The Neighbor

The Neighbor

by Jay Cameron

Every twenty-nine and a half days there's a new moon. It's a weird or strange way to describe the moon, because it's still there, you just can't see it. Maybe if your imagination is warped like mine, you know there is a strange God that sneaks into the sky and takes the old moon and replaces it with a new one. It's fun to think up stupid nonsense like that and see if you can get people to believe it.

Personally, my father was a teacher as I grew up. One day I asked what the moon was made of, and he said, "Green Cheese." And like the son of any educator, I believed him. Imagine my disappointment when I found out the truth.... It's Wisconsin White Cheddar.

Take the night of a new moon three years ago. It was a night lit only by the stars when you could see them. And the city lights reflected from the bottoms of a few low clouds passing. There are plenty of stars to hang dreams on, but the darkness is welcomed only by Franklin Sprouse. On this night, Franklin is relaxing on the upstairs deck outside his bedroom. He shouldn't be able to see from his perch, the lighted pool of his neighbor. But it's the peace and the quiet he is seeking, not a show.

Gianni and Antonella Costa moved into the neighborhood just over three years ago and immediately had a pool installed in their back yard. A hot tub was added, and then a Tiki for more privacy. Little did they know that a minor quark in the alignment of the houses in this new sub-division, gives Franklin a slightly obstructed view of the Costa yard and pool.

It was only a few years ago, Frank's wife, Helen, wanted a deck added to the second floor of their home. It was just after her diagnosis. She knew in her heart there was no going back for her. She could enjoy what little life she had left, thanks to her husband of twenty years having the deck constructed. Now she could spend her final days and hours outside on the deck bathing in the flourishing of the canal and in the green space around it.

Except for Kate, his daughter, Frank is now alone. His wife had passed away and the time since that dark day had been dedicated to the life of his daughter. That's not true. Kate is the one holding Franklin's life together. Not a thankless job, but a difficult task, nonetheless.

Kate, a student at the local University, took the responsibility of caring for her distraught father as a duck takes to water. She bore the duties of caring for her daddy, as she refers to him, without question. As a result, Frank has seen her as more than just a blossoming young woman, but as an equal. Unfortunately, Kate has little time to herself. But she is an important player in the life of Franklin Sprouse.

It was a little over a year ago that Franklin, perched on the deck outside his bedroom, noticed the exquisite Antonella Costa was a habitual swimmer. Every night at about the same time, he would hear what sounded like someone diving into the pool next door. At first this didn't mean more than someone was swimming. But when he made the effort to see if he might witness this event, he found the flaw in the housing alignment. Franklin Sprouse was astounded by what he was able to see.

Antonella Costa was a Goddess. Frank couldn't believe he was intruding into the private life of his neighbor. He was shocked at first and turned away almost instantly. Then the remembrance of what he had seen made him straighten his body and regain his composure. Afterall, no one could see him. There were no homes behind them, and he didn't have the TV or radio blaring, He was mesmerized by the sight that intruded upon his squinting eyes.

Her body cut through the water like a knife. When she lifted her arm to pull herself forward it was as though the water feared her strength. Her face appeared for only an instant at regular intervals. Once to the end, flip around and return. This was repeated over and over. Franklin could only dream of what was hidden under the waves of the pool.

Occasionally Antonella and Gianni Costa would have a party for their friends, business associates and many times invited the residents of the affluent neighborhood to rub shoulders with the movers and shakers of the community.

Frank was always invited, but never attended. There were always crowds of adults taking advantage. Flowered candles floating on the water while men gathered to discuss what men discuss at such events. The women gather to pass along the latest gossip.

There were occasions when Antonella failed to appear for her nightly swim. On the nights when she found the weather uninviting, Frank would be alone with his thoughts. He would take in the stars or visit with, and converse with the imaginary creatures in the sky. Even the rain was warm against his face.

On a normally oppressive day for the Florida Panhandle, Frank was almost startled by the sound of the doorbell chiming through this house. After the loss of his wife there had been an almost countless number of friends and neighbors coming to his door to give their condolences. But it had been ages since that parade had ended.

