Sammy looked up from the piano and groaned as he played the chords of his latest request. Of all the music rooms, of all the high schools, of all the states in Australia, she had to walk into his… well, okay not really his, but Mr Sharp’s . Glancing over at Gene, he somehow caught the teacher’s eye, indicated at the door with his head and the teacher walked over to the young student and started talking to her.
This was going to be trouble.
Big trouble, and Sammy knew it.
He thought she was out of his life
forever. But she kept on showing
up. So, he knew what he had to do… he
had to take off and see what would happen.
Sammy finished his piece, closed the piano lid and picked up his bag to
leave.
“Hey Sam, thought you’d like to show
Veronica around the place.” Gene smiled, “It’s her first day here. Her parents just moved to Brisbane.”
Yeah I
bet.
He nodded, “Oh, I see. But I can’t. I have somewhere to be.”
“Oh… that’s a pity.” He said and let Sam go.
Once out the door, he didn’t turn around,
knowing Veronica was standing outside the music room watching him leave. She was expecting him to turn just once;
almost ordering him to. Shit, he needed
a day off from her. Why did she show up
all the time; just when he thought he was over her?
The bus into town was good. He swiped his Go Card and grabbed a seat near
the middle where he could see a mirror reflecting everyone on the bus behind
him. He was being stupid thinking she
might be already on here, but he knew what she was like. Instead, he saw her running up to the bus and
jumping on, also swiping her Go Card.
“Hi Sam.” She smiled that award-winning
smile she sprung on any unsuspecting human being around, “Now, why are you
trying to get away from me?” she pushed herself into the seat next to him;
forcing him to shove over next to the window.
He looked out the window, “You keep
following me around.”
“You’re not making it easy to keep up with
you.” She touched his hand and he pulled away quickly, “Aww, don’t be like
that. Let’s have some fun. What do you want to do?”
Get
away from you.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“Yeah… we’re cool.” She nodded as the bus
pulled away from the curb, “But you were my first real love and I’ll leave him
to be with you.”
“Look I’m not all that great, really.” He
tried to move away from her, but found himself wedged against the window as she
moved closer, “Besides, don’t you have a promise ring or something like that he
gave you saying that you belong to him?”
Holding out her left hand, she wiggled her fingers
showing off a gold ring with a garnet in it, “Yeah, it’s cute.” Her dark eyes
looked up at him as her raven hair flicked back, “But it’s you I want.”
The bus turned a corner onto Edward Street
and Sam saw his exit, pressed the button and the bus pulled up to a stop. He pushed past Veronica as the doors opened
and he swiped his card as he rushed out the doors and they slammed shut behind
him. He didn’t wait to see if the bus
stopped again as he raced off toward Eagle Street Pier. He wanted to get away from her… she was so
suffocating. As he approached the ferry,
he found he was on time for the one to go to Southbank. As the City Cat pulled away from the river bank,
Sam spotted Veronica running along the bank.
He went inside and found a seat; he had a few minutes before she caught
up to him.
Throughout the day, he was constantly
looking over his shoulder as he walked around Southbank and West End, and
Veronica always seemed to be around the place or nearby. Exactly how she knew where he’d be was beyond
him. But he didn’t like how this was
turning out. His stalker was beginning
to get to him in the most uncomfortable way; after all, he had begun running
from her two years ago after leaving Melbourne and thought he had ditched
her.
But he was wrong.
As he walked up to the GoMA, he spotted Mr
Sharp from his school who was standing at the reception desk, who turned and
caught his eye, “Sammy, we’ve been looking for you.”
He turned and looked for Veronica, but she
seemed to have vanished, “You have?” he turned back to him, “Veronica’s been
tailing me all day.”
“We’ve been looking for her too. Her husband…”
“Husband?”
“Yeah… husband.” He said, “He’s been worried
she’s going to leave him for somebody else.”
He looked around the foyer of the art
gallery, knowing she was around here somewhere, “She’s here, but she’s hiding.”
“I just want to be with you…” when she saw
his face, her smile faltered, “Oh, you know about him don’t you?”
“Listen, I loved you at one point, but you
can’t just leave him. It’s far safer if
you go with him.” Sammy said, “Besides, if you stay with me, we’ll be running
all the time.”
“Away from what?”
He held her hands gently, “Well, I keep
running from you… think about it.”
She looked down, “Oh… you’re a traveller,
aren’t you?”
“Yeah, every year is a holiday to me.”
Mr Sharp smiled, “Veronica, it’s best if you
do leave and go back to Sydney where your husband is waiting.”
She nodded and looked up at Sammy, “I love
you.”
“I know.”
Letting go of his hands, she walked outside
into the waning day. Sam turned to Mr
Sharp, “This is the beginning of a new friendship, Gene.”
“Yeah.
But this time, you’re free.”
