You ain't lonely no more
Rubbing my sleepy eyes as I sit up. I can see the sunlight peaking through the curtain spaces. Like a ritual my eyes automatically look at the time on my phone, seven fifty. I lay back down in bed for a few more minutes since I have woken up ten minutes before my alarm.
Up and out of bed and making my way over to the window to draw back the curtains, I squint as the light hits my eyes but they quickly adjust. Looks like a beautiful day for a walk, I think to myself. The sky is clear without a trace of cloud, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin through the window. I wonder where and what I should do today, I think to myself while stretching my arms up in the air.
Feeling a little excited about the warm sunny day, I turn on the Bluetooth speaker to connect my phone and play some music, randomly selecting a song to let it play. My body starts to sway to the beat of the song and my hips and feet hit each beat without fail. I'm dancing while making my bed and gathering my clothes and stuff for a shower. I let the playlist on my phone run randomly while I get ready, shower, brush my teeth, get dressed....the whole time I'm still dancing and humming along to the songs prancing from one spot to another spot…
“Kali...” says a voice sounding quite distant.
I pause and look around but I know I’m the only one here since I live alone.
“Kali…” it faintly repeats.
I turn the music down while I stand still and wait a few seconds to see if I’ll hear it again, I wait a little longer but hear nothing other than my turned down music and my breathing. I finally decide to ignore it and turn the music up again and throw my arms in the air and start fist pumping the air to the beat of the music and mimicking the lyrics.
Once I finish brushing my hair I begin packing my back pack, apple, water bottle, book, and my Bluetooth speaker. I double check my phone case to make sure my bank card is there, satisfied that I have everything I turn off the Bluetooth speaker in my backpack and make my way to my front door of the house and exiting.
“Kid, you need to stop copying my style with those shorts but you know my legs would still look better in those.”
I smile and turn to see Penny sitting outside on the far end of the veranda enjoying the sun with a cup of coffee. Penny is a lady I live with, I rented a room off of her. she looks roughly around mid to late twenties, she however said she is in her thirties, definitely does not look her age, was living by herself before I moved in. She is an amazing cook, and just has that big sister friendly vibe. It's amazing how quickly I got close to her.
“Thank goodness you’re closer to gaining wrinkles than I am. Morning Penny!” I giggle and walk over to her.
“HA! you wish kid, these legs kick ass” she says with a smirk on her face. We chat for a few more minutes. Looking at Penny she has great smooth brown skin, she’s definitely pretty, long curly brown hair and boy does have great legs… Oh legs for days.
“So what have you got planned today?” Penny asks me.
“Just going for a walk, might go down to the beach, find me a tree, lay under it and read my book, go into town to do a little shopping-”
“Boooring!” cutting me off and rolling her eyes.
“Ummm did you just roll your eyes and call me boring? You’ve hurt my feelings Penny” hands on my chest acting like someone shot me and I’m about to die “Well what has young Penny planned?” I ask sarcastically and smirk.
“Never mind kid, you would not be able to keep up with young Penny, at the moment you’re keeping a safe pace with Nanny Penny.” she says with a cheeky grin and takes a sip of her tea while looking straight ahead. Penny’s phone vibrates, an incoming call, the caller id reads ‘Caz’, “ok I better take this call, I’ll see you later.”
Penny stands from her chair and picks up the phone call and turns to head into her apartment, I smile and give her quick wave and turn to walk towards the footpath.
“Kali...” half down the path I look back over my shoulder at Penny. “Have a good day and can you grab some coffee when you go into town please? Oh... and don’t do anything young Penny would do.” she says with a wink, I laugh and roll my eyes and continue walking.
Walking down the street with my headphones in my ears listening to ‘Justin Timberlake - like I love you' love this song it always makes me smile like I’m a dreamer, actually I always day dream to this song, I internally laugh at myself always day dreaming someone would be that corny and pick me out of a crowd of girls and sing and dance to me.
I walk past a few houses one with a group of young girls sitting on the front veranda of their house either laying there with their iPads and devices giggling amongst each other while doing t****k, another house a middle aged couple doing lawns, the man mowing the lawns while the lady is on her knees bent over getting stuck into her garden of flowers.
I live in a smaller town than where I grew up called Seaville, population of just over Fifty thousand. I moved from the city to here about a month ago, I wanted to get away from the busy noisy city and have a fresh start. Plus my life there wasn't so great.
I was job hunting at the time and came across an ad for a librarian, checked to see if there was any available accommodation in the area and found Penny’s post of looking for a flatmate. I wasn’t too sure if I should go for it but looking at pictures of the town and beach in Seaville seemed to fit me, the shoreline is breath taking and the forest is green and beautiful.
Everything about it was just perfect, I applied for the job and made contact with Penny to let her know I was interested and just waiting for a reply from the job. Thankfully Penny waited but she didn’t have to wait long as I got the job the following day. I packed whatever I had and bought me a one way bus ticket to Seaville and haven’t looked back nor regretted my decision. Seaville was everything the in pictures, it was so gorgeous with mountains and hills as a breath taking back drop. I almost cried looking at it.
Reaching the beach I take in the scenery in front of me. You can see it stretch out to the ocean, it truly is a beautiful sight. Standing there and inhaling the fresh air and the smell of the sea, I know I won't be able to get enough of this place, there is a sense of calmness and peace. It is as if this place is untouched by the outside world.