Kate would have a friend come by the house, but Kate was always home to answer the door. Since she was at school today, Frank didn't expect a visitor.

After complaining under his breath, he opened the door after the second ringing, and was suddenly stunned. Standing there in front of him, on his doorstep, was Antonella Costa. She was more beautiful than he had even imagined. Her enchanting brown eyes, and her hair joyfully bouncing around her face in the gentle breeze. He took her hand when offered and was taken aback by her strength camouflaged in a softness that would melt any man's resistance.

Without giving Frank the opportunity to speak. Antonella's soft and soothing voice broke the silence. "Hello, Mr. Sprouse? I'm Antonella Costa, your neighbor from next door. I'm very sorry I haven't been over here before, but I never see you out and I was concerned you maybe didn't like having neighbors barging in on you."

Her disarming smile immediately softened any resistance Frank might have. "The reason I'm here is to invite you to a party at our house this Friday night to celebrate a project that will bring the City into the twenty-first Century." She paused only to place emphasis on that final comment. "We want everyone who grew this city from its infancy to be there to celebrate its growth and its future."

It was at times like this, that Franklin Sprouse would rely on his daughter. But Kate was not there. His protector was missing. Any idea of his resisting was completely washed away by his neighbor's sincerity and disarming manor. Even if he tried, he couldn't play the part of the grumpy old man. Now, if he was grumpy, the part about being old was far from true.

Frank could hear in her voice she was hoping for a positive response. The sensation felt strange as he acquiesced to her wishes. Let's face it, since the passing of his wife, he became and modern-day version of a hermit.

The two neighbors ended their conversation with grace, and a little disappointment when Antonella politely refused an afternoon libation. When she turned and walked away from the door of Franklin Sprouse's home, there were smiles on the faces of both. Of course, those smiles represented widely different feelings.

Antonella, pleased with her neighbor's commitment to attend the gathering was for her, very exciting. The project she had been promoting would mean newer and more modern transportation, new businesses, newer and more advanced medical care available locally. Of course, his attendance wouldn't affect the overall outcome to the project, but it would show that Franklin still had the best interest of the community in mind.

Now, when it came to Franklin. He was just caught off guard. His mind was so fogged over by the beauty, and grace of his neighbor. Plus, here was his opportunity to get close to her and of course her husband.

Franklin, for the next three days, busied himself deciding what he would wear to the get together. This would be the first time since the death of his wife he would be gathering with people who actually had jobs, thoughts and opinions, and of course visions of what might be hiding in the future.

On the night of the party, Kate, Franklin's daughter, felt so relieved to see the smile on her father's face. She watched with pride as her father turned at the end of the walkway toward the neighbors' home and an evening of reliving the many similar parties and gatherings he had hosted and attended in years past.

Surprised and quite frankly shocked, Franklin was overcome by the greetings he was given by those at the party. Just as he entered the home, without introduction, old friends and colleagues rushed up to him to welcome him into the group. Conversations seemed to run together, and he was forced to look back on the times when this was a normal part of his life. Before the death of his wife, he was considered the most powerful and most forward-thinking person in the State. Now, here he was rubbing shoulders with the new generation. The nice part, he didn't feel out of place.

Franklin got more invitations to dinner than any other man at the party from just about every non-attached woman there. He had been out of circulation for so long, he didn't realize a guy like himself might be somewhat in demand.

As Franklin moved around, he kept sneaking a look at his neighbor, Antonella. He sat off to the side for the purpose of breathing in her beauty. He noticed she and her husband, Gianni, politicked opposite sides of the room, or in this case the outdoors. They put forward both knowledge of the subject and skill at pressing the flesh.

There were moments that seemed to confuse Franklin, when he noticed there was a man following Antonella around. He was something like a bodyguard, but they seldom spoke. Then he noticed something odd, or out of place. She got his attention by gently laying her hand on his arm and whispered something private that brought a grin to both their faces. The grin was strange. It looked more like a promise.

