How to Catch Butterflies

by Samantha Fontien

  “Oh well that’s very nice,” came a voice in the doorway.

  “Well I can see why you weren’t at the airport to greet me darling. Still fucking whores I see?” she said looking directly at Lucy.

  George looked up in a state of shock at the woman who stood in the doorway.

  “I’m no whore,” said a shocked Lucy grabbing the shirt together wrapping it round her, trying to salvage what was left of her modesty.

  Lucy jumped from the island to the ground quickly hiding, sheltering behind George.

  ”Well it’s a little late for that now,” said the elegantly dressed woman gloating having seen Lucy’s embarrassment.

  Like a lioness she attacked unmercifully again ‘George had never looked at HER like that and for that she hated this little bitch, she wanted her to hurt.’

  “Now....” she continued “if you don’t mind grab your money... Where do you leave it nowadays?” She asked looking directly at George, her eyes then returned to Lucy.

  “Ohh and please GO, so I may speak privately to my.... HUSBAND!”

  Lucy’s face fell. ‘Husband’, the tears burned her eyes blinding her. She rushed past the bitch at the door and ran upstairs.

  She ran around the bedroom grabbing her clothes, dressing faster than she had ever done in her life and ran down the stairs.

  While she was dressing George had stepped back into his trousers and started doing up his zipper and belt.

  “Really, Lynda did you have to?” he exclaimed.

  George was disgusted and it showed. She just smirked, standing firm as he brushed past her to get to Lucy. He had heard Lucy running down the stairs, and he ran to meet her in the hallway.

  “Lucy stop,” he pleaded, she barged pass him making for the front door.

  He grabbed her arm to stop her

  “GET OFF ME” she repeatedly screamed at him trying to pull out of his grip on her arm.

  Her tears were now blinding her; they were popping uncontrollably out of her eyes in succession she couldn’t hold them in any longer.

  He gently grabbed her face pleading with her to let him explain.

  “And I said loved you,” she sobbed, she looked so heartbroken. He felt dreadful, and he was the reason.

  “Let me explain,” he pleaded.

  “Explain this!” She yelled as she brought her knee up and jammed it hard into his groin.

  It had the desired effect and he crumpled to the ground recoiling in pain. She ran out the door to the awaiting Bentley

  “Home John and please hurry,” she choked, trying to compose herself. And they were instantly gone, in the London traffic.

  *

  As George regulated his breath to deal with the searing pain that was in his balls, he slowly tried to wobble to his feet.

  Lynda had followed and had seen and heard everything and was looking rather pleased with herself. He rolled to his knees still holding his groin wincing.

  “What the fuck do you want? Why are you here?” He asked through his breaths, “I thought the agreement was you’d keep to the States and I to Europe?”

  “Well darling husband yes that is true, but I’ve met a nice rich old Gentleman, and put it this way, we want to get married,” she squealed clapping her hands gleefully. “I’ll be out of your hair forever. Isn’t that wonderful news?” she cooed.

  “Best fucking news EVER,” he groaned still wincing with pain. His thoughts immediately turned to Lucy, he should have told her.

  Chapter10

  ‘Cloud-busting’

  Lucy was sat in the back seat of the Bentley. She held her head up, holding back the burning tears not allowing gravity to let them fall.

  ‘How could he do this to her? It was all LIES everything.’ She had given herself to him wholeheartedly and she had said she loved him. ‘His wife.... his wife... Married what a bitch! The way she had spoken to her, how dare she! Fuck him and fuck that bitch!

  She rummaged around in her bag searching, for her compact; she hunted around till it fell eventually into her hand. She flipped it open checking her reflection; thank god she had stopped the stupid sobbing once she’d jumped in the car. She felt so stupid; she just wanted to get back to the safety off her apartment.

  Calmly she waited for the lift to arrive; once it opened she stepped in and pressed her floor’s button. She couldn’t remember if she had said goodbye to John, not that it mattered now, it’s not as if she would be seeing him again. As she felt the motion of the lift ascending up to her floor, her lip trembled. She bit down on it, enough to steady it while mentally chanting ‘hold it together Lucy’ again and again.

  It didn’t help when the lady from the second floor boarded with ‘Trixi’ her surrogate baby with her ‘Swarovski Crystal Collar’ it was handmade, custom ordered you know …it took eight weeks for delivery you know…

  By now Lucy had blocked out her pointless dribble about fucking ‘Trixi the Shih Tzu’ trying to smile politely at her as her voice grated on her.

