Forever Girl: The List

By Kerri Rogan

Surrounded by family, friends and fans, Sam, the Quintessential Aussie larrikin and radio personality, takes for granted the rich tapestry of his life until the threads start to unravel. The fear of losing those around him compels Sam to put others needs before his own. Through a sequence of events Sam is forced to grow up, making it an interesting year for Sam Reily

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kerri Rogan
• Release date: Dec 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9780646529790

Kerri Rogan

I am a city girl, born in Melbourne, Australia who dreamt of living in the country which I now do with my partner and dogs, ponies, donkeys, pigs, chickens, roosters, a highland steer called Harry and a cat. I am a writer, reiki practitioner, a life coach and EFT practioner who is passionate about personal development. In my spare time, I love yoga and meditation and encouraging and supporting people to live their best life.

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FOREVER GIRL

THE LIST

by

Kerri Rogan

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

Kerri Rogan on Smashwords

Forever Girl-The List

Copyright © 2009 by Kerri Rogan

ISBN: 978-0-646-52979-0

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by trademark owners.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

Thank yous…..

There are a few people that I would like to thank.

To the women who have encouraged me along the way: My sister, Siobhan, Cassie, Karyn, Lynnie, Kathy, Bianca and my Aunt Joan.

Also my mum and dad and brother, Leonard.

My front cover is a painting by my aunt, Gillian Govan, called ‘Windows’. I encourage you to visit her website at gilliangovanart.com to view more of her exciting work.

FOREVER GIRL

By Kerri Rogan

CHAPTER ONE

New Years Day

Tracy Boyd stood at the sink, gazing out the kitchen window, taking a moment to rest after a morning of running around, cleaning up and preparing for the days festivities. Her hands stopped as she became lost in the moment. Elbow deep in bubbles, she watched the three men at the barbecue goof around. Their laughter and occasional expletive reached her ears and filled her heart. There was no meat in sight; it was defrosting in the fridge. There they stood, a beer in one hand, the other in a jeans pocket or holding a utensil. The barbecue was being prepared and although modern science had delivered the convenient portable gas version, these boys like to play with the real thing. So wood had been splintered, newspaper crumpled, numerous matches wasted but finally the coals were ready. It was a ritual. Luckily it wasn’t a fire ban day.

Her hazel eyes softened as she focused on her husband of eighteen years, Jason or ‘Bunson’ as he was once known, the father of their blessed only child. His sandy hair was still thick but now peppered with grey. One of her secret pleasures in life was running her fingers through his hair. She loved to gaze into his deep blue eyes, and although they now carried more wrinkles at the corner, she didn’t mind. He remained slim, although she didn’t know how. He ate like a horse and rarely exercised. She still loved him deeply, yet he hadn’t been her first love.

He stood next to her husband. Sam Reily, one of the states’ most popular radio personalities, was her childhood sweetheart. She watched as the hand not holding tight to a tinny gestured to keep pace with the words coming out of his mouth. He needed a haircut again, as his hair almost rested on his shoulders. Almost black, and holding a curl or two, it was going grey at the sideburns. As usual he was wearing a well-worn navy t-shirt and jeans that were now religious – holey! His love of beer was beginning to show around his middle and she enjoyed teasing him about his need for a bra in the not too distant future.

For as much as she loved her husband, she still had a soft spot for the lout with the quick sense of humor and the heart as big as Pharlap. She often cringed at the words that came out of his mouth, especially around his mates, but his voice with its deep rich tones and his quick wit had become his meal ticket. His natural charm and ability to make people laugh had helped to build a loyal fan base, mostly made up of older women. But Sam was oblivious to all the female attention. In fact, he still had no idea what made women tick. And although he was often crude and sarcastic, his rough edges seemed to have been filed into the back of her mind as the familiar became endearing. To her, Sam Reily was a great source of support to her husband and a constant in her life. He was family.