Franklin didn't want to be the first person to leave the party, but he did follow out the first couple that excused themselves. There were repeated thanks for attending and then he freed himself from Gianni only to disappear into the fog of the night toward his own house.

After a shower and getting dressed in what he referred to as his comfy clothes. Franklin turned out all the lights in the house and retired to his quiet place on the patio outside his room. He seemed to relish the memories of the evening. He had been thrust back into the life of the city, and not just the life of Kate Sprouse and her father, Franklin. It was comforting to Franklin, and it was no surprise he dozed off for a short while.

It seemed like just a short nap, but Franklin noticed he couldn't hear any noise coming from the neighbor's party. He sat up and looked to see if everyone was gone. As usual, the lights in the pool were out but the lights in the hot tub and the Tiki were still on, bringing a blue mysterious glow to the surroundings.

All Franklin could see were shadows. He could see a man sitting in a chair beside the pool with a drink in his hand, but there was no way to identify who that man was. After a few seconds, he could see a woman walking into view from the Tiki. It had to be Antonella. Behind her came another man. They stopped by the edge of the pool and the man put his arm around her and they kissed. The man in the chair, still unidentified, stood up and disappeared inside. The couple standing next to the pool moved through the darkness to a lounge chair and began making love. Franklin was shocked at the openness of the couple in the lounger, so he turned away, and decided he needed to sleep.

All night he tossed and turned at the memory of Antonella and her husband performing all forms of sex in what they felt was the privacy of their own back yard. But who was this other man? The man with the drink nonchalantly watching Antonella and her husband? All good questions that were none of his business.

Kate was the first one up the next morning, and she was quick to ask her dad how the night went at the neighbors' party. Once all the questions were answered Kate grabbed her laptop, made some excuse to leave, and headed out to an early class.

Franklin didn't have time to worry about what went on after the party. Now was the time to reflect on himself. Now was time for him to see his future. Franklin was still young; his fifties weren't going to define him. He had plenty of life facing him. He had to stop this years-long pity party. He had to get up off his ass, get back in shape, and stop being a burden to his doting daughter. His reception last night came as a pleasant surprise that shook him to the very roots of his existence.

Kate had been trying in vain to get her father out of that house, to get him back out into the world that had once been so important in the lives of Franklin and his wife. But when his wife passed, especially with all her suffering, he retreated into his own little world. A world that was smothering the flames of his visions, his determination but most of all, his dreams of what could be.

If you're wondering how Franklin Sprouse could afford to crawl into his hermits cage. It was easy. When he moved to this parcel of croaking frogs and gators, Franklin believed he had the vision, the expertise, the funds, and the determination to turn this overgrown snake pit into something new and exciting for the future. In the process of this growth, he became a very wealthy man. A few years later, after two miscarriages by his wife, his wealth increased even more with the birth of his only child Katherine.

When Kate arrived home that afternoon, her father was not there. His car was missing from the garage. The last time Kate had tried to use her father's car the battery was dead. She had to call the Auto Club to get it started. Now she comes home, and it's gone, along with her father.

Just as she discovers him missing, she hears a loud expletive laced grumbling coming from the front of the house; it's her dad.

"Dad!" She yelled out. "What the hell's wrong?" It was at this moment Kate found out her father wasn't mad about anything. He was singing an old limerick that had something to do with an old man, trucking and eating. She had heard that limerick before, but it had been years. It was from years of happier times in this big house on the canal.

Kate smiled.

Franklin didn't come out of his room till just past seven o'clock. He was freshly shaved, showered, and suited up in a brand-new outfit that was appropriate for a night out on the town. He was still singing that stupid limerick, and he had a little more umph to his step.

His daughter started to ask, "where was my daddy?" This was some stranger that might look like her father, but this man didn't seem like the same man that raised her. He flipped his hand in the air and danced past her into the garage. The only thing he said was, "I've got a date.... don't wait up."

