Chapter 2 - realities

With a knot of excitement in his stomach, Martin set out on his date with Jenny a few weeks later. Not that it really was a date, he tried to reason in his head; but he had put more effort into looking good than he ever had with any of his other dates. He sat by the bar and waited anxiously, having not seen Jenny in the seven years since she got married. However there was no mistaking her when she arrived. The girl hadn’t changed a bit; with the perfect hair, sense of style and the body to match.

“Jenny!” he smiled, standing up and giving her a hug. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

Jenny’ kind face lit up and she genuinely seemed thrilled to be there with Martin.

“I can’t tell you how much I needed tonight,” Jenny sighed, pushing her long, silky blonde hair out of her face after a good hour of conversation. “Don’t get me wrong, I love it here in New York. But I just feel so disconnected from my roots. It’s so great to speak to someone from back home. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I know,” Martin smiled, feeling more in love with Jenny than ever. Then he inhaled and went in for the question he had wanted to ask for the last hour; concerning a topic that Jenny had been surprisingly quiet about. “How’s married life suiting you?”

Jenny smiled; a sort of sad smile. “I love him, I really do. But he’s away with work so much. I’m on my own for weeks at a time. I’m in this massive city and yet, sometimes, I just lose my mind with loneliness.”

“That’s tough,” Martin sympathised, moving in a little closer, sensing an opening. “It’s not easy being all alone.”

“What about you?” Jenny asked, putting her elbows on the table and resting her head in her open palms, ready to listen intently. “Which lucky lady snapped you up?”

Martin blushed and chuckled nervously. “Oh, you know how it is…” he mumbled. “Building a career doesn’t always leave room for girls.” In truth, he had always compared every girl to Jenny for as long as he could remember. It made it hard to find anyone and he didn’t feel quite ready to settle for second best just yet.

“That’s such a shame,” Jenny smiled kindly. “I’ve always thought you were such a catch.”

Martin blushed again, laughing nervously at how tense he suddenly felt.

“You should see my place here in the city though,” Jenny suddenly beamed. She downed her glass of champagne and stood up. “Come on, it’s only a few blocks from here. I have some beers in the fridge as well.”

“Is Vincent home at the moment?” Martin asked nervously, remembering the huge muscle marine that Jenny had married.

“He’s away until next week,” Jenny smiled, getting her jacket on, flicking her hair in the same dreamy way that Martin remembered. “Let’s go!”