- Created By lynn4pkmn
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Samantha’s mouth fell open as she stared at the back of Locke’s house and then to the back of her Father’s. Locke let go of her hand and leaned against the side of his car, folding his arms and continued to smile at her reaction.
Samantha looked to him and smiled the biggest smile he had seen from her all night. Ironically her smile seemed to make the atmosphere seem brighter.
“This must be what all of those mushy love stories turn out like with things like this going on.” He thought as he gave a slight smirk. “I would love to
see what else this summer has in store for me.”
“We’re….. Neighbors.” She muttered softly through that smile, letting the words sink in. She closed her eyes and started twirling. Her dancing, Locke could tell, was influenced by a ballet style. His eyebrows raised in amazement of her flowed movement, even in those sandals.
She was just so happy that she just kept dancing. The spun too close to a crack in the concrete and her sandal caught and she toppled backwards into Locke’s arms.
“Carful, Sammy. If you hurt yourself I may just have to carry you.”He chuckled.
Samantha blushed at her clumsiness and at how close she was to Locke again. She hobbled forward and slipped her other shoe on properly.
“Let’s go in, shall we.” She said. “But which house shall we see first?” She turned to ask grabbing his hand.
Locke shrugged. “Lady’s pick I guess then.” He smiled at her.
She smiled back, as usual and led him over to her Father’s house. “I promised
I’d at least show you around.”
Locke frowned. “Yeah, ok.” He thought the rest to himself. “At least? I wonder what her other plans are then?”
Swiftly took the keys out of her pocket and unlocked the back door, she let go of Locke’s hand and swung it inside the house and then held the door open for him. He slowly made his way inside. Pausing long enough to unlace his high tops and set them right behind the door. Samantha smiled at how polite he was being already. She walked around still holding the door open and kicked off one of her sandals to land next to his. As she tried to kick off the second one her foot swung hard into the corner of the door, stubbing her toe.
Samantha squealed and jumped back on her good foot, holding the injured one in her hands.
“That’s it!” Locke smiled playfully as we walked over and effortlessly picked Samantha up bridal style.
The swift motion of movement made Samantha cling onto Locke’s neck out of fear. Her foot kicked the other shoe off and it landed with a clatter on the kitchen floor next to its mate.
“Now what did I tell you.” Locke laughed. “Get hurt again and I would carry you.”
Samantha blushed at how effortlessly he was able to hold her up. He kicked the back door closed with his foot and began to walk around the house with Samantha still in his arms.
“Kitchen…..check. Dinning room…check…..Back bathroom…..check.” Locke did this for every room down stairs until he came to the living room in the front of the house. “I’m guessing your room is upstairs?”
She nodded and he walked effortlessly up the stairs near the front door in the living room. Most of the doors in this hallway were closed except for one. He gingerly walked across the carpet to a door that was part way open. On the door hung a sign that read, “Sammy-man!!!” and a picture of a four year old girl in a Spider man outfit with flaming red pig tales sitting on her father’s lap sharing Halloween candy.
Locke just laughed at the innocents of the girl in the picture that he can still see in the 18 year old today. Samantha piped up finally, “Like I said, Father wanted a little boy.”
“And I am so glad he didn’t. You are far too pretty, even at that age, to be a boy.” Locke smirked.
Samantha blushed more and looked away from him and to her picture. She thought to herself. “He called me pretty before and I’m still not used to it.”
Locke nudged the door all the way opened with his foot and set Samantha down on her bed. “How is your foot, Sammy girl?” He asked moving down and taking Samantha’s foot gingerly in his hands.
She looked down at her swollen big toe and wiggled them. “Still hurts but at least it isn’t broken.”
He let go of her foot and stood up. Looking around the room he saw little jagged pictures hung on the wall of different animal pictures that were cut out of magazines. With a mixture of high school pictures of her and her friends now that looked to be new to the collection.
There was a box on her dresser of things a girl would normally keep in a room. Locke looked at that and his heart sank. He looked around at the genially bare room and asked quietly. “Moving away?”
He looked towards Samantha and she just smiled and shook her head. “Moving in. I used to live with mom down from when I was four threw high school across the state. I wanted to come to college here for art and music so I came to live with my dad.” She laughed. “He wanted to celebrate my homecoming today so we went to the amusement park. I haven’t even finished unpacking,” She motioned to the box, “but he insisted on going, today.”
Locke looked at the little clock sitting on Samantha’s desk. 10:23. “It’s not that late just yet. You wanna come over to my place and meet my folks. I already met your dad and I got the OK.”
“Yeah, alright.” Samantha answered. “but let me change first, please. This dress is all sweaty and icky.”
He chuckled at her. “Alright, Miss. I’ll be waiting downstairs. Can you walk by yourself?”
She swung her legs over the bed and stood up on her left foot and slowly placed her right foot on the floor. A little bit of pain shot through her leg but she gritted her teeth and walked over to the closet, turning only briefly to flash him a quick smile.
“Alright then, I’ll be downstairs.” Locke said and promptly left, shutting her door.
Samantha let out a sigh of relief. And slid her door back to her closet, she went through all of her hanging shirts and dresses until she came to a little blue one that almost matched the one she was wearing now. Throwing her dirty dress in the hamper she finished changing and applied more and perfume.
