills on the collar, brown dress slacks, and black high heels. “I’ll be ready in a second, Lucy!” Amy called from upstairs. After waiting about ten minutes, Amy came down the stairs. Her beauty, which I had spent months admiring before, struck me as never before. She was wearing her hair down, had on diamond earrings, and was wearing a beautiful dark blue satin gown that hugged her curves brilliantly. Glancing at her wrists, I grinned as I noticed that she was wearing the diamond bracelet I had bought her.
“I’m sorry…” Amy started, before I interrupted her.
“No need, you were right about the fact that I had feelings for Chastity, but I hope you know that I was telling the truth about my feelings for you. Anyway, don’t worry about anything. Just enjoy yourself tonight.”
“Where are we going?” Amy asked excitedly.
“It’s a surprise, you’ll see when you get there,” I said, the grin growing even wider. I loved leaving Amy in suspense. I was already getting a good feeling about the evening. If things continued like this, it just might work.
We walked out to the car and started the half-hour drive. Amy wasn’t saying anything, nor were we really having a conversation, but this time that was alright. Glancing at her occasionally, I could tell that her silence was not because she was upset - she was excited, I realized happily. For the first time in a long time, she seemed happy. Hopefully I could keep her this way.
On the highway I pulled into the left lane to get off at the Barceloneta Beach exit. As soon as Amy saw the sign for the exit, she turned her head to me as realization dawned on her. “Lucy, we’re not going to…” she trailed off, her face lighting up.
“Yes, we are,” I responded, a smirk on my face, “I know you love Can Majó.”
Arriving in Barceloneta, it was only about a five minute drive from the exit to the restaurant. Amy and I stepped out of the car and walked into the restaurant. The staff was all dressed in button down white shirts with black slacks, except for the maitre d’, a woman who wore a red vest. I walked over to her as Amy waited in the lounge area and gave my name, “Reservations for Reynolds,” then, leaning in my head to the woman, I said, “tell your manager, John, that Lucy Reynolds is here.”
“Very well, Madame. Right this way, please.” she said, and I beckoned for Amy to follow. I waited for Amy to catch up to me.
“What was that all about?” Amy asked.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” I replied, garnering a skeptical look. “Really, it’s not important.”
The dinner went smoothly; I ordered crab, while Amy ordered a shrimp salad, a rarity for her. We had pleasant conversation, but my mind really wasn’t on the dinner itself. Instead, my mind was focusing on the event that would occur at 5:30. I wasn’t really worried, I just hoped I remembered everything.
“I hear there’s supposed to be a live singer tonight,” I said, motioning to the stage, where a piano and a microphone stand were set up. “I don’t know how good they’re going to be, but apparently he’s a classical singer.”
“Hopefully he’ll do an Andrea Bocelli song…I LOVE him. Prayer with Celine Dion was one of the greatest songs ever,” Amy replied. I glanced at my watch. Showtime, I thought, as my watch read 5:29, and John, the manager who I had spoken with earlier in the day came up on stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you’re all enjoying your dinners at Can Majó. Tonight we have Jon Cantor to sing for you, he’s a classical singer who’s toured France, Belgium, and Germany, and is now touring Spain. First, though, we have a special performer for you all. Lucy Reynolds,” he announced.
Amy turned her head and dropped her jaw literally. She was shocked. I just turned, smiled at her, stood up, and walked up to the stage. I went offstage for a second to fetch my acoustic guitar I had stashed there when I had visited the restaurant earlier in the day. I pulled a stool onstage and sat down. The restaurant’s resident pianist entered, bowed, and sat down at the piano. I lowered the microphone to my level and introduced myself.
“Hello, I’m Lucy Reynolds. I have a song I’d like to perform for everyone in the audience. You may know it, and you may not. It’s a song by Coldplay, 'Til Kingdom Come. I dedicate this to Amy, the love of my life,” I motioned out to Amy. At that moment, seeing Amy’s face, I didn’t care who knew about us; I wanted to shout it from the mountains.
I turned my head to the piano player and nodded. I positioned my fingers along the guitar’s frets in the C chord. The piano player played a loud chord and it was a go as I started strumming.
Steal my heart and hold my tongue
I feel my time,
My time has come
Let me in
Unlock the door
I never felt this way before
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummer begins to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know which way I’ve come
Hold my head inside your hands
I need someone who understands
I need someone, someone who hears
For you I’ve waited all these years
For you I’d wait till kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
So far, so good, I thought, as I kept strumming and changing my fingerings during the instrumental break. I had chosen this song specifically for Amy, and I was lucky that I had a good lower register to sing this in. I took a look at Amy, getting ready to begin to sing again, and a huge smile was on her face, a tear running down her cheek.
