Chapter 4: Sammie To The Rescue

 Lesley was feeling down. All she seemed to do these days was potter around the house, clean up after Prospera and run the hills, alone. Jethro and Luke Hans were becoming more independent and she just had so much time on her hands all of a sudden.

It had been a particularly wet spring and she was feeling drained of energy and tired of getting soaked and cold. She was tired of her own company. Lesley needed a distraction.

Sammie the maid had a sixth sense about these things.

Sammie arrived one morning for his shift while Lesley was doing her warm up aerobic routine.

"Morning, Princess." he drawled as he winked in her direction and headed for the kitchen.

Sammie had taken to calling Lesley "Princess". She had no idea why, but she kind of liked it. He called Luke Hans "Squire" and Jethro.... well she had heard him call Jethro a variety of "Honeytones," "Honeypot" and "Honeybun" and she swore one time it sounded like "Honeybutt."

"Oh hey Sammie." panted Lesley, out of breath and flustered by his sudden appearance.
"Sweating to the Oldies again are you?" he laughed. "Gee Princess, you need to have some playtime, you keep working so hard you'll wear yourself out!" Sammie commented as he went past.

This struck a chord with Lesley, so she quickly showered and changed and went in search of him. She needed to do something to spice up her life and Sammie seemed the perfect person to ask for advice. She found him outside by the bin. Gazing into his incredibly fixating ice blue peepers, she found it easy to open up to him how she was feeling.

Lesley struck up a conversation with Sammie and was very quickly confessing to him how jaded and down she had been feeling about life in general lately.

Sammie nodded and understood exactly. "I have to say, it seems to me you lead an extraordinarily mundane existence. You work hard, Princess. That gives you the right to play hard too! When was the last time you went out on the town?"

Lesley looked blank and mumbled something about not really ever doing that before.

"Are you telling me you and the girls never go out for a shindig and a let your hair down?" Sammie was amazed.

"Ummm no, that's not something I've ever...." Lesley felt a weird combination of inadequacy, squareness and a sudden motivation to get her party on.

"Princess! Lead me to your wardrobe. Let's see what I've got to work with! I'll put together an outfit and accessories while you ring your girlfriends and set the time and place. You'll feel so much better in no time. I swear!"

And that is how Lesley came to find herself at Mick's Master Karaoke, with Maisy Miller, her former college roommate and the only person whose number in her address book was still current, wearing a corsetted and sleeveless version of the bridesmaid dress she'd worn to her cousin Alexander's wedding many moons ago.

At first she felt like a fish not only out of water, but on a waterless planet. Lesley wasn't much of a bar going person. But Maisy seemed genuinely pleased to be there and they found themselves reminiscing over their old college days and pretty soon, after a few cocktails....

 Lesley found herself partnering Maisy in a duet of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" on the beginners and non-winners stage in the karaoke bar.

Maybe it was the effects of that fourth cocktail, but she didn't think they sounded all that bad either. Although she graciously left all the high parts and power notes to Maisy, who seemed only too keen to give it all she had.

When Lesley got home and looked around her small, cramped, unstylish bedroom that evening, she felt an uplifting change coming over her, it was joy. She'd actually had great fun with Maisy. She looked around at the ugly out of date wallpaper and the old brass bed she and Benny had bought at the thrift store, and she made a decision right there and then.....there were going to be some changes around here. And she would ask Sammie's advice on where to start.

____  ~ ____

 Lesley found Sammie one day in her drab and dated room, finger gunning himself in her ancient and worn out mirror, and asked if she could have a word or two when he had finished.

"Sammie, you know this place pretty well now, you've been cleaning it for a while. What do you think of the layout...and the ummm decor?"

Sammie did a slow 360 turn around and shook his head slowly and coughed apologetically. "Princess, it's not my cup of tea, I have to tell you. But it's yours, and you should be proud that you have bought your own home. I'm still living in the attic of my Aunt Gracie's place. I don't ever think I'll have a home of my own."