  Her floor could not come soon enough, she readied herself, false smile on, for the doors to open at her floor, and once they did she was gone down the short corridor to her apartment.

  She had her keys ready popping them in the door. Once in, she closed the door and fell back against it and sobbed, sliding to the floor.

  She sat there allowing the tears to freely flow. She didn’t know how long she was there it was much later, when she jumped up and headed for her kitchen and grabbed the bottle of ‘Jack Daniels’.

  When Lucy awoke in the morning she felt as rough as hell and wondered why the hell she was on the couch. Images of last night pounded her brain like a Gatling gun. Him, what she had allowed him to do, that bitch.

  The tears rose up her eyes. .

  ‘Oh NO you don’t Lucy Watters’. She looked up refusing to let them out. George De Vere wasn’t worth the tears. No man was and she had cried enough tears last night to last her a life time. She was wondering why she wasn’t in her bed as she stretched reaching into the air. Jumping up she switched off the music that had been playing endlessly since last night.

  Lucy caught sight of the half empty discarded bottle of Jack Daniels, “Errrugghh” she shivered, her stomach turned. She felt like she would puke, another bad choice she had made. Nice one Lucy! You’re on a roll! Even after brushing her teeth; she could still taste the bourbon in her mouth.

  She leaned feeling week against the countertop. She was really feeling it now as she made for the fridge to get the water filter jug. Grabbed two glasses and poured popping a couple of ‘Vitamin C’ fizz’s’ in one and drank once it was ready.

  “I’m Going for a run” - ‘Running always cleared her head’ grabbing her phone & headphones. She headed for the door.

  As she touched the phone the screen came to life, George had been calling and texting all night as she scrolled down. – Every missed call, endless voicemails all George’s. Lucy stood there for a few minutes starring at her phone.

  “Fucker. Lying mother fucker”, she said deleting as she scrolled not reading or hearing one and finely blocking his number.

  She grabbed her keys and closed the door behind her. Before she knew it, she was walking out the lobby doors onto the street.

  *

  George had been sitting in the car up until he’d seen Lucy get out the lift. He had been there buzzing for her to answer most of the night. He knew she was there as he could see her apartment lights on.

  She had ignored every effort he had made to speak to her. He had to talk to her, to explain, and he would wait all night and day if that’s what it took. His marriage had been over for years.

  Seeing as his wife was a money grabbing bitch, he had expected to have heard her news a lot sooner than this. She must have hit the jackpot to want a divorce, and that’s why she was there.

  He hated that fucking bitch. Another stupid mistake he had made that was going to cost him dearly.

  By the time Lucy had seen him George was there standing a
gainst his DB7. He looked up trying to catch her attention he walked towards her his hands gesturing, waving, and pleading, “Lucy please... you don’t und...”

  *

  Before he could even finish his sentence Lucy popped in her ear plugs and casually said,

  “FUCK OFF GEORGE” as she started to jog off away from him with ‘Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting’ blaring in her ears.

  It was one of her motivational songs she had on her ‘running playlist’ and she headed off down towards the River Thames. She would run the joggers track that ran parallel to the bank towards the west.

  As she ran, she could see the rowing crews doing there morning training, the coxes barking directions, she stopped to catch her breath, taking in the scenery around her, ‘Kate Bush’s – Running up that hill’ was thundering thru her ears as she regulated her breath, taking deep breathes of the fresh air.

  It was a great path to run on with only the odd dog walker passing by. She did another 30 minutes before deciding to turn back for home.

  When she eventually returned, he was still there. She ran right past him. She knew he was saying something to her. She signaled that she couldn’t hear as she past him.

  Saying to him again, “FUCK OFF GEORGE” as she went inside the apartment building.

  ‘I’ve spent too much time on that wanker’ she thought, She was hungry; knowing she had nothing in it was time to shop for groceries, grabbing her keys. As she got out the lift she could see George waiting for her again.

  ‘Jesus doesn’t he ever give up? And then she thought back to how he had spent the months wooing her. Monaco and the last few months, she felt such a fool to have given him her heart so freely. She had foolishly thought he was worthy of it. How wrong she was, she felt her lip tremble.

  Jesus girl pull yourself together and put your ‘Bitch on’ she scolded herself. And with that she held her head high indignantly as she walked past George. He went to speak again she held her head high again looking right through him.

  “Fuck off George” and off she went and the same when she came back “Fuck off George.”

  She did not care nor know when George left. She was going to go out tonight. She was off to a well-known music venue tonight. One of her Company’s signings were doing a promotion thing. Going out on her own wasn’t a biggie for her.