Meanwhile, Locke was downstairs looking over the many pictures of Samantha and her dad that were hanging on the walls and on the mantelpiece. Sadly enough, the timeline only went through when she was born to when she was about four years old, like the picture on her door looked. He stared at a smiling little Samantha holding an ice cream cone out to a little white puppy dog for him to have a lick.
“That was my dog, Skippy.” Samantha said sadly. “I loved that dog but mom hated it so he stayed here while I was gone. Dad had to put him down because he got hit by a car one week before I came to live here.”
“I remember this dog.” Locke laughed. “I thought I knew your Father from somewhere. It just hit me that he was the guy that would bring this dog over into our fenced side yard to play.” He laughed. “Funny how I only remember this now, huh?”
He turned to her to see she was in a longer blue dress that hung below her knees and was a beautiful deep blue color. She walked closer to him and that same flowery smell drifted over to him. “Do you believe this is alright?” She asked picking the skirt up and twirling around again so the skirt bellowed out around her, like a flower.
“Yes, Sammy. You look beautiful.” He blushed holding out his hand for her again.
She promptly took it and they were out the back door after collecting their shoes. Locke slipped off his socks and walked barefoot across the cool grass. The grass tickled Samantha’s feet enough so she left her shoes on. They walked to the back door and he slowly opened it and peered inside. The kitchen light was on and his mother was standing washing the dishes. She was a pretty short woman, a little bit taller than Samantha herself with a full head of jet black hair pulled back into a bun. She had normal summer clothes of shorts and a T-shirt that sported Locke’s old high school football number on the back. “Cooper # 24.”
“Mom, I’m home.” He held the door open wider and dropped his shoes and socks down by the door. “I brought a new friend home too.”
Her cue Samantha came through the door and into the warm light of the kitchen. His mother turned off the running water and turned around; wiping her hands on a little half working apron she was wearing.
“My now. She must be different Percy.” She said un-tying her apron. “You never introduce us to any of your other lady friends from school.” She threw the apron on the table and reached out for Samantha’s hand.
“Nice to meet you Mrs. Cooper, I’m Samantha Wilks. I live next door with my Father now that I’m going to college.” She stated politely as they shook hands.
“Is that so?” She thought. “Now that I get a good look at you, you do look an awful lot like Bill.” She suddenly gasped and threw her hands up to her mouth. “Oh my goodness! Now that I remember, Bill and I would take you two over to the park down the street to play. Do you remember that, Percy? Oh we used to sit and talk for hours while you played in that park. I think I have a picture somewhere.” She finished and scurried off to look threw a drawer over in the dining room china hutch.
Samantha giggled and looked to Locke. She slipped off her sandals, carefully, and followed Mrs. Cooper into the dining room. He followed close behind, blushing at the embarrassment from his mom. But if he knew her, It wouldn’t be the half of it. Mumbling to herself she rummaged through a bunch of pictures of family but mostly of Locke.
“What are you going on about now, woman?” Samantha wheeled around to see a pudgy looking man with glasses walk in their direction.
“Oh, Henry! Goodness you haven’t met Percy’s father, Henry.” Mrs. Cooper grabbed Samantha by the shoulders and pushed her the rest of the distance between her and Mr. Cooper. “Henry, this is Locke’s little girlfriend, Samantha who lives next door with her father, Bill.”
At the world girlfriend, Locke made a choking sound and turned towards his mother.
Henry stroked his chin and looked at her face and squinted. Samantha held out her hand for him. “My name is Samantha, sir. It is very nice to be your neighbor.” He let out a hearty, booming laugh that shook the house.
“Well, I’ll be damned, if you didn’t look just like your Papa.” He shook her hand with a strong grip. Samantha smiled a big grin.
“AH!!!” Mrs. Cooper shouted out which made Samantha jump and release Henry’s hand.
“Geese Loretta, scare the girl half to death why don’t you?” Henry laughed.
“Oh hush now. I only just found a group of pictures of when these two were children. Can’t a woman be a little excited?” The both of his parents laughed as Samantha slipped past his mother to be at Locke’s side again.
While his parents were admiring the pictures Locke leaned over and whispered.
“I’m sorry about them. They normally get like this about anything.” He said scratching the back of his head with a blush from embarrassment crossing his face.
“Oh nonsense.” Samantha reassured. “I believe they are fun. No harm done, right?” She smiled.
“Not yet anyways.” Locke mumbled under his breath as Samantha walked over to his parents to see this mystery picture.
Sure enough there was a whole series of pictures varying in age of different activities the two used to do together from playing with Skippy the puppy, or building sand tunnels at the park.
Samantha’s favorite picture was both of them together holding hands as they jumped through a sprinkler in her Father’s front yard.
“Aw now isn’t that precious?” Henry asked after laughing again. “Looks like we have plenty of pictures for you twos weddin’ now don’t we?”
Samantha let out an innocent sounding laugh while Locke looked away, blushing even more.
“Alright then,” Loretta spoke up. “They had a long day at the amusement park. Let’s let them wind down for tonight.” She said walking over and joining her husband in the living room to watch T.V. but not before handing the fistful of pictures to Samantha.
Locke hurried upstairs as fast as he could. Samantha stopped briefly before heading up. “It is very nice to meet the both of you…. Again.” She said boldly before hustling upstairs as well to join Locke. Clutching her new prize of pictures to her chest.
End
