Authors: Anna Daly-McCabe
“We removed the x-rated one they wanted to print.” Nick said something that Sam didn’t
quite catch but she knew it was vulgar.
They had a quiet brunch together but the atmosphere was rather tense. Jay and Nick spoke a lot about the recording of the new album and about how they would be finishing the video and then it was off to Canada for a few dates. Sam listened but she wasn
’
t hearing what they were saying. She was very aware that in just two hours time, Jay would be on a plane, winging his way back to LA. Only this time they had no firm plans to meet. No set date when they would be together. She had so many things to sort out here that it could take months for her to get organized to move to LA.
A hand on her knee brought her back to the present. She smiled at Jay; Nick had paid the bill and they were about to leave.
Sam held Jay’s hand. She didn’t want to return to her apartment. She knew that he would get his stuff and the car would arrive to take him to the airport. He put his arm around her and they walked in front of Nick and Lisa, who were holding hands and talking.
“I don’
t think I can let you go.” She said. Jay smiled.
“Why not come with me then?” Only this time, the teasing in his voice was no longer there and Sam knew he was being serious.
“I really want to, but you know I have some things to do first.” He kissed her on the cheek.
“I’
ll be finished soon, in about a month. Can you come to the US then?” She snuggled close to him as they walked. She sighed.
“Yes….regardless of what happens.” They both knew that it was difficult for them to part.
As they neared the Marina, the familiar figure of Sam
’
s ex husband Dan brought a feeling of dread to her. Sensing her tense, Jay pulled her closer, in a reassuring way that said; everything would be alright.
“Well, well, well.” Said Dan, he was looking the worse for wear. “It’s the bitch and the gay boy.” He laughed at his own joke. Jay let go of Sam.
“Dude, are you naturally this pathetic or do you have to try hard at it?” Jay asked. He was feeling very pissed off that his last moments with Sam was being impacted by this moron.
“Oh the tough guy wearing make-up.” Dan said. “I’
m so scared.” Then looking closely at Jay, he recognized him from the paper.
“You, you’
re the gay boy from that band…what are they called?” Then he looked at Sam. “So you
’
re a groupie now. Well, I always knew you
’
d fuck anything-” In an instant Jay had decked him with a right hook to his jaw.
In a few strides, Nick was holding Jay back saying:
“Leave him, he’
s not worth it man.” Looking at Dan getting up, Sam went over to Jay and put her arm around him and they walked away.
“She’
s not worth it gay boy,” Dan shouted after him. Sam knew that this was going to put enormous pressure on her relationship with Jay. But she wondered if she shouldn’t just pack a bag and go with him now, this moment?
At the airport, she kissed him passionately. She couldn’t let him go. Not seeing him for so long would kill her.
“I love you.” She whispered into his neck. Photographers had gathered around now and this time Jay posed for them. One reporter asked:
“Jay is this serious or is it just a fling?” Jay pulled Sam close, kissed her cheek and said to the reporter.
“Sam and I have been seeing each other a while now,” he looked at her fondly. “We are very much a couple and we plan on moving in together when I return from our tour of Canada.” Lisa looked at Sam shocked. The reporter turned to Sam and asked:
“How did you manage to tame the wild boy?” Jay laughed and said:
“Look at how beautiful she is.” He held her hand up to his mouth, kissed it and said. “Guys if you don’
t mind, we
’
d like some private time now.” And then he turned and walked away with his arm around her. The press loved it. This was juicy stuff and it would make the magazines and papers both here and in the US.
In the VIP lounge she sat beside him, his fingers entwined with hers. She was shocked that he had gone public with their relationship so soon. But then nothing about Jay should surprise her, he wasn
’
t exactly predictable.
“You certainly caused a stir with that.” Sam said softly.
“Did you want to keep us secret?” He teased. She giggled. Of course she was glad he told the world she was his girlfriend. She was now the most envied woman in the rock business. But their relationship had just become public property.
“Jay.” She said gently. “What happened earlier.” He looked at her intensely. His expression said it all; he would hurt anyone that hurt her. “I am so, so sorry you had to do that.” Suddenly their flight was called for boarding. He put his arms around her. Breathed in her perfume and kissed her softly on the mouth.
“I love you, Sam.” He walked over to the departure gate, turned and called back. “Call you tonight Darlin.” The other passengers turned in her direction and smiled as they whispered to each other.
Outside waiting for a taxi, Sam allowed the emotion of the last few days to escape from her as the tears ran down her face.
