Painting with Lydia

"Bring Eddie back to the depot when you knock off Patrick. His vehicle is parked there."

"Yes boss."

That was said with a smirk and Eddie later learnt that Norman was Patrick's father-in-law.

When Norman and Eddie returned that evening Patrick said it would be okay for Eddie to stay in his campervan in the compound and gave him a key to the gates.

Later Eddie was in the supermarket and a woman attempting to take six cans of fruit off an upper shelf in one hit to load in her trolley called, "Could someone please help me."

Something had gone wrong and she had the two stacks each of three cans resting on her tits and against her chin.

"Hold still, I'll take them off one lot at a time. We don't want you hurt."

"Are you Australian?"

"Yeah he said," removing the left-side cans. "How did you know? I'm not wearing a name and location tag."

"You speak funny. I've been to Australia."

He put the first lot of cans down and then removed the remaining three cans.

"You have great tits."

"And you are a very rude young man," said the 40-year old. "I should call the manager."

"Do that and I'll kill you," Eddie joked and watched horrified as the woman turned white.

"Oh not, sorry. That was a joke," he said, appealing with his eyes.

She looked doubtful.

"Aussie humor."

She managed a smile and said oh yeah. "God you gave me such a fright."

"I deeply apologize. Are you okay if I leave you now? Perhaps you shouldn't go shopping alone."

"I always shop alone. I'm not married and live alone."

"Um then how do you get sex? You dress sexy and don't look like a dried up prune?"

She smiled and looked around furtively and whispered, "I fake minor mishaps like I just did to you and the guy I focused on usually comes to my rescue. Then at the school where I teach we have male teachers and some randy fathers and my mechanic drives me home every third month after servicing my car."

"Oh very cute. Well done I suppose."

"Then will you come home with me... um we'll have dinner as well?"

"Yes and thank you. It would be rude to turn you down."

She smiled. "Would you like a beef roast?"

"Oh yummy, that could be almost as good as the sex."

She really laughed and said he was a really nice guy.

It was just a one-night stand. Janet shooed him off next morning without breakfast and said it would be best if they didn't associate again. He wondered if that was her method of operation or had he been that bad? He didn't seek enlightenment and he left, being almost pushed out of the door and not kissed.

He worked in a bad mood most of the day and then received a phone call and just like that his life turned around.

"Hi darling, it's Lydia. Where are you?"

"In Exeter and thinking of moving on."

Lydia said something marvelous had happened. Her mother had seen how unhappy she was and had caved in and had said to go after him.

"Go after me?"

"Yes Eddie. I love you."

"Eh, when did that happen?"

"The feeling resided in my when you were still here but since you left I've thought of little else but you. I now really love you, I know it."

"Oh yeah," Eddie said carefully, not knowing how to handle this. He was in new territory.

"Thank god you are neutral, in shock I suppose. At least that's better than outright rejection."

"Oh no, I'd never reject you. You are the finest woman I've ever fucked."

"Oh Eddie, what glorious words to my ears but perhaps had sex with would sound more couth than saying fucked."

"Yes of course. One day you might write your memoirs."

She giggled and said his abuse of the English language and the way in which his semi-profound thoughts lurched wildly from side to side were two things she found endearing about him. The other big thing that endeared him to her was not suitable for comment on a public telephone system.

He chuckled and she burst into tears and said she really missed him and his evergreen humor.

"And I know my crying will embarrass you," she sniffed.

"No I bet not many guys have a beautiful woman crying over them."

"Oh Eddie," Lydia bawled.

Eddie's thinking lurched to the right and he soothed, "Well the good thing is we are mismatched sufficiently to still make it as a compatible couple. We both love exploiting each other's bodies and you have a high tolerance of my irreverence and bumbling and share my desire for adventure and I love your softness and desire to be held special and your cultured familiarity with things that could interest me if I bother to put my mind to it. We should work to cohabit, that's what I think."

Lydia sniffed, "Mother has resigned to the fact that I will be leaving her. She owns a house in Plymouth where the tenancy runs out at the end of the month and she says we can have that for as long as we wish but she needs to know my answer so she can instruct the agent."

"Well yes, I'll live there with you and contribute to the rent. Plymouth is a big city and so I ought to find work there no problem."

"God you are so optimistic. Most English guys would say but what if I can't find work."

"But not all English guys."

"No Eddie and I admire you for being fair about that. Um what is your view about me wanting to immigrate to Australia?"

"It would send me over the moon. I would nominate you as an immigrant."

"Oh thank you. Mummy says she has contacts in high places that could assist with my application."

Eddie said he had a friend who'd met an Irish girl when touring Ireland. He took her back to Australia and they got married and she was allowed to stay on a different class of visa that after two years could convert into permanent residency on approval.

"Why are you telling me that?"

"Because I could take you to Australia as my fiancée and we marry and two years later you have permanent residency, problem over."

"Would you wish to do that?"

"Yeah I reckon so. You have money and could buy a business and I'd work for you."

"I prefer saying work with me rather than for me. Oooh this has made me really excited. What do you think we should do?"

"I'd like to take you to Australia tomorrow but I guess we should be caution, or rather a little patient Lydia. Let's live together in Plymouth for say two months and by then or even before then we will have worked out where we want to be and whether that is with one another. If you don't mind spending the money we could go to Sydney and you meet my folk and have a good look around to see if you like Sydney sufficiently to wish to live there."

"Oh yes, let's do it that what. What a marvelous plan. You are so intelligent."

"Um don't get too carried away Lydia. I'm just good at working some things out, that's all."

"Oooh could you take Friday off and come and stay here for a long week end. I haven't had sex since you left."

"You really are intelligent Lydia. Yes I'll arrive Thursday night in time for late dinner.

* * *

UPDATE: Lydia and Eddie live in Sydney and get married next Saturday. She suspects she's pregnant and will look into that after the wedding. She purchased half of Eddie's father's business, Eddie's parents lending him the money to purchase half ownership of the other half. Eddie is busily expanding the business on capital provided by Lydia who heads administration. Lydia has been astonished at the wide range of Eddie's close friends who include a female who owns a big learn-to-sail school, two males who are lawyers an ex-girlfriend who's a senior lecture in fine arts at Sydney University and who is now Lydia's best friend in Australia. Lydia is so happy and Eddie is proud of how well Lydia is assimilating into her new environment.

THE END