And the third man standing with them, waving the smoke away from his face was no better than his mates. He was tall as well, although the hair on his head looked like it had no intention of changing colour, which frustrated this carrot – topped male. He couldn’t wait to turn grey. He, too, seemed to have lucked out in the female department. A bit of a nerd, Mark Cooper understood far more about the internal workings of a computer than a woman. His eyes were also crinkled at the corners and right now, he was bent backwards laughing at something Sam had said. These men had been laughing together for most of their lives.

What drew the men to each other, so that they were still friends all these years later? Tracy didn’t have time to ponder that question as she heard the door open and her name being called. A body followed the voice and she turned her head to see her best friend enter the kitchen.

‘How did I know that you would be at the sink?’ Felicity Woods kissed the cheek being offered and then went to find some glasses. Tracy heard the champagne being opened as she finished the dishes. She found the plug and let the water escape. But still she stood at the window and watched. A fourth man had joined the group. He handed around more beers; shook hands, threw around a few insults and fit right in. His dark hair was straight and she was convinced he dyed it. As managing director of one of the major radio stations in Melbourne, she supposed Peter Woods had a certain image to uphold. He did look after his body with regular workouts. It was something he and Felicity did together. It fact, they had fitted out a room in their house as a gym, so they could work out at home with the kids.

Tracy had stopped hating her friend years ago for still appearing to have the same body as she had for the last twenty years, even after three kids. Today, those kids had run straight to her bedroom, stripped off and were now running through the kitchen in their bathers and headed outside to the pool. They stopped quickly to yell ‘hello’ and wave, and then disappeared.

With them squealing, she didn’t think it would be long before her two year old woke and wanted to join in.

‘What are you looking at?’ Felicity came back to stand beside her friend. Handing her a glass she looked outside.

‘It’s a sight for sore eyes, isn’t it?’ Felicity asked.

‘Amazing really, that they all still get on so well.’

‘And lucky that they married fabulous women who also get on and encourage their friendship.’

‘Amen to that one.’ The two women clinked their glasses together and laughed.

‘Only three of them are married.’ Felicity pointed out.

‘Do you think Sam will ever find someone?’ Tracy asked.

Both women looked at the larrikin standing by the barbeque telling some outrageous and probably untrue story that was making the boys roar with laughter.

‘Surely there has to be someone out there for him?’

‘I don’t know, Felicity. I would like to think so.’

‘We’ll keep looking for him.’

‘He does have a certain ‘something’.’

‘Yes. Yes, he does. It’s called ‘bull headed-ness.’

‘Is that even a word?’ Tracy asked as she sipped her champagne.

‘What is it about the ‘male Aussie larrikin’ that gets us every single time?’ Felicity watched Sam. He sensed her gaze and raised his can in acknowledgement. ‘They are funny, charming and cheeky. But they have this restlessness. This inability to take anything seriously.’

Tracy glanced at her friend. ‘Is that why you chose Pete?’

‘Oh, Pete’s a larrikin too. Don’t let him fool you. He just had a solidness and depth that Sam didn’t have at the time. I also fell head over heels. Pete got to me.’ Both women sipped their drinks in silence until a voice interrupted their thoughts.

‘Hello?’

‘In here, Vicki.’ Felicity called.

‘Hi Scots. The men are out the back.’ Tracy said as she went back to organizing the food.

Scots appeared and carefully placed his load on the counter. He kissed the offered cheeks of Tracy and Felicity, grabbed the esky and disappeared out the back.

‘Hi Vicki.’ Felicity looked at the attractive brunette as she entered the kitchen. Her eyes were puffy and Felicity sensed straight away that something was wrong. She waited until her Vicki’s husband, Scots, nicknamed after his origin of birth, was out of sight and then asked, ‘Vicki, honey. What’s wrong?’

And with that question, Vicki sank onto a kitchen chair and burst into tears.

Her friends jumped into action. Felicity found another glass and the bottle and sat down beside the sobbing woman. Tracy grabbed the tissues and sat on the other side. With a glass shoved into one hand and tissues in the other, Vicki proceeded to tell the girls everything.

