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| THE NEIGHBOUR by Enola The sound of a trumpet woke Cam up. Or was she dreaming? The alarm clock on her bedside table said 7.52am. “Today’s Sunday!” she whined hitting her firsts against the mattress. Her cat Nelly meowed and jumped out of bed scared. “I’m sorry honey. Come here!” With a spring, the cat leapt on the bed and rubbed her soft furry head against Cam’s cheek making her giggle. “Yeah, I know you love me darling. I love you too.” She kissed and stroked her pet, who was resting on her belly, and closed her eyes. Cam was exhausted. That was the first time she slept in her new house in Bristol. She had moved to a quieter area of the town, or at least, that was what the estate agent had told her. ‘Miss Norris I’m sure you’ll love it. It’s a very lovely area and you’ll have only one close neighbour. A very quiet person.’ That quiet person was the same who was now playing that bloody trumpet. Yesterday, she had spent the whole day guiding the removal men through the house, driving them insane with her changes of mind. “Put the sofa over there. Hang on, move it to the right a bit. No, I don’t like it there. Better on the other side of the room.” She had ended up going to sleep around 3.30am. She had also had the honour to meet him, her neighbour. A short guy, slightly fat, with undercut brown hair. She saw him approaching with a threatening look over his face. He complained that the removal van was parked just in front of his driveway and couldn’t enter his car into the garage. Cam said that the removal men were busy setting up her kitchen furniture. One of them would move the van over as soon as possible, in the meantime he could leave his car out. He replied he had no intention to leave it in the street since he had just got from the car wash. He strode away and opened the van door. “Hey? What are you doing?” cried Cam running towards her neighbour. “I’m going to move this thing over myself,” he said harshly. “You cannot do it!” “Wanna bet?” He slammed the van door and started the vehicle up. He then got into his car and entered it into his garage. Realising that there was no chance to get to sleep again, Cam got up and made herself breakfast. She fed Nelly and went on empting the big boxes that lay in the lounge. The trumpeter was still playing. She took the first CD her hand could find in one of the boxes. ‘Lust for Life’ by Iggy Pop. Her eyes twinkled. “Who’s playing louder now?” She opened one window so that her dear neighbour could have a better listen. About one hour later she saw him leaving in his car. She smiled pleased with herself. “It serves him right,” she said to her cat. Cam opened her eyes and found herself in bed in some hospital room. Her head was aching and she could feel a plaster on her forehead. She pressed the button and in a while a tall nurse with a long fair plait entered. “Good morning Camilla. You’re awake at last.” “What’s happened? Why am I in here?” “An ambulance brought you here yesterday around midday. I can’t tell you more, I’m sorry. Yesterday was my day off.” Cam turned his head and saw a bunch of flowers over the bedside table. “And those flowers?” The nurse shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know!” “When may I go back home?” “Your doctor will be here in a minute. If you feel alright I think he’ll let you go at once.” As soon as she entered her house, Cam called her cat. She heard her meowing and, a while later, she saw Nelly running towards her. Cam sat down in the sofa and hugged her. The doorbell rang. Cam opened the door. It was her neighbour. “Hi, erm…I’m your neighbour…remember me? My name’s Sean. How you doing?” He sounded nervous and rather shy. “Um, I’m fine. I had a little accident yesterday.” “Yeah, I know. I saw the ambulance.” They kept silent in the threshold for a moment, then Nelly got and rubbed herself against his leg. “I’m sorry…” began Cam, “Don’t worry,” Sean smiled and picked the cat up, “You owe me three cans of tuna! I didn’t have anything else to give to her.” “She’s mad about tuna” “Yep, I’ve noticed.” Cam invited Sean to enter and offered him some tea. “I’m so sorry for the other day,” said Sean sipping his tea. “I didn’t mean to be that rude.” “It’s okay.” “Listen…I know that we don’t know each other,” he said timidly looking down, “but I’d be pleased if you erm…well, if you had diner at mine this evening. It’s a way to apologise and show you I’m a nice neighbour.” Cam smiled in amazement. “It’s very nice of you, I’ll bring a bottle of wine.” “Great!” smiled Sean. “At 7 is okay with you?” “Yes, it’s perfect!” After the meal Sean and Cam moved to the lounge carrying their glasses and the bottle of red wine Cam had brought with her. “You called for the ambulance, didn’t you?” enquired Cam all of a sudden looking at Sean straight in the eye. Sean lowered his brown eyes. “Um, yes. I went to yours because the music was too loud and saw you lying on the floor from the window. There was a chair next to you, I thought you had fallen over.” Cam smiled tenderly. “And those flowers I found on my bedside table?” “I popped over the hospital last evening. You were asleep so I…” He couldn’t go on because Cam silenced him with a kiss. As she parted from him she blushed and stuttered, “I’m sorry Sean, I shouldn’t have…I…I’d better go.” Cam closed the door of her house behind her and leaned against it thoughtfully. “Why the hell did I run away?” She hit hear against the door a couple of times. Sean was an amazing man, totally different from that unkind guy she had met some days ago. He had called for the ambulance, visited her at hospital bringing a lovely bunch of flowers and looked after her cat. And he was so damn cute! She loved the sound of his voice, his gorgeous brown eyes and his tender smile. That had been the nicest evening in ages and… Knock. Knock. Cam opened the door, Sean took a step forward and kissed her without speaking a word. With one hand he pushed the door closing it. Cam’s nicest evening had just begun. The end. <<< Enola's stories |