  She often went to gigs on her own or she brought a friend or two. There were always people she knew there from work. So she’d be in for a great night, especially if it was the usual suspects who were always at these gatherings.

  She loved the perks of her job. It was a fantastic industry to be in. She knew all the top clubs; her name on the guest list at all of them. She knew the top DJ’s personally (and not in a sexual way either), what was happening and where. Free concert tickets the works, she hadn’t been out recently due to him.

  NOT any more Mister she thought I am not putting my life on hold for a guy. She made a few phone calls and had a plan of action.

  “Roll on tonight’ she sung clapping her hands in the air as personnel high five.

  Lucy stood there naked, bar the towel on her head in front of her triple mirrored wardrobe music blaring, as the bass pounded the mezzanine floor. She slid back each door viewing the racks in front of her; she loved her clothes, her hips wiggling along to ‘Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’s – Thrift shop’.

  She had designer duds from their prospective stores, from charity shops. ‘Why not when you can get it for half the price or less which is better’, running her fingers thought the neatly hung garments stopping at the jeans section.

  “Hmmm,” she thought out loud and stopping at her ‘ye old Faithfull’s’, “Yep those” as they were un-hung and placed on the bed in one swift move. She was back and looking through her T shirts. That was a task in itself, as she collected retro band shirts. Finally she selected her black Floyd prism ‘T’ and her leather biker jacket to complete the ensemble that lay waiting for her on her bed.

  She dried her hair leaving it loose, tonight she was rock chicking it. A small touch of mascara, a bit of lippy and she was ready and out the door to the black cab she had booked earlier.

  It was a great gig. The band was rocking the roof. Lucy danced her feet off all night with Sarah and Deb’s, two fellow ‘nutters’ from work, that were totally in love with this particular band. All three of the girls had seen the stud in the corner.

  It was Sarah that seen ‘the stud’ first. Sarah was actually pointing finger at him as she gushed about what she would do with that if she had him and a lot of licking was involved, along with a pair of handcuffs.

  He had caught all three girls having a good look. He raised his bottle of beer as a ‘hello’. Lucy turned her head slightly embarrassed she’d been caught eyeing up the hottie. Not Deb’s though, who waved like a mad loony at him.

  Once the gig had finished, all three girls and a few other colleagues made their way backstage to the after show party, their passes hanging around their necks.

  It was pretty busy at the party, usual faces a few new ones and him the ‘Adonis’ as he was aptly named by Deb’s. She could feel his eyes on her wherever she went.

  Christopher Harper had been watching Lucy all night. From the moment he’d seen her, dancing and singing along to the band that had been playing. She had been surrounded all night.

  She had endless guys hitting on her all night, which she completely ignored much to his amusement.

  When he’d seen that she was alone, he made his move.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” He joked handing her a glass of champagne, flashing a brilliant smile and perfect teeth.

  She was leaning against a wall where Sarah and Deb’s had left her. The band, who were just gigging, entered the after party much to their squeals of delight. She never did the groupie thing and those two should have been well used to it with all the do’s they’d all gone to. She was clearly unimpressed with them.

  Meeting his gaze she looked him up and down. ‘God, he is good-looking’ she thought.

  “Twirl,” she said spinning her finger motioning to him, taking his perfect physic in with her eyes, to her surprise as he moved around.

  “Hmmm” she thought looking again at his face and body. “You know it’s free,” she said looking at him.

  “You looked thirsty after all that dancing,” he said modestly still flashing his million dollar smile trying to hand her the champagne filled glass.

  He was incredibly easy on the eye; dressed in a nice suit, his hair short, tight at the sides nicely styled, his face was strong. ‘Very handsome,’ she thought.

  “Nice…” Shit she hadn’t meant to say that out loud but she still held his gaze.

  He laughed and gestured with his head so to join her in the empty space right beside her, “Actually I’m just off,” she said and walked off putting her glass on a table.

  Chris’s eyes followed memorized till she had walked out the door.

  He stood momentarily dazed by what had just happened. She just knocked him back without a second thought the ‘MINX’, he thought before setting the two glasses on the same table she had.

  He quickly followed her out. As he hurried out of the exit, he caught sight of her black taxi cab driving away; he was too late... he had missed her.

  She was sitting smiling to herself about the great night she had, when the taxi pulled up outside her building. It was only when she had got out of the cab when she spotted George; he had been waiting still since she had left earlier. What a bunny boiling prick.