Daddy Next Door

by Tina Lee

  “What’s the plan for today?” Brenda asked.

  “Beach!” Amy jumped and twirled. “Let’s go get a tan and put on our bikinis and read and drink wine.” Amy had been working hard in the gym thanks to the encouragement of Luke, and now it was time reap the rewards of a fit body. She couldn’t wait to put on a bikini.

  “Beach sounds great. I’m going to make us some sandwiches.”

  “Brenda.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.” Amy stretched across the table and hugged Brenda.

  “I love you too.”

  When the sun was at its ripest they called an Uber and they went to the beach. They changed into their bikinis and spread their towels on the hot sand. Brenda caught her hair in ponytail, applied her sunscreen and plugged in her earphones. It was time for her to relax and enter a state of meditation.

  Amy lost herself in the blue, vast, cloudless sky. The ocean rolls sang in the background while her thought traveled near and far. One of her many thoughts was of Luke working out in the gym. She never got tired of seeing him flex his muscles and fill the room with his loud grunts. She took that memory with her to sleep many nights with the hope that she would continue it in her dreams.

  It had been so long since she felt the love of a man inside her. The fire that was once burning inside her had gone cold with no man to ignite her wildest desires. She had purposely put her self off the market but she had hoped that someone would come and change her mind. That was what she wanted. Just for a man to show some force and break that walls she had built.

  Luke was complicated. Yes, he was hot, intellectual, and sweet, but he was also older and at a different stage in his life. Amy had never dated a man with such an age difference. She wasn’t against it, though. Maybe it was time to date someone who would treat her like how a woman supposed to be treated. Still, she was nervous that she wasn’t good enough for him. She didn’t feel like an adult. Amy was sure that there were many young, hot professionals standing in line to get a piece of Luke, and why wouldn’t he choose one of them? They already had their life sorted out. They were the finished product.

  After laying in the sun for awhile, Amy wanted to take a dip in the ocean. “Be right back. Going for a swim.”

  “Watch for sharks,” Brenda said.

  That wasn’t what she wanted to hear before a swim. On the shoreline two young boys built sand castles that would eventually be swept away by the waves. It was its destruction, not its creation, that amused them.

  She dived into the ocean blue and swam out into the sea where two surfers floated on their surfboards.

  “Wonderful day for a swim, eh?” An Australian paddled beside Amy. She loved the Australian accent. She thought it was the sexiest sound after the British accent.

  “It is.” It truly was. Families came in numbers to fill up the shores, have fun in the sun and wash off in the Pacific. The horizon, as always, was breathtaking. Even more so at the setting of the sun.

  “I’m just waiting for a wave to come.” His wet blond hair stuck to the side of his face.

  “I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf but I’m too chicken.”

  He chuckled. “It can be scary in the beginning, but once you learn how then you’ll be addicted. I could give you private lessons if you’d like.”

  “Thanks for the offer but I’m going to pass.”

  “If you change your mind, you can find me here in the morning at 6.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m Amy, by the way.”

  “Brent.”

  Amy said goodbye and returned to the shores where Brenda was lost in her book. She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite of the delicious goodness that Brenda had made. Maybe I should have accepted his offer, she thought. How long was she to reserve herself for an uncertain Luke? She liked Luke a lot but it was nothing serious. He was certainly having his fun, maybe it was her time to have hers.

  It really dawned on her; she had just rejected a hot, surfer Australian guy! She would be showing up for surfing lessons the next morning. If summer wasn’t for taking chances and doing everything on a whim, then what was summer for?

  After the sunset (which Amy took a million pictures of), she hopped on the back of Brent’s Moped and Brenda hopped on Brent’s friend’s moped. They left the beach together, swerving through the terrible traffic and passing the cars moving bumper to bumper. Amy clutched around Brent. He was gentleman enough to lend Amy his helmet. There was a thrill in letting the wind beat against her and the rumbling of the bike vibrating through her body.