In your tears and in your blood
In your fire and in your flood
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing
And I wouldn’t change a single thing
And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don’t know which way I’m going
I don’t know what I’ve become
For you I’d wait till kingdom come
Until my days, my days are gone
Say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me
Just say you’ll wait, you’ll wait for me
I finished the song, and amid claps and cheers from the audience returned to Amy in our booth. Once at the table, sitting next to her, she threw her arms around me in a hug. “Wow,” was all she said before releasing me. As the next singer got ready, I called for the waitress and paid for our dinner.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said to Amy, who just nodded. We left the restaurant, and I thanked the manager on the way out for the opportunity. He told me they were happy to be of service and that I could pick up my guitar tomorrow. Amy and I walked down behind the restaurant, where one of the entrances to the public beach was. Stepping onto the sand, I was surprised when I felt Amy’s hand against mine. Quickly gaining my composure, I grabbed the hand she was offering and held it, our arms intertwining as we walked.
“Wow…” Amy repeated, turning her head to look at me with an enormous smile, “why didn’t you ever tell me that you were a musician?”
“Well, back in high school I used to play in a band. Our guitarist actually made it pretty big in a band, and Scud tried to set me up with their drummer, but she talked too loud and wasn’t you,” I rambled. “I guess thought, that once I met you, you became the most important thing in my life and I didn't have time for stuff like that anymore.”
“Well, you should keep playing, you’re really good,” Amy said, swinging her arm a bit, which in turn swung mine. “You should play for me more.”
“I guess I’ll have to,” I replied, just looking at her, and admiring the beautiful face that looked back at me. I turned my face upward, and got lost in the majesty of the sky. “Wow,” I said, gesturing upwards at the full moon, “the moon...it's beautiful.”
The moon, in all its glory shined back down on the beach, illuminating the waves. The stars were covered by a veil of clouds, enhancing the moon’s radiance. It was a beautiful sight, and I was glad that I was sharing it with the only person that I really wanted to share it with.
“It is beautiful,” Amy said with wonderment.
“So are you,” I responded. I couldn’t help it, she really did look gorgeous. Her face lit bright red in a blush.
“You look great too,” she responded, and for the first time since I had been contacted by Corleone I felt truly happy. Nothing could ruin this feeling, I thought. “I can’t believe that you did all of this for me.”
“I’d do all of it again, and more for you, Amy.” I said, stopping in the sand and turning to her. “I love you with all my being. You complete me in a way that no one else can. The emptiness that existed in my soul has been replaced by you.”
Amy said nothing, but her eyes said everything. The love that had once been in her eyes shone brightly once again and she squeezed my hand.
I was about to lean in to attempt a kiss when the heavens suddenly opened up and it started raining, the raindrops slowly gaining in speed and quantity. Amy laughed as she and I ran to our car, and, even though the rain had the chance of ruining our clothing, I think we were having too much fun to care.
Thank you, God. I thought as I raced back to the car. My mind must have been stuck on symbols, with the cold shower today, and now the rain. I couldn’t help thinking that the rain was washing away the dirt on our relationship and giving us a new start.
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Amy’s POV
It had been the perfect night, and my resolve was slowly melting. If Lucy would go to all this trouble, taking me to Can Majó, and everything, there was little chance that I could keep resisting. The fact that she could play the guitar blew my mind. You would have thought that, as my girlfriend, she would have played the guitar for me sometime within the last year. The song she sang, well…what could I say. The song's lyrics in that beautiful voice she had hidden from me, had broken me down. The lyrics were perfect in the way they fit our situation, and, if that was how Lucy felt, then I didn’t really know whether I wanted to hold out any longer. I knew I had made my final decision on whether to work things out, though. That answer was a resounding ‘yes!’ The walk on the beach had made everything clear.
At the moment, Lucy and I were sitting on the sofa, idly talking about everything and anything. In the middle of the conversation, Lucy turned her head to the stereo system in the back of the room and said, “Well, I feel like dancing,” she rose from the couch and extended an arm. “May I have this dance, Amy Bradshaw?”
I couldn’t resist, I took her hand. “Of course, Lucy,” I said. Lucy grabbed the CD player’s remote off our end table with her other hand and hit play. I put my arms around Lucy’s neck, and she put her arms around my waist as we danced slowly in a circle to the romantic sounds of Edwin McCain’s I’ll Be.