At some stage, Jason came in to grab the meat. He saw the women in deep conversation and beat a hasty retreat. He soon had the meat sizzling away and the scene in the kitchen faded from his mind. And so began the ritual of the great Aussie barbecue.

The air was sticky and full of smoke from burnt sausages. Around the barbecue in a suburban back yard, six mates now stood. The last one, Josh Fagg had slid in through the side gate as he did every year. Ian, Josh, Jason, Peter, Sam and Mark, from high school gathered. Although school had finished years ago these guys had managed to stick together through regular Friday nights at the pub, backyard barbecues and good luck.

‘Jeez, Jas. Can’t you get them any more burnt?’

‘Well, you see, Sam, Chelsea only likes her sausages burnt. Otherwise she won’t eat them.’

‘That explains maybe two or three being burnt. But all of them? And all the hamburgers? Besides Chelsea is only two. What does she know?’

Mark came over, laid a plate next to the grill and looked over Sam’s shoulder. ‘The onions look pretty well done, too.’ He motioned to the plate. ‘Courtesy of the kitchen, and with a message to hurry up. The children are getting hungry.’ All six men looked over to the pool at the three screaming kids. It looked like the last thing on their minds was food. All shook their heads.

‘I don’t know why she is in such a hurry. It’s not like salads get cold. Do they?’ Jas turned to his mates.

‘Women!’ Sam said. He picked a burnt sausage from the grill and swore as the sausage burned the inside of his mouth. He opened his mouth and fanned his hand at the same time.

‘You are disgusting sometimes, Sam.’ Jason said, as he plucked the meat from the sizzling hotplate. Bits of charcoal flitted off. Sam discretely moved the steaks to the edge of the hotplate.

‘What do you mean sometimes? He’s grouse twenty – four - seven. No wonder the ladies love him.’ Mark picked up the plate overflowing with burnt sausages and carried it into the kitchen.

‘I saw that you know.’ Jason said as he proceeded to scrape the grill.

‘Saw what?’ Sam asked taking a swig of his beer.

‘Moving the steaks. How long have I been cooking barbeques? Do you think I don’t know how to cook a steak?’

‘Actually, I have been meaning to tell you this for a couple of years, but, no, you don’t know how to cook a steak. Sausages, even hamburgers are okay burnt, but not steak. So leave the steak where it is.’

‘Have I moved it?’

‘Jason.’ Tracy leaned out the kitchen window. ‘This meat is burnt. Chelsea won’t eat this. Sam, can you come and get a couple of sausages to cook for Chelsea.’

Sam held up his beer. ‘Sure thing, Trace. I tried to tell him. But he just wouldn’t listen. Bloody hopeless. Don’t know why you married him when you could have had me.’ Sam put his beer on the table and turned to Jason. ‘Leave the steak.’ He held up his hand as Jason started to protest. ‘I can see your hands twitching. Pete, I am leaving you in charge of the steak.’

Pete and Jason looked at each other, shrugged, grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down, completely ignoring the steak, and Sam.

Tracy just laughed and went back through the window, presumably to hunt down a couple of sausages.

Sam downed his beer. He rolled his eyes as he passed Mark on the path.

‘Hey. Uncle Sam. Have you guys finished burning the dinner?’ A waterlogged teenager yelled.

‘Almost, smart ar.. ‘

‘Sam!’ Tracy’s voice came through the screen door.

‘tee - pants.’ Sam turned to his mates. ‘How does she do that?’ he mouthed.

They just shrugged and watched him swagger along the path.

‘He’s holding up quite well, considering.’ Mark watched his friend go up to the kitchen. His trademark jeans hung low on his hips and the T-shirt had some rude message scrawled across the back. Typically, it was no longer readable.

‘Dumped again, was he? Who was it this time?’ Jason got up and started to scrape the charcoal from the grill getting it ready for Chelsea, his precious daughters’ sausages.