  Brenda clutched tight to her rider. This wasn’t her first time on a motorcycle. She had ridden faster bikes that would put the moped to shame. Her father and mother had motorcycles when they were in their youth. Motorcycles were very popular in their town in the Phillipines. From the young to the old possessed one.

  The Australian duo left the two roommates at a Chinese restaurant downtown. Amy didn’t want them knowing where she lived. Amy thanked the guys and told Brent she would be seeing him later this week.

  They were starving. While Brenda’s sandwiches were tasty, it did very little to calm her hunger. They took a seat inside the restaurant and ordered Mala chicken with steam vegetable for Brenda and curried shrimp for Amy.

  “I’m in love with their accents,” Brenda said.

  “So hot, right?”

  Brenda loved the crunchiness and juiciness of the steamed papchai. “When are we seeing them again?”

  “I’ll be taking surf lessons with Brent this week. I could set you up with his friend if you want.”

  “Of course I want you to. The only one rejecting hot guys here is you.”

  “I’m taking it slowly.”

  “By slowly, do you mean you’re waiting for Luke to make the move?”

  “Not exactly. I don’t want it to be forced. I want it to take its time and happen. But at the same time—”

  “You don’t want him taking too long to make the move,” Brenda finished Amy’s thought. “My advice? Wait for no man. Go out with guys and have fun. Luke isn’t a shy man. You will know if he’s into you.”

  Amy thought about it on the walk home, in the shower and as she turned on the television to watch the nightly news. Tonight’s breaking news was the next super ball lottery at 500 million dollars. That took Amy’s mind off Luke for a while as she thought about all the things she could do with such large sums of money. She pictured herself as a millionaire in expensive dresses and red bottom heels who owned a lot of cats. A rich independent woman who was self-assured and wasn’t much of a mess.

  In the middle of her fantasy, she remembered about the super moon. She grabbed a granola bar and walked out of her apartment to the Janitor’s closet that Josh had introduced her to. The moonlight illuminated the small, stuffy room silvery blue. It was the perfect view. Amy stood by the small window and peered outside. The big yellow ball floating in the sky was worth all the hype. A truly awe-inspiring experience. Amy peeked down on the building tops, searching for the birds and, sure enough, they were sitting on the edge watching the phenomenon too.

  Chapter 8

  “I

  ’m tired,”

  Amy said, breathless and weak.

  “Come on. Two more minutes. You can do this, Amy.” Luke said.

  “I can’t.” Amy’s legs ran tirelessly on the treadmill.

  “Yes, you can!” Luke said firmly. “I know you can.”

  Amy clenched her jaw and fought through the weakness. She was determined to see it through. Luke believed in her and she didn’t want to disappoint him.

  The timer went off. “You did it, Amy.” He made a proud smile and fetched her water bottle and towel. Amy proved she was serious about improving herself, and to Luke, it was one of her most attractive traits.

  Amy high-fived Luke and sat beside him.

  “No sitting!” he instructed her. “Walk it off to cool down the body.”

  “Okay okay.” Amy got up and did w
hat she was instructed. She liked it when he was a little bossy. She knew he had it in him, and could only imagine what it would be like in the bedroom.

  After cooling down, Amy did some stretches with Luke. They had done it many times before but Amy was always nervous nonetheless. Luke held her thighs and pushed back against her chest. His hand wasn’t far from her sex, and that was all Amy could think about. He rubbed her thighs, massaging her sore muscles. It felt good—too good, so good that a moan almost escaped her lips. His thumb pressed and stroked her inner thigh in a rhythmic manner. His hands moved closer to her sex and it tingled in between her legs. The pressure of his hands increased and so did the pleasure. Closer, Amy thought. She wanted his firm hands to rub her sex and play with her clit. It was all that was running through her mind. “Yes. Oh my God,” she moaned.

  That caught Luke off guard. “You okay?”

  Amy quickly came to her senses. “Yeah. Uhh. My muscles are just really sore. That’s all.”

  Luke continued rubbing the sore spot. “You’re body will adjust soon.”

  After gym Amy went back to her apartment and buried her face in her pillow. How embarrassing, she thought. Moaning in front of Luke had to be the most embarrassing thing she had done that year.

