The annoying beep, beep, beep woke me from my little Saturday morning daydream, buried in washing dishes after sneakily treating myself to pancakes for breakfast I had drifted into a little world all my own, but the sound of the moving truck backing up the next door driveway startled me, I didn't even know it had sold it had been empty that long.
I watched with interest as the contents were carried inside bit by bit. Wow there was some pretty nice stuff, the furniture all looked pretty swish.
I watched as a couple of really hunky looking men laboured hard carrying large boxes inside. I also noticed a fairly tall lithe woman standing by the front door directing traffic. She was younger than me by about ten years with very defined features, she was both mysterious and inviting yet somehow aloof. She was dressed casually but still managed to look like she had fallen off the cover of Vogue, or Woman's day magazine, damn it I hatred her already, I imagined if my husband had been here he would have been drooling.
I watched mindlessly, my husband John was off at a football game with his mates and I was enjoying having the house to myself. Our teenage daughter Debbie was off with friends and I was free to do whatever I wanted.
I watched the woman amazed at how she seemed to glide rather than walk, god how did she make her arse wobble like that? I sighed hating the envious stab at my waistline.
I managed to drag myself away and was hanging out the laundry when I heard a loud crash and what must have been the woman's voice shriek, "Be careful!"
I nosily peeked over the fence; they were unloading a rather large crate in front of the garage. The woman was in aggressively in charge as she barked demandingly at them, "There had better be no damage, or somebody is going to pay!"
A couple of the men peeled back a couple of planks exposing whatever was inside, she leaned down and peeked, "Oh thank god, you can rest easy boys." I was stretching to see what the fuss was about and standing on tippy toe, craning my neck to see when the woman turned and saw me staring. The moment her eyes locked on mine I felt my face flush with embarrassment, 'Shit caught spying.' Her deep penetrating glance turned me to mush and I dropped quickly to the ground silently cursing myself for being caught out. 'Shit, shit, shit, I felt stupid, how did she do that? Make me feel like an idiot.'
I almost crawled back to hanging out the laundry and snuck inside feeling foolish. I went back to the safety of the kitchen to watch, but as I stared out the window her eyes again caught me and the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a sardonic twisted grin. I felt like I had been scolded by the principle, as jets of water sprayed everywhere covering me in suds. I had to quickly grab the tap to shut it down. I hadn't felt like this since my first date.
I quickly stepped back from the window and went about my business, stopping at lunchtime for coffee and a bite to eat. When I peered out the kitchen window the truck was gone, all that was left was the large crate in front of the garage. Ever since being caught out I felt uncomfortable and uneasy, with one simple gaze she had made me feel like a naughty child and I didn't like it.
I had dinner in the oven cooking when John got home, he was so wrapped up in talking about the stupid game he barely showed he heard me say we have new neighbours. But as I told him I wasn't even sure it was plural, I made an assumption even although I hadn't seen a man other than the movers that she would have a husband.
As the days drifted by I kept a closer than normal eye on the place, one day when I was at work the crate vanished, then the next there was a sporty little convertible parked in the drive. That certainly got John's interest piqued, he didn't care who they were but the car... Wow now that excited him.
We had been married now long enough for the gloss to have well and truly worn off, we were comfortable and happy but the gloss and excitement had definitely faded. Why I was so interested in the couple next door I can't explain, the look in her eye? There was something about her that piqued my interest, she stirred something deep inside me. Who knows... but I wanted to know who they were, we were neighbours damn it. When I tried to get John to go over and introduce himself he laughed at me, "You're so damned interested you go... I don't care."
