FirstLineFiction beta

from Contest #9

It was the thing he'd always loved about her.  

            She was feisty. Not a girly girl and for a long time she barely noticed his existence. In his heart, he knew she was destined to be part of his future. It wasn’t a first date that got them together, nor was it an arranged meeting through friends. There was no dating service involved and it wasn’t through a chat room on the Internet.

            At the end of their first meeting, Jennifer looked Tim Steele straight in the eye, told him “You’re ugly, and I hate you.” She faced him squarely, put her hands on his chest and pushed him flat on his butt. Fortunately, he landed in sand. Jennifer marched out of Tim’s backyard and into her own next door. She flung the back door open and yelled, “Mom, I don’t care if he’s our new neighbor. You told me to be nice but, there’s no way I can play with that guy. He tried to fit my Barbie doll into a Tonka truck. I think her legs are broken, and her high heels are lost in the sand. I never want to see him again!”

            Tim on the other hand was totally impressed with Jennifer. She could really pack a wallop and Tim wasn’t used to being pushed around by anyone. Tim and Jennifer were both eight years old. That was the last time they played together in the backyard.

            The next day at school, Jennifer went out of her way to avoid Tim. Much to her horror, he purposely found a seat near her and tried to strike up a conversation. Jennifer wasn’t having anything to do with him. She decided right then and there, boys are “yucky.” She preferred the companionship of her girlfriends. “Tim, just leave me alone, will ya?” she moaned.

            Tim was a patient guy. He’d bide his time, because he knew she was special and worth waiting for. He waited all through grade school and most of high school; always on the sidelines and always keeping an eye out for her. He went half-heartedly on dates and spent his spare time in the theatre group. Jennifer spent hers on the cheerleading squad and dating jocks. She remained out of reach for the tall, gangly youth with the braces on his teeth.

            It was late one Saturday night, when Tim heard a car pull into the driveway next door. He knew it was Jennifer and her latest date. The music blared and the car lights turned off. He was trying not to think about what might be going on inside the car. Then, he heard Jennifer scream.  A car door opened and slammed shut.  Two seconds later he was in Jennifer’s driveway. She was crying and clutching her blouse closed with both hands. The blue convertible screeched out of the driveway as Tim frantically chased the red tail lights down the street. They disappeared around a corner and were gone. An “out of breath” Tim, returned to check on Jennifer. He found her more composed, but definitely steaming. “Damn guys,” she said. “Give them an inch and they think they can take a mile!”

            “Hey, come on,” said Tim. “Not all guys are like that. Some of us are actually pretty decent. Are you okay?”

            “I will be.”

            “Anything I can do to help?”

            “Not right now, but thanks for asking. I, uh, I really appreciate that you came out.”

            “No worries,” replied Tim. “I’m just surprised you didn’t flatten him.”

            Jennifer gave him a hint of a smile and laughed. “Oh, don’t you worry. He’ll be sporting a shiner the size of Texas by tomorrow,” she said.

            “Nice to know you haven’t lost your touch. I’m just glad it wasn’t me this time.”

            “Thanks Tim,” she said. “And I really mean it. I reckon I owe you an apology. I’ve not been the best neighbor, have I?”

            “Hey my friend, that’s okay. I’m just glad to know you can still pack a punch!”  Tim grinned and walked away. “Yes,” he thought to himself. “I’ve been right about her from the moment we met.”

            Tim laughed when he saw Joe the Jock on Monday. His left eye was swollen shut and the deep purple hue made Tim feel better. When questioned, Joe claimed to have walked into a door. Jennifer winked at Tim in the hallway. “Our secret,” she said. Tim and Jennifer finished out the last few weeks of high school as friends.

            With college looming, Jennifer and Tim went their separate ways. Jennifer sought the complexities of journalism and dreamed of being a reporter for a for a high end newspaper. Tim continued with acting and theatre and was accepted into a reputable drama school. They lost touch, but Tim never forgot his first unrequited love.