  She could still feel Luke’s hands on her inner thighs. Her muscles still remembered. She dug into her drawer for her vibrator then sneaked into the living room and stole the batteries from the TV remote then ran off to the bathroom. She turned on the shower to cover her moans and masturbated to the thought of Luke’s fingers sliding in and out of her. It wasn’t long before her wave of orgasm hit and her juice trickled down her shaking knees.

  The next morning Amy packed her swimsuit and went to the beach. Brent was sitting on the sand and waxing his surfboard when Amy came strolling on the shores looking eager to learn.

  “Thought you wouldn’t show.” Brent stood, towering over a 5’3 Amy. His blond hair was caught in a bun and his facial shaved since the night before. “Excited?”

  Amy shot the gorgeous man a smile. “I definitely am.”

  “Great! For today we’ll work on your foot placement then we’re going to do some paddling; that’s when your arms are going to kill you.”

  Amy could hear Luke in her head saying You can do this. He had made her more confident in herself and her abilities. “I’m ready,” she said with conviction in her eyes.

  After her first lesson, she went home and took a shower. Brenda had gone to the local high school where she taught kids how to code as a part of a summer program. Brenda, being the angel that she was, left cheese omelet with garlic bread in the microwave. Amy sank her teeth into the seasoned egg. She had been thinking of attending cooking classes. Every woman she knew were good cooks; her mom, aunts, some of her cousins, Mrs. huckleberry, and Brenda. She would need to learn if she wanted to be with a man—a real man, Amy thought.

  With nothing good on TV, Amy decided to leave her apartment and went to give Mrs. Huckleberry, Josh, and Mr. Finch a visit. Mrs. Huckleberry and Josh were delighted to see Amy while Mr. Finch could not care less.

  “Hey, Mr. Finch,” Amy stooped and said to the cat.

  Mr. Finch swung his tail and walked away.

  Mrs. Huckleberry went into the kitchen to cut a slice of her banana bread for Amy. Even when Amy refused, Mrs. Huckleberry still insisted. Josh, on the other hand, was begging for another slice.

  The TV played The Price is Right in the background while Josh played with his action figure on the ground and Mrs. Huckleberry retell a story of how she ran her car off the road in the 70s. She was high on drugs and walked away unhurt. Not a single bruise, she said.

  “I’m going to take Josh to the park,” Amy told Mrs. Huckleberry whom was half asleep in her chair.

  Amy held Josh’s hand and walked him across the street. The park was only couple blocks ahead. They could hear music playing from the speakers in the distance. The park DJ played every day for joy and dance and laughter and donations. “You must be bored being in that apartment all day.”

  Josh looked up at Amy. “Dad signed me up for summer activities. I will go to museums and amusement parks and hikes and Google Headquarters.”

  “Google? That sounds great. I’m jealous, actually.”

  “I don’t mind staying with Mrs. Huckleberry. She’s old and likes my company. Old people need heroes too.”

  “That’s nice and mature of you, Josh. It really is.”

  “If you’re bored, I could come and keep your company too. I’d have to ask dad but I’m sure he’d say yes.”

  “Yeah sure. Come over whenever you like.”

  “Amy do you…nevermind.” Josh sighed.

  Amy stopped. “What is it?”

  Josh was hesitant to ask Amy what was on his mind. “Do you know anything about going steady?”

  Amy chuckled. “What?”

  “See! I knew you’d laugh at me.” Josh walked away and Amy walked speedily to catch him up.

  “Josh wait. I’m sorry. It was just unexpected. That’s all.” She caught up to him and put her arm around his shoulder. “Why do you want to know about going steady?”

  “My friends told me that’s what boys do when they like a girl.”

  “And is there any specific girl that you like?”

  “Sorta. There’s this girl that lives on the floor below us. Her name is Lisa. We’re just friends. But my friends at school say that I have to go steady with her if I like her.”

  “Not true. You can like someone and still be friends.”

  “I can?”

