Don't Say My Name

Chapter 2

Lost in this thoughts, the morning disappeared, afternoon came and went, shadows creeping across the ceiling marking the passing of the hours. Evening arrived. Some time elapsed before Clive stirred. He had slept, but fitfully, waking, thinking, then dosing in succession. At midnight, he had made a decision. Changing into a favourite pair of jeans, an old T-shirt and a worn leather jacket, he packed a small rucksack with a few changes of clothing and slung his old acoustic guitar over his shoulder and left his apartment.

Hitching lifts or walking, Clive made his way to the coast. By the morning, thanks to a friendly lorry driver, he had reached the sea. Finding a rather decrepit boarding house, he booked in. Nobody had identified him so far, due to his casual clothing. He looked like an out-of-work singer and it pleased him. To be spotted and recognized would mean a mobbing.

During the day, he wandered along the beach aimlessly. Being out of season, the sands were virtually empty. He sat on a rock and stared at the sea, the gulls his only company, calling out their mournful cries. The waves crashed against the shore, only to run back into the sea to begin the cycle over. A timeless tranquility, relaxing him completely and for the first time in months, he felt truly content. Gone was the hectic travelling, bouncing from one city to another, barely having time to sleep or eat due to the tight schedule he had been forced to keep.

Taking his guitar, he strummed it gently, and, as the mood took him, he fashioned a tune and words to suit. It was a song filled with his loneliness and longing, using the gulls and waves as his backing. Never without a pen and notebook, he wrote down the words as they came to him, adding new ideas as they arose. When he thought it was complete, he played the whole song, not realizing he had an audience.

The woman waited until he had finished before scrambling towards him. "That's very good!" She praised when she drew close.

He acknowledged her with a smile. "Thanks. I thought I was alone."

"Sorry. This is my favourite part of the headlands. Lonely, bleak and dangerous. You're not from round here, are you?"

"No."

"You're from the city?"

"Yes. I needed a break. Came for some peace."

"Sorry. And there am I, spoiling it for you. I'll leave you to it." She stood up to walk away.

"Don't let me spoil your day. I'll go." He scrambled to his feet.

"That will do neither of us much good, now would it?" She grinned at him. She nodded at his guitar. "Want to play that again? For me?"

"You want to hear it again?"

"Yes, I do. I'm Penny." She settled comfortably on the rock and patted the one where he'd been sitting. "If you had a hat, I'd throw a coin in."

"I'm Clive. Clive Jones. I'm not busking." He sat down again, and cradled his guitar in his lap.

"You should. It's a nice song. Not heard it before."

"I've just written it." Clive smiled and began to play. Penny sat with her eyes closed, listening to every word, swaying slightly with the rhythm. She remained still after he finished, her eyes still closed. Clive silently thanked Mike's idea for a stage name and personality; few knew him as anything other than SlimJim. Even in interviews, he had refused to divulge his real name, explaining to interviewers and reporters that it was part of his private life, one that he had no wish to reveal to the general public.

"It's good. You should try to sell it to a professional singer." Penny remarked as she leaned back against the rock. "Know anything else?"

"Of course. Feel like singing?" Clive laughed, taken by her infectious grin. She laughed with him, her face lighting up like a rainbow after a sudden storm. She had an interesting voice, he thought, as he began to strum a lively pop song. Her eyes had a violet hue and her wavy hair was bleached by the sun and ruffled by the wind. She dashed a tendril away from her face as she sang the words as he played. Her voice was pleasant, soft and clear, not strong or raucous. She had been blessed with one of those perfect faces that other girls desired, clear skinned, tanned by the sun, delicately formed with deep set eyes that smiled with her mouth. There was no pretense there. He followed immediately with another chart song, adding his voice when she faltered.