Sleepwalking // Sam Fender

2

First night out in Newcastle and first night out since I became a mother. I don't want to think back to the old days when I would end up high in someone's bathroom without even remembering my name. Anyways, Anne and Alexia insisted that I deserved some fun and to see what the night is like over here.

They picked my outfit and once we were ready, we headed to our usual pub to have a few pints. Sam was nowhere to be seen that day so he must have had the night off. We haven't really spoken to each other since that day at the bar when his ex came in. Sure, we've come across each other since we live in a small town but we only shared a 'you alright?' and a nod.

Thankfully enough, the lady Anne talked to me about was free to babysit Beth for the night.

We were now inside the nightclub, just the three of us. I was holding my vodka-coke as if my life depended on that drink while Anne and Alexia were enjoying themselves. I tried my best to hide the fact that I was uncomfortable. It's a shame, really, as I was 25 but life changes when you become a young single mother. It was at that moment when a group of lads approached to us. I was, once again, uncomfortable as it had been ages since I last flirted with someone but I relaxed as I saw the girls greeting them. Then, I saw him: Sam.

He first greeted Alexia and Anne and then made its way to me with a big grin plastered in his face.

"Thought you wouldn't be here" He had to lean down and talk straight into my hear so that he could be heard over the music.

"Not my thing but they were excited" I shrug.

"Fancy a dance?" Sam raised an eyebrow as he offered me his hand,

"Uh. Sure" I took his hand and he guided me far from the group, where Alexia and Anne were talking and dancing to Sam's friends.

Blue Monday was blaring loudly out the speakers. Both of us were holding our drinks while moving to the song. I must say that I did not like the song at all but Sam really looked into it. As the song went by, we started to get closer to each other as we danced. My mouth in his hear and I could feel his warm breath in my neck. That's when Blue Monday came to an end and we took a step back.

I smiled at him and pointed at my drink "Gonna get some more" I told him.

"Need me to go with you?" He asked.

"I'll be fine, be right back" I turned and started making my way to the stall. I was blushing, I could feel the heat in my cheeks.

When I got the attention of the bar tender, ordered another vodka-coke and waited for it to be served. Then, I saw a boy on my right look at me and I had no time to think before he approached me.

"What are you doing here on your own?" He leaned down to talk to me.

"I'm not on my own, I'm here with some friends" I replied.

"You're not even from here, are you?" He then said. He towered me and I must admit that he looked intimidating. "American?" I nodded. "Uh... I could... show you how we do things around here"

I turned my head to see if the bar tender was done with my drink but he was serving someone else's drink first. "No thank you, I'm here with my friends" I decided to walk away from there and say bye to my already paid drink but that lad grabbed me by the arm.

"You look like you could do alright with a decent shag" I was scared to say the least but at that moment, that lad got pushed from behind.

"Why don't you piss off and go bother someone else you scumbag?" It was Sam. The lad turned around, eyed him from up to down and rolled his eyes.

"Watch out Fender, or you might end up like your brother" The man threatened before he left.

"That fucking twat, I swear" Sam said to himself. "You alright?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright, I guess".

Sam lifted my head by grabbing me by the chin and looked me in the eyes. "It looks like you need some air and maybe a lift home, darling" I did not realize until that moment that I was holding myself. I nodded and he made his way out of the club while holding my hand. It was way easier to move around with someone has tall as him rather than with my friends.

As soon as we got out, he lit up a cigarette. He slowly inhaled and exhaled the smoke before looking at me. "You smoke?"

"I used to, had to stop when I became pregnant" I said.

Sam lifted his eyebrows. "You got a kid?"

"Yeah, she's three. She's the love of my life, you know" I said. He nodded.

"You got your man taking care of her tonight?" He was already halfway through his cigarette.

"Nah, I don't have any man waiting for me at home. I'm single. She's with an old lady that Alexia knew" I shrug. "It's my first night out since I had her"

"Don't have to answer if you don't feel like it but how did you end up here?" He threw the cigarette to the floor and crushed it with his feet. He then put his hands on his pockets. It was around October and the weather was getting chiller each day.

"Uh... It is complicated, really" I admitted. "But I could try to explain as we make out way back to Shields?" I spoke. Sam nodded and smiled as he started walking.

"So, young American lass, with a daughter, leaves America and ends up in one of the worst places in the entire England". He says after a few minutes in silence.

"Yeah, good summary" I was looking down as we walked, trying to sort everything that I wanted to say out. "I used to... I was married to this guy; he is British but moved to the States when he was young. He is in a band and that. So, we met, got married a few years later, had a baby and came over here so that his parents met Beth" I took a quick glance to Sam to see his reaction. He was nodding as he lit himself another cigarette. "I didn't get along with my in-laws, they were always extremely judgmental so spending two months having them around the corner got the best of us, I guess. Alex wanted to stay in England and raise his daughter here and I wanted to go back to Los Angeles. I ended up moving back home with my daughter and the divorce papers. I don't really know much about him now as whenever he has the week with Beth, it's always his dad who comes up here to pick her up"

"But how did you end up here then?" Sam made an emphasis in the word 'you'.

"It's... Well... My dream is to own animal shelters and help those poor souls find a family and the life they deserved. I was offered a chance to start my own shelter here, in Newcastle, and I took it without even looking where Newcastle was" I look up as a smile makes its way across my face. "It's a nice place anyways, way better than the shit hole I grew up in in the States"

"Not that difficult, really" He mumbled loud enough for me to hear. We reached the point where out paths departed as I lived in Tynemouth and Sam lived in Shields. "Can I walk you home?"

"Uh, sure" So we kept on walking together. "What's your story?" I asked.

"My story?" Sam asked confused.

"I just spilled out half of my life, it's your turn now"

"Alright so... I'm from here. I live with my mum still. I work at a pub, you already know that, and I want to leave this town fast" He admitted,

"How come you want to leave?" I asked.

"For you being here is nice. You come from somewhere else, you lived in Los Angeles, right? So, Shields for you may be a nice break from a big city but I want something more. I want to make music and make a change" I looked at Sam, who was looking down. His speech was the same as Alex's when we first met. "I've recorded a couple of things but I'm scared of them not being enough. I need the money to help my mum" I side-smiled.

"I'm sure you'll make it Sam" I saw him smile to then lift his head. We were in front of my house by the time we had this conversation.

I made my way to the front door and up the stairs as Sam stayed in the sidewalk.

"It would be nice to hang out some time. Me and you" Sam said. I smiled.

"Yeah, it would" We stayed a few seconds there, just looking at each other until Sam spoke again.

"Well, good night then" He said.

"Good night, Sam" He lifted his head as a way of saying goodbye and I went into my house.