  “Going steady is basically the same thing as being friends. It’s just a title. Just tell her you like her.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “You can start off by saying the things you like about her.”

  “She’s pretty and funny and good at math and she always shares anything she has with me.”

  “Awww. That’s sweet.” Amy pinched Josh’s cheek. “Just tell her that.”

  “I can’t!”

  “Why?”

  “It’s too mushy.”

  Amy tried not to laugh. “There is nothing wrong with expressing how you feel.” They stopped to join the hot dog line at the entrance of the park. Selling anything here was illegal, of course, but no one seemed to mind. A score of people stood in line and waited for what was acclaimed to be the best hot dog in the area.

  “What if I write it on a card and give it to her?” Josh asked.

  “That would be nice too.” Amy had a flashback of the time Timothy gave her a love letter in the fifth grade. At the bottom of the letter was a stick drawing of Timothy and Amy beside their future home. She still had the letter somewhere in her old bedroom. She wondered how Timothy was doing. The last she had heard from him was before he moved to New York City after high school.

  “Could you buy a card for me? I’ll pay you back when I get my allowance.”

  “We’ll get a card together. Don’t worry about it.”

  They got their hot dogs and sat on the first bench they saw in the park. The DJ played music for the whole family. It started a friendly dancing contest with the smaller kids. Josh wasn’t interested in dancing or running around. He was comfortable just sitting with Amy and enjoying his hot-dog which he thought was overrated. Josh rated the hot-dogs at the cinema better than the park’s hot-dog.

  After leaving the park, Amy and Josh walked to the gift shop where they picked out a friendship card. Thank you for being a friend, it said on the cover. Flower stems wrapped around the words and a pair of cartoon birds sat on a tree branch. On the inside, Josh wrote, ‘Ur funny, kind and smart. Ur really pretty too! I like you very very much.’ Amy got bought a stem of rose to go with the beautiful card.

  At the apartment complex, they stopped by Lisa’s apartment. Amy stood at a distance and let Josh confess his feelings on his own. Josh knocked on the door. “Is Lisa home?” Amy heard him ask.

  “Hey, Lisa.”

  “Hi, Josh.
” Amy couldn’t see Lisa’s face but she could see Josh’s, and his face was beaming with happiness. His cheeks couldn’t possibly stretch any further.

  “I got you something.” He gave her the rose and the card. “I gotta go. Bye!” Josh sped off, leaving Lisa with no chance to respond.

  “What happened?” Amy asked.

  “I got nervous. My legs were shaking.” Josh pulled Amy's hands. “Let’s go.”

  Amy returned Josh to Mrs. Huckleberry who was now up and awake and in the kitchen. The boy’s heart was still racing. There was no turning back now. He thought about all the worst possible scenarios, one of them being Lisa shows the letter to her friends and they all laugh at him. Talking to girls is so hard, he thought.

  After another rigorous gym workout, Amy and Luke lay flat on the gym and talked. Luke held Amy’s attention as he explained the fundamentals of camping. Amy had always wanted to go camping ever since she was a child. She used to see kids her age sit around the campfire and eat Smores and tell scary stories on TV. She too wanted to jump in the lake in only her underwear under the blue summer sky. “You should take me camping.” She rolled on her belly and rested her chin on her knuckles. “You, me, and Josh.”

  Luke thought about it. “That doesn’t sound a like a bad idea at all.”

  “You could teach me how to tie a knot or make a fire with sticks.”

  “No, I’ll be throwing you in the lake.”

  Amy pushed Luke. “You’re so evil.”

  “Then I’ll make you the best beans and dried fish you’ve ever had.”

  “Gross.”

  “Its part of the experience.”

  Amy gazed into Luke’s eyes and for a moment they fell silent. Even when he was being mean it was cute. She had been at her happiest since year, and it was all thanks to Luke. Her nights were the best part of her days because she got to see him. Every night she looked forward to being motivated, amused, lovestruck and turned on. “I like working out with you.” Amy blushed, trying hard to hold eye contact and not look away. He was looking into her and she was afraid of what he would see. “I like being around you. You bring out the best in me.”