"But it's not my cup of tea either Sammie. I just don't know where to start. I've never decorated before. I mean look at me - I have no taste! Not an ounce of style! I'd really love if you would share some of your ideas with me. I'd pay you extra - like a consultancy fee."

Sammie needed very little persuasion. Before the week was out Lesley was zooming around to stores with Sammie, picking out paint and wallpaper, looking at tile and carpet samples and organising for a team of builders to put an extension on the back of the house to give them a dining area and a bigger master bedroom upstairs.

When her new bedroom was in progress, Sammie worked out a colour scheme and helped her pick out new furniture.

"Do you like all this extra space you're going to have Princess?" You'll be living in the lap of luxury when this is finished." he crooned.

 Lesley was over the moon with how easy it all had been. "I can't thank you enough for you help Sammie." she gushed. "You are so talented, you should have been a designer!"

Sammie shrugged modestly, and blushed a little. No one had ever appreciated his talents like the Diarmid's did, in this house he was a hero.

Lesley had one more request to make of Sammie.

 Lesley had asked Jethro at breakfast one morning if he was taking anyone to the Prom.
"It's only a week away, you know." Lesley remined him. "Wouldn't it be cool to take a date?"

But Jethro just shrugged. "Mum, you know I'm not going to the Prom. It's just not my thing. I really am not interested in asking anyone to go or in going myself. I've already told you this a thousand times. I'm perfectly happy just staying home."

But Lesley was not happy. She wanted both boys to experience all the important rites of passage that growing boys go through. They would be adults soon enough.  

 When they had gone to school, Lesley called Sammie. They had become close friends while working on her house renovations together. Although it wasn't his day to come in, she explained the problem on the phone and asked if he would have a word with Jethro. She knew how Jethro admired Sammie. He would surely listen to him. Sometimes she wished there was a father figure on the scene when the boys needed guidance that she felt inadequate to give. But Sammie had grown very close to Jethro most of all.

Sammie spoke to Jethro as Lesley had asked. To Lesley's surprise there was a massive argument. Jethro unleashed a torrent of rage when Sammie made his case about going to the Prom. Lesley had never seen Jethro so angry.

"Oh yeah! So you want me to go hook up with a bunch of girls too, do you, just like my Mum does? Huh??!! What is wrong with JUST NOT GOING TO THE STUPID PROM!!"

Sammie tried to calm Jethro down. But he ran outside into the garden to get away from him.

 Meanwhile the limo had arrived and was parked up at the front of the house. Luke Hans was pretty keen to get going, he'd been looking forward to Prom night, even though he hadn't been able to find a girl to go with. He was still hopeful. Lesley left Sammie to chase after Jethro and went to see her eldest son off. She was so proud of him, all grown up in his tuxedo

Luke was beginning to worry that they'd miss the start. He sat in the limo waiting for his brother thinking "God. Jethro is a hot headed fool. Why can't he just relax and enjoy the party? Hmmm I've eaten all the snacks in the mini bar....maybe I can get the driver to do a lap around and pick up some burgers...."

 Lesley stayed in the house, but she watched from the window as Sammie made an emotional looking plea with Jethro. She did not know what he said, but whatever it was caused Jethro to relent and to calm down and amazingly agree to go to the Prom.

He hopped in the other end of the limo with a look of resignation. Although Luke Hans could see he was not exactly thrilled about it. But at least they could get going now. "Drama over," thought Luke.

Lesley watched the limo drive off down the road heading for the school. "Phew!" she thought, "Hopefully they will have fun anyway without dates."

She was just wishing that there were more girls Luke and Jethro's age around the town, when she saw a car roll up to the house next door. The place had been empty for over a month since Honey Darnell had passed away. It looked as though the for sale signs were being taken down and a new family were moving in.

Lesley couldn't get a real good look at the family, but she could tell there were at least two teenage girls out front - one with dark hair and one with blonde. "Luke Hans will be elated!" she thought as she strained her eyes and ricked her neck. She made a mental note to tell him asap.