Mark just shook his head, keeping an eye on the steak, just in case. ‘Sharon.’

‘Oh, yes. Sharon. Tall, redhead. Gosh, she was a looker. What a shame.’

‘Sharon was blond and short, and if the truth be know, quite unattractive. But Sam seemed to like her. The one you’re thinking about was Laurie. Try and keep up, Jas.’

‘What happened this time?’

‘Same thing, funnily enough. Seems she decided to go back to her ex-husband. Apparently time with Sam always send them back to ‘ex’ something. He went out with a girl once and she went back to being a lesbian. Such is the charm of Sam.’

The men pondered that statement for a moment.

‘Ah. Here he comes. Don’t say I said anything. He’s still pretty upset.’ Mark nudged his mates and took a swig of beer.

‘Here you go, fellas. Sausages for Chelsea.’ Sam placed the snags on the grill. ‘Although I’m not sure what the fuss is about. She is only two.’

‘It’s surprising how early a woman’s tastes develop.’ Jason said as he turned the sausages.

‘Only to have them change so quickly once they’re grown.’ Josh said.

‘And when it suits them.’ Sam said as he pulled another beer from the outside fridge. He gulped deeply and burped.

Later, as the day turned to night and the coals were just embers, the mosquitoes forced the men inside. They took up position in front of the television out of habit, even though at the moment it was switched off. Every time Sam tried to turn it on to see the cricket scores, Tracy seemed to hear from the lounge, where the women were discussing the annoying habits of their husbands, and yell at her husband to turn the television off - they had visitors. Mark would look at Sam who would just shrug his shoulders. Sam had even tried to turn it on without sound, but Tracy had still seemed to have a sixth sense about the television.

In the end, Sam gave up and wandered off. Carefully he crept along the corridor to a door left ajar. Silently, he pushed the door open a little, allowing him to peer into the room. His eyes rested on Chelsea. Her chubby arms cuddled her favorite doll, her face illuminated by the glow of the night-light. Her eyes opened and widened. Suddenly she smiled and when she looked like she might make a sound, he held his finger to his lips and whispered, ‘Shhhh!’ Scanning the hallway to make sure it was clear, he stepped into Chelsea’s room. Leaving the door open, he went over to her bookshelves and picked out three stories he knew she liked and were fun to read.

Gently, he sat on the edge of her bed with the books, which he held up. Chelsea pointed to one, so he put the other two on the floor. He turned the light up slightly, opened the book and started to read. ‘Once upon a time, in a far away land…’

On a routine check of her daughter, Tracy stopped outside Chelsea’s door. Recognising Sam’s voice she pressed herself against the door so she couldn’t be seen and smiled. Sam had been reading to Chelsea since the day she had been born and Chelsea adored her ‘Utle Sam.’

She noticed that Sam had drunk his six-pack and then switched to soft drink. Tracy had laid down the law when it came to intoxicated men slurring when reading fairy tales to her daughter and for Sam it was an easy choice to make.

Tracy stifled a giggle as Sam characterized the three ugly sisters trying on the glass slipper. Confident her daughter was in safe hands, she rejoined her friends. Later when Sam appeared, she handed him a port and kissed his cheek. Embarrassed, he turned away.

Mark motioned him to his side. ‘What do you think, mate? Is now a good time?’

‘I’m still not sure what you are trying to achieve, but go ahead.’ Sam tried to move away but Mark held him firmly by the end of his t-shirt. Sam prepared to be embarrassed. It was one thing to secretly long for a family of his own, it was another for it to become public knowledge.

Mark gathered everyone into the lounge room. He and Sam stood out the front and waited while everyone settled.

‘Right,’ said Mark rubbing his hands together. He looked to Sam for direction.

Sam just shrugged. ‘Don’t look at me. This was your idea.’

‘Okay. Well, anyway. Sam and I were sitting in the backyard wondering when we would be so lucky to meet the women of our dreams as you all have.’ The women glowed and the men looked around the room. ‘We’ve decided to do something about it.’