Looking around and finding a nice big tree that provided a lot of shade, maybe too much for one person and put my back down on a spot under the shade and back and take out my book to read.
“Kali…”
What? There’s that voice again, I take my headphones out of my ears and look around, I swear I heard it and it was just as faint as before. I’m looking around but the only other people here are a young teenage couple who are at least 200 metres away from me and are clearly busy making out on the beach.
“Hello? Anyone there?” I call out. I wait for a response but nothing.
I feel like a crazy person right now and shake the thought away and continue to settle under the shade of the tree. Opening my book to the last chapter I stopped at and I start reading.
A few chapters into the book and my eyes just seem to take their time moving to each word. A little distracted, my mind just can’t seem to focus on each word.
An uneasy feeling makes me a little uncomfortable almost as if being watched, my mind is telling me to look but I get a bad feeling and become a bit scared at the same time.
Throwing the book on the bag I stretch out my arms, back and legs. The feeling in my body is somewhat lighter, I feel different today as if I have a bit more energy than usual.
Retrieving the Bluetooth speaker and apple from my backpack, I connect my phone to play some music. Leaning against the tree, watching the waves crash against the rocks, I take a bite of my apple while deep in thought. My mind is thinking about the voice I have been hearing, thinking about my life change from the city to this town, thinking where do I go from here and what I want to do now.
Just as the song finishes, my thoughts are are distracted at the sound broken twigs and then footsteps scurrying away in the distance. I turn and try to adjust my eyes but it’s too far for my eyes and all I can see is a grey blur in the distance. My eyes try to follow it but it disappears behind the trees like a ghost walking through a wall.
Curiously staring at the tree line and waiting as if something was going to come out and reveal itself, I stand up and slowly walk towards the tree line. Stopping midway as I’m distracted by the sound of laughter and chatting making me look back to where my things are and decide to head back worried someone might take my belongings and decide to head back. I take one more glance at the tree line and spot a grey wolf looking back at me, a little surprised and afraid I turn back and quicken my steps back to my belongings.
Just as I was packing my things a group of people, who look roughly the same age as myself or a little bit older. They are headed towards the beach. One of the guys stops a few steps away from me.
“Hey! You’re Kali right?” he asks.
Avoiding eye contact I give a short snappy answer. I don’t want to answer but I don’t want to be rude either.
“Hi. Yeah. Sorry I gotta go” I look at the time on my phone as if I’m running late. “I’m meeting -” he cuts me off.
“Oh girl please." he rolls his eyes, one hand on his hip and looking a little annoyed “no need to lie to me.” and stretches out his hand towards me.
“Sorry let me start again... Hi, my name is Nik but please call me Nikki, Nikki King.” He says while flicking his imaginary hair.
Now I’m looking at him feeling stupid and blushing. I smile and shake his hand. He's actually pretty good looking, tall, slim and flamboyantly dressed, maybe a bit too flamboyant for the beach.
“Hi, ummm I’m Kali Smith. Sorry I didn’t mean to brush you off earlier like that, old habits of a loner I guess.” I smile shyly and shake his hand.
Sassily he snaps his fingers twice, head moving left to right in synchronization with his hand all while looking at me. I can’t help but hold in my laugh and just grin at his sassy actions.
“Girrrrl, you ain’t lonely no more, you live in Seaville now and everyone knows everyone here, everyone talks to and about everyone and if you haven’t noticed that then you obviously have been living under a rock.” He looks me up and down like he’s studying me. “Anyways, you my dear are super cute and I need someone like you as a side kick... Don’t tell them that.” Side eyeing his group of friends, he puts his index finger to his lips as if he was telling me a secret and winks at me with a cheeky grin.
“We heard that!” Yells his friend, Nikki ignores him pretending he didn’t hear anything.
I giggle at them, wondering what it would be like to be around them all day, I think it would definitely be fun but I definitely would die from too much laughter. They look like they would be so much fun and I would never be bored. Picking up my bag and throwing it over my shoulder I look at the time on my phone and looking back at Nikki with a friendly smile.
“It’s almost lunch time and I’m hungry, plus I have some shopping to do. I’m gonna head off now. It was really nice meeting you.” I smile at him and turning before he stops me.
“Hold on, give me your phone.”
With his hand out waiting. I reach into my bag for my phone and look at him a little suspicious but still hand it over. Nikki starts typing away on my phone before handing it back to me.
“Ok I’ve saved my number and I’ll call you later to see if you want to hang out.”
“Ok thanks.”
I turn and walk away. I'm only a few metres away from Nikki and my phone rings. I look at my phone and the caller id reads ‘Nikki’ I chuckle and turn to look at Nikki and answer the phone.
“Hi!” giggling while looking at him.
“I texted my phone from your phone, so now we have each other’s numbers... Ok bye girl.”
He waves goodbye then turns and walks like he’s on a catwalk back to the group they all laugh at the show he’s putting on and cheer him like he’s on an invisible stage.
Walking away giggling at the memory of his catwalk back to his friends, I make my way towards the main township. Thinking of the joy I just experienced with Nikki and the fact that he is someone else other than Penny, I send him a text.
Kali: Was really nice meeting you today, thanks for brightening my day. I’ll be happy to hangout later.
Nikki: Awesome! Meet me at Toby’s Inn 7pm. See you later!
Kali: K. Bye.