The strands in your eyes
That color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
Like emeralds from mountains
Thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
And tell me, that we belong together
Dress it up,
With the trappings of love
I’ll be captivated
I’ll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hangs from above
And I’ll be your crying shoulder
I’ll be love's suicide
And I'll be better when I’m older
I’ll be, the greatest fan of your life
Rain falls, angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in our bed
And you’re my survival
You’re my living proof
My love is alive
And not dead
And tell me, that we belong together
Dress it up
With the trappings of love
I’ll be captivated
I’ll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
And I’ll be your crying shoulder,
I’ll be love's suicide,
And I’ll be better when I’m older,
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life
I've dropped out,
I’ve burned out,
I’ve fought my way back from the dead,
I’ve turned in, I’ve turned on
Remember the things that you, you said
And I'll be your crying shoulder,
I'll be love's suicide,
And I’ll be better when I’m older,
I’ll be the greatest fan of your life
As the singer repeated the chorus one last time, Lucy leaned into me and whispered into my ear, “I’ll be your crying shoulder, I’ll be love’s suicide and I’ll be better when I’m older, I’ll be the greatest fan of your life.” Just hearing those words brought a tear to my eye, my resolve completely melted. As Lucy pulled her head away, she must have seen the tear, as she asked worriedly, “Amy, what’s wrong? Did I do anything wrong?”
I didn’t say anything; instead I leaned into her, kissing her fully on the lips. Her mouth desperately met mine, as our mouths reacquainted themselves, making up for lost time. She tightened her embrace, pulling me closer to her. Entering her mouth, my tongue caressed hers tenderly. She took her mouth off of mine and started tracing kisses down my neck. “Lucy Diamond, you complete me too,” I said, tilting my head backwards as Lucy continued to kiss my throat.
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Lucy’s POV
If I had ever had a single shared doubt with Amy about whether I loved Chastity, those thoughts were dismissed as I returned my mouth to Amy’s willing and waiting lips. Love poured and flowed through the connection that we still shared, but this time, the connection seemed stronger. Kissing Chastity in the bar had not felt even a tenth of this. This was passion…this was love.
Amy slipped an arm away from my neck and moved it lower, cupping my breast through the dress’ fabric. Breaking the kiss, I held my head a few inches from her. “Amy, are you sure?” I asked apprehensively. I did not want her rushing into anything she truly did not want to do. I wanted this to be pure, unbridled love that we shared. Anything else would have been the death knell.
She smiled, and I knew the answer. “Lucy, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” she said. Instantly, the distance between our mouths evaporated as our mouths met yet again. Awkwardly walking while kissing, we ascended the stairs with just a bit of trouble and I pressed Amy into the door to our bedroom. Amy broke the kiss, which left us out of breath, gasping for air from the powerful effects. “Lucy, I love you,” Amy managed to say before the magnetism between our lips kicked back into gear. Clothes were shed as we still stood against the door. Our hands started a new exploration of each other’s bodies. Even as I knew every curve of her body, as she mine, the franticness of our hands suggested that we were feeling each other for the first time. We were so wrapped up in each other that we barely made it to the bed.
---------------------
About an hour later, Amy and I were curled up together in the bed, sheets everywhere. This night had been everything I hoped it would be and more. We were no longer Amy and Lucy - we were no longer two souls, we were one once more. I gently caressed Amy’s naked form with my hand, and as I rolled my hand down her arm, I held her hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. “Amy, thank you,” I said, kissing her neck.
“What are you thanking me for?” Amy asked, “You were the one who refused to give up. If it wasn’t for you…well…I’d hate to think where I’d be.”
“Amy, don’t even think that way. If I were in your position, I’d have done the same thing. Plus, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If it took forever to wait for you, I’d still wait.”
Amy didn’t need to say anything; the connection we shared let me know the love emanating from her. “Lucy, there were times in there that I was starting to worry though. I was such a jerk,” Amy said emotionally. She sounded as if she were about to cry, whether from joy or not I was not sure.
“No you weren’t,” I consoled her, “you were being Amy Bradshaw, and there is no one in this world that I love more than her.” Amy turned her head upwards and we shared another tender kiss. “Goodnight Amy.”
“Goodnight Lucy,” she said, turning her head back away from me. I put an arm around her, claiming her as my own, as we both drifted off to sleep.
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Turning circles when time again
It cuts like a knife oh now
If you love me got to know for sure
’Cause it takes something more this time
Than sweet, sweet lies
Before I open up my arms and fall
Losing all control
Every dream inside my soul
And when you kiss me on that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singing ain't this life so sweet
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Happy now? Now that they’re back together, it’s time for the action! Who would’ve thunk it possible that you could go about 60,000 words into a fic and not get to any action? It’s coming though - hold on to your seats…Chapter 13’s gonna be a thrill ride.
Watch out for Chapter 13…Dan the Dark is beginning to show his head around these quarters, and I get the feeling that it won’t be pretty.
~Dan
Next - ( Chapter Thirteen: Loss )