Kate had just been through a long day, but she wasn't about to miss out on details of her dad's first night out in years. She settled in with a book, and when she opened her eyes again, she was covered in a blanket and the sun was coming up. "Shit......" she muttered.

The rich smell of coffee brewing in the kitchen drew her to where her father was swiping his way through the morning's news on his laptop. When he looked up to see her dragging her blanket, he said. "Do you know what goes on in this town after the sun goes down?"

"Dad..." Kate said, scolding her father for not waking her when he came home. "I'm the one that goes outside these walls... I'm the one the goes to school almost every day. I'm also the one that has a boyfriend... and I have other friends." She paused to let this new information soak through her father's thick skull. "Now tell me about last night. Who you were with, and where in the hell did you go?"

Franklin smiled at this daughter and put his arms around her to shower her with his love. "I was with Natalie Thompson."

"The three-time loser?" Kate was now faking being upset. She liked Natalie Thompson, and it wasn't hard to figure out what kind of night her father had last night. "I'm surprised you can even walk."

"Hey, little girl.... there may be snow of the roof...."

Kate interrupted. "Yeah... Yeah.... Yeah... I've heard this story before. But your fire hasn't burned in a long time."

Franklin grinned at his daughter. "They have a pill for that now.... don't cha know?"

Franklin wasn't done, before Kate could ask another question, "You're not going to believe who I ran into last night."

"Okay, I won't guess. Who did you run into last night?" She was now mocking her father.

"The one and only, Antonella Costa." He grinned. "And she wasn't with her husband."

Kate's brow lowered. "What are you insinuating, daddy?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. Natalie and I went to a club, and the sexy Mrs. Costa was having a good time with someone that wasn't her husband."

Kate stared at her father. "Dad, when did you start caring about what other people do with their private lives?"

Franklin stopped for a moment reflecting on what his daughter said. "You're right. Your mother and I were both into whatever floats your boat. We didn't give a damn about who, what, when and how many times. It was never any of our business."

"That's right, and that's what you taught me."

Franklin perked up a bit. "Wait a minute.... You have a boyfriend? Do you do crazy shit with him, like your mother and I used to do?"

"Whoa.... whoa... We're getting off the track. We're here talking about what happened last night on your big date, not to discuss my love life."

"Kate honey, I'm so sorry. But I just found out my daughter is doing what I thought she wasn't doing.... YET." Franklin pulled his daughter into another hug. "I have been hiding in this house like a hermit. If your mother was here, she would be the first boot up my ass. I'm sorry I've been so demanding on you and your life."

Kate smiled at her father. "If I didn't want to take care of you... I wouldn't. As a matter of fact, when I graduate next year, I might just tell you to hire a live-in maid." She didn't even pause to catch a breath. "Now, don't screw around anymore. What happened last night?"

"Well....to tell you the truth nothing happened." While topping off his coffee he continued. "Nothing weird or anything like that... you know the sex stuff. We went to dinner at the beach. We followed that with a couple dance clubs. We were at that loud Country Bar when we saw Mrs. Costa and her new beau. After that I took Natalie home and she invited me in for a drink. I said yes, and we sat and talked till around three in the morning."

"You were at her house till three in the morning, and you don't think that was something I needed to know?" Outwardly Kate was again scolding her father, but inside her mind she was jumping for joy. He had a night out and he liked it. "Did you and Natalie do the deed?"

"Deed... is that what you kids call it now?"

"What am I to think.... you don't come home till after three in the morning?"

"You were asleep. I could have told you I was home by ten-thirty." The normally reticent dad was turning the conversation around on Kate. "You want to know all the details... well, I'll give them to you. We sat on that couch with the lights on, a bottle of wine, and talked the entire time." He began to grin slightly. "She did offer to let me see the scars from her latest boob-job."

"Daddy!... "

"You wanted to know the details."

"Are you going to see her again?"

"If you want me to be honest with you, I enjoyed last night much more than I thought I would. There were other equally attractive women that showed an interest at the party the other night. But there was something that drew me to Natalie. I don't know what it was, but it was there."