“There, there.” Lisa said. “It’
s alright, Hon.” Sam put on her shades as a taxi pulled up and they got in and sped out of the airport.
Lisa packed her suitcase, and left it in the hall of her beautiful home. She looked around at the things she and Des had collected together over the years. It was amazing that in the space of a few weeks, how a whole life could be changed. Lisa had been the envy of all her family and friends when she married Des.
He was fifteen years her senior, but to her he was everything. He was sophisticated, rich and very successful. Sam had been in a very destructive relationship but she was very much in love with Dan and had put up with his abusive behavior for such a long time. That was when she looked at Des; Lisa realized that passionate love really didn’t need to be a factor in life. Once you were in a relationship that was secure and safe, with no physical threat of violence, that
’
s all that mattered. Love and to a degree physical love was best left for the movies.
And Des was all of that. He provided handsomely for her. Every whim she had, he took care of. Including the new sculpted body she now sported.
Des did provide for her in every single way that was financially possible. But his failing was when it came to all things emotional; he was like a locked bank vault. He shut her out. He even stopped making love to her, not that it was very frequent anyway but in recent years, he had had an affair with Lillian, his brother
’
s wife, she was closer to his age, fifty. It was an affair more of companionship than of sex. But unlike Lisa she was very plain and tended to blend into her surroundings.
When she discovered who Jay was, she was incredulous. She and Sam were infatuated with the rock band Glam Metal. They used to spend hours in front of the mirror carefully doing their make up listening to their music and dreaming up ways that they could meet them.
Sam had been madly in love with Jay, he had been the smallest of them, standing five foot eight and he always had dark crazy hair and his makeup was always perfect. They used to laugh about that. She, had always found Steve and Nick the most attractive but had a soft spot for all of them.
When they both got a part time job in a hair salon, they used their first week
’
s wages on buying Glam Metal
’
s debut album, and some new make-up. Lisa bought her first mini skirt and tight tee shirt that her mother had a fit over. The thought of this, brought a smile to her face as she remembered the row with her mother when she was going on a double date with Sam and Dan and one of Dan
’
s geeky friends. Her mother refused to let her out of the house until she went upstairs to change and when she was satisfied that Lisa was respectable enough to leave the house, then and only then did she move from her spot in front of the door.
Down the street, Lisa jumped over the wall of a neighbour
’
s house and took off her track suit and put it in her bag. Fixed her top and skirt and with some effort got back over the wall and off into town with her friend and her blind date.
Such innocent times they were. As they got older, they forgot about their infatuation for Glam Metal and her crush on Steve and Nick faded. Sam got engaged to Dan and soon Lisa found herself on her own.
Less than a year later, she met Des and she thought he was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. The fact that he was in his thirties added to her attraction for him. When she told Sam about him, she was gob smacked that Lisa could even consider being with an older man. But Lisa assured her friend that he was kind and incredibly wealthy and she was happy. On Sam
’
s wedding day Lisa and Des announced their own engagement. It had been one of the happiest days of her life. And she was the envy of everyone she knew.
Of course, they had a respectable length of an engagement, four years. Des had insisted on it. And in those four years they only had sex twice. He had told her he was afraid she would get pregnant and ruin her reputation and their newly engaged relationship. So the next time they were intimate was on their wedding night.
Lisa sighed as she remembered that night. It should have been one of the happiest moments of a bride
’
s life but instead, Des had gotten drunk and it turned out to be a very quick two minute rumble under the cover. But he was so good to her, showering her with expensive gifts, that she didn’t mind that in the bedroom, their life was a complete sham. Compared to Sam
’
s life, Lisa
’
s was an enchanted fairytale.
Then Sam phoned her out of the blue one Saturday morning to have coffee with her and blurted out that she wanted Lisa to go to LA with her. Even more surprising, Sam told her it was to spend three weeks at Jay
’
s mansion. Lisa knew, purely by accident that a few months after Sam
’
s separation, that she had met some American guy and was pretty attracted to him, but he had left to go on a business trip to Japan and that she had heard nothing from him until the night Des insisted they throw a dinner party for his brother and Lillian.
That night Lisa discovered that Sam
’
s new man was none other than GM Jay the guitarist from their favourite band, Glam Metal.
When they went to LA, she was completely overtaken by the lifestyle Jay led. When he introduced her to the other members of the band, Lisa knew that she would find it difficult to be faithful to Des.