            His second passion was acting, and it turned out he was pretty good at it. After five years, he had his third lead role in a theatre play that was another immediate box office hit. He got standing ovations and people clamored for his autograph. Always patient, he took the time to sign his name and talk with his audience.  No longer was he the tall, awkward youth with braces. He was a handsome, leading man.  Women fell for his awesome smile and good looks.  He was on tour and life was good! In the back of his mind, he kept waiting for destiny to play her card.

            Jennifer landed a job with a city newspaper and today the office was a buzz of activity. She was still trying to prove herself with a feature article; one that no other newspaper had yet landed. Her phone rang and she answered the call. It was the editor’s secretary.  “Jennifer, Mr. Bennett wants to see you in his office pronto! There’s a new play coming to town and he wants you to try and get an interview with the lead actor. Sounds like he’s really hard to contact and he doesn’t like people from the press. You’ll need to work some magic on this one.”

            “No problem, I’m on my way.” Jennifer took the stairs up five flights. She arrived out of breath but eager to take on this new assignment. If she could land this interview, it would mean everything to her.

            “Mr. Bennett, thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m sure I’ll make you and the paper proud” said Jennifer.

            “Don’t be so sure, this guy is really hard to get to. His name is Tim Steele.”

            “I beg your pardon,” Jennifer said.

            “Steele, Tim Steele. Anything you don’t understand?”

            “No, no I’m good with that,” she stammered.  On one hand her heart floated, but just as quickly it plummeted. She thought back to the first time she’d met him in the backyard.  She’d been rude and then ignored him at school. When he came to her rescue on that Saturday night with Joe the jock, she vaguely remembered thanking him. She realized that she’d behaved like such an idiot; especially when he’d been such a gentleman.

            It was opening night and the theatre was filled to capacity. Jennifer had tried all the options available to contact the star. She’d left her name at the box office, tried to reach the public relations people for the tour but, alas no response. She’d even hung around the theatre during rehearsals to see if she could catch a glimpse of Tim. She came up empty-handed. The best she could do was to buy a ticket and watch the show.

            When Tim came on, she felt her heart skip a beat. This was not the guy she’d shoved into a sand pile. He wasn’t the guy who’d chased those red taillights until they disappeared. He was a consummate actor, and this night he totally owned the stage. She was so very proud of him, but at the same time chastised herself for having been so narrow-minded and self absorbed. Her newspaper article would have to wait. He deserved much better.

At the end of the third and final act, the audience erupted. It was a standing ovation for Tim. Jennifer wiped her eyes and started to head down the aisle. An usher interrupted her exit and beckoned her to follow him. She was led into a dressing room backstage and that’s where she found him.

            Tim smiled at her. “I spotted you right away. Perhaps it was the instruction I gave to the ticket taker. I hear you’re a hot reporter now. Here’s your chance for an exclusive interview.” Miriam looked up into eyes that were as blue as only blue can be. For the first time in her life, she was without words and without a snappy retort.  Her heart pounded and she wished to take back the words and sentiments from when they’d first met. She wished she’d been kinder, not just because he was a star, but because he was quite simply, the most genuine person she’d ever met. 

            Tim already knew that fate had brought Jennifer back to him. He tentatively reached out and pulled her closer to him. “I’ve waited a life time for this moment,” he said, as he gently kissed her mouth. Tim reached into his pocket and produced two tiny pink high-heeled Barbie doll shoes. “I’ve been saving these because I thought you may want them back. Sorry I can’t fix the doll’s legs. I would have tried, but you took Barbie with you.

            Jennifer’s eyes began to tear. She wanted to apologize. She wanted to say anything that would keep this man close to her. She opened her mouth to speak and he “shushed” her with his finger on her lips. “Save it,” he said. “Just promise me we’ll be in each other lives, from now on.”

Jennifer nodded. “Absolutely, she said. Absolutely!”

 

back to Contest #9