‘You have decided to do something about it.’ Sam said.

‘What are you going to do?’ Jason asked as he settled on the arm of the chair on which his wife was sitting.

‘Our first thought was that we would ask for your help.’ Mark looked around the room. He continued. ‘Good grief! By the looks on your faces you would think I was going to shoot you all. All I want is the phone numbers of any of your female friends you think might be a match. For me, and for him.’ Mark motioned to Sam with his head. Suddenly the ladies in the group looked at each other and jumped up.

‘Is anyone watching the kids?’

‘I’m sure I heard Chelsea.’

‘I’ll go.’ Jason the ever-helpful husband said.

‘No. I’m sure it’s my turn.’ Tracey pushed her husband back towards his friends. ‘You go and deal with your friends.’

Felicity approached them with an idea. ‘Have you tried the Internet? I’ve heard so many stories about people meeting their partners on the Internet.’

‘Right. Thanks Fe. That’s an idea. You don’t have any friends you think you could recommend?’

‘Ah. No. Sam’s met a couple but I don’t think they worked out.’ Felicity looked at Sam, who, looked away and sipped his port.

‘Have you tried five – minute dating?’ Vicki suggested. She was happy to help someone else with his or her problems, to help forget about hers for a while.

‘What’s that?’ Mark asked.

‘It’s what Sam usually does.’ Her husband ‘Scots’ said. Everyone laughed.

‘Funny. Very funny.’ Sam drained his port and elbowed Mark in the ribs. ‘Anyway, we’ve already signed up for a session of that. Remember?’

‘Oh, yeah,’ Mark replied.

‘This is a joke. I think I’ll go get some fresh air.’

‘What about Fagg?’ Sam heard them ask as he walked outside. He grabbed a can from the fridge and sat in the deck chair overlooking the pool. At least the kids seemed to be having a good time. He put his head back to look at the stars and for the first time in his life felt a feeling called loneliness. It didn’t feel good.

CHAPTER 2

The first steps

Mark and Sam sat outside Mark’s house in the back of a taxi.

‘Coming in?’

Sam scratched his chin, undecided.

‘I thought we could put a plan together, you know? Well, we’ve booked the five minute dating thing and we need to maybe decide on some other avenues?’

‘Plan? Avenues?’

‘I’m serious about finding a partner, mate. Don’t you want to find want Scots, Woodsy and Jas have?’

‘Yeah. I guess.’ Sam reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. He reached through to the front seat and paid the driver. ‘So, what’s the plan?’ he said as he was climbing out off the cab. He tripped slightly on the footpath but righted himself quickly – just.

‘Not here. Let’s go inside. I want to try the Internet.’ Mark led the way. Reluctantly Sam followed.

Mark headed to the study, via the fridge. Placing the beers on the desk beside the computer, he turned the machine on. Pulling a chair beside him, he handed a beer to Sam as they waited for the computer to warm up.

‘This is great.’ Mark said as he sipped his beer. ‘I have heard of so many people meeting on the Internet. We’re sure to score.’

‘You think?’

‘Oh, come on. I thought you wanted to do this too.’

‘I do. I do.’

‘I’m not hearing the excitement in your voice.’

‘I just don’t think you can meet good quality chicks on the Internet. What if you end up with a dog?’

‘They have photos. And anyway, it’s not all about the looks, Sam.’

‘No. No, you’re right. But it bloody well helps. I don’t want to have to wear a paper bag for the whole of my married life.’

‘You could always just turn the lights off.’

‘There is that. But then what do I do during the day?’

‘Go to work. Anyway, she might want you to wear the paper bag.’

Sam just rolled his eyes.

‘Hey, we can take it in turns,’ Mark said as he turned his attention to the computer.

Sam drank deeply, tapped his knee and looked around. ‘Yeah, well. I think I might go and watch some telly. Call me if you find anything interesting.’

Already preoccupied with