Peter and Jenny

Peter

Bright silver blue headlights illuminated a small area of the dark road. Shadowed trees, their branches half empty, swayed ever so subtly in the cool September breeze. Peter maneuvered the Volkswagen GTI with grace around rising curves and dipping straightaways. The glow of the speedometer and tachometer painted his face an evil red. With one hand on the wheel he fumbled in his pocket for a lighter. A cigarette dangled between his lips, his eyes never leaving the road, while his hand found what it was looking for. The familiar sound of burning tobacco joined the smoke and smell before it was all over powered with the window opening. Wind whipped in through the small opening bringing chill air inside. It was a little after 7 p.m. and the miles flowed smoothly under his tires. He wouldn’t be late, not tonight, not this time. As if his thoughts had been broadcasted like radio signals his cell phone began to ring with her face smiling warmly on the screen. The radio, which up until this point had been distributing music loudly, was turned down to a whisper as he picked up the phone.

“Hello my love,” he said after exhaling smoke.

“Hello my darling,” she responded brightly, “are you on your way?”

“Yes,” he chuckled, “I left extra early so I wouldn’t be late.”

“You better not be,” she said, “tonight is very important.”

“Jenny I promise you I will not be late. I know how important tonight is to you and you know it’s important to me too. Don’t worry I’ll be there before you know it.”

“Good,” she said and he knew she was smiling, “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me either,” he said, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He put the phone down on the empty passenger seat. Taking one last drag from the cigarette he let the wind take the butt out the window and watched it spark against the road in his rearview mirror. He closed the window and turned the music back up. As the music flowed freely from the speakers it seemed to match the rhythm of the road and tires. Peter felt happy and content, peaceful on the tree lined road leading him to his love. His mind began to wander back through memories of Jenny. When they first met he had been blown away while she seemed curious and excited. Their first date, the first real time they spent alone together, found them walking around the lakefront during the last weekend of summer. He would never forget how beautiful she was then. The sun was kissing the horizon, making the sky a brilliant gradient of blues, oranges, and pinks. Her sundress, bright yellow in the sun, stirred with the wind while it played in her dirty blonde hair. They walked for hours that day, near the end hand in hand. That simple innocent day was the beginning of a relationship more meaningful than either of them had ever known. It was a powerful, almost overwhelming, feeling of love that gripped them so tightly and bound them together so closely. All these thoughts made him even happier than before. Knowing that he was on his way to see her and that even after a year together their feelings hadn’t faded in the slightest. Peter grabbed another cigarette and reached in his pocket for the lighter. After lighting the cigarette and opening the window he took a deep drag and exhaled it slowly. The GTI purred down the road smoothly at fifty miles per hour. Glancing at the clock on his phone let him know it was 7:30 p.m. He smiled knowing he’d be there well before 8:30 p.m. As his eyes returned to the road, the red glow from his dash was replaced by blinding white, pure as new snow. When his eyes connected with it everything froze. No stuttering to a stop, no screeching to a halt, just an instantly frozen second. In that second he saw the stop sign he ran while looking at his phone. He also saw the deep red Ford Explorer a few feet from impact with his door. Then the second passed and all he heard was his own visceral scream mixed with the agonizing sound of twisting metal. He felt the car flip over, but lost count and consciousness after two. When the world materialized around him again all he saw were ghostly trees in the light of cracked headlights. The car was lying on its right side so he was essentially on the ground. He could smell the soil next to him, deep and earthy with just a hint of antifreeze. Peter’s entire body burned with cuts and pain, except for his right side, which was entirely numb. Blood ran in rivers all over his body to a lake under his right hip. Pieces of glass lay sprinkled around him reflecting faint starlight. He laid his head onto the open earth where his driver side window used to be. The smell of blood filled his nose. Small chips of glass were pricking into his neck and arms. Every movement accompanied by dozens of sharp insect bites. His head felt heavy and woozy, like he’d had too much to drink. Weeping he said Jenny’s name, but barely a whisper made it out his bloody lips. A dark fuzziness began creeping into his vision from the edges. As it encroached more and more on the center he realized how cold his arms and legs were and how exhausted he felt. With the world almost completely gone one thought floated in his mind. It was an image of Jenny in a yellow sundress smiling and spinning in the bright sunlight while the wind danced in her hair. Then everything went black.

Jenny

Everything was perfect, or it would be once he got there. After getting off the phone with him she was confident that this time he would not be late. This night meant so much to both of them. She walked into the kitchen to check on the pots and pans on the stove. Looking at the timer on the counter she realized that everything would be ready right after he came in the door. Grabbing plates and glasses she moved from the kitchen to the dining room. She laid out two places, dinner plate in the middle, knife and fork on either side, wine glass on the left, salad plate on the right. Between the two settings sat two identical white candles. The entire apartment was dim and romantic, except the kitchen which was blindingly bright in comparison. Glancing at the clock on the wall told her it was just after 7:30 p.m. She had to start getting ready. If she were late tonight he’d never let her hear the end of it. Opening the closet in her bedroom she picked out her favorite black dress. It was elegant in a classic way and made her feel beautiful. Standing in the bathroom she stared into the mirror while applying just the lightest touches of makeup. A smile spread across her face as she let her thoughts wander back to the first time they met. Peter was a friend of a friend, someone she had heard of, but never actually met, until a housewarming party thrown by the mutual friend. Jenny didn’t know what to make of him at first. He was handsome and seemed comfortable in any conversation. Moving from one group of people to another and always garnering attention. Suddenly he was talking to her and she was the center of the world. It was something she had never felt before. As they spoke she felt nervous and excited, like a young girl talking to her biggest crush for the first time. By the end of that night they had set up a date for the coming weekend. Neither of them knew what it would lead to. Their first date was low key and romantic. They walked hand in hand along the lakefront. It was one of the last warm days before fall took the reins from summer. The sky was a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and pink as the sun slowly fell into the horizon. A strong breeze off the lake ran through her hair like the gentle fingers of a lover. She breathed deep, letting the wind ruffle her sundress, white as the clouds in the sky. He smiled and watched her with curious and caring eyes. Laughing when she spun, her dress twirling like tulip petals opening, to face him. The entire day had an electricity to it. Even now, remembering it a year later, those feelings of love and warmth are as strong as ever. Knowing that she would be seeing him soon made her smile grow wider. By the time she got back downstairs it was just after 8 p.m. and Peter would be there soon. She began finishing things up in the kitchen and then went into the dining room to make sure everything was perfect for the tenth time. Adjusting forks and glasses ever so slightly it dawned on Jenny just how nervous and excited she was. It was the same butterflies in the stomach feeling she had felt on their first date. She sat on the couch anxiously, unsure what else to do. Any minute now that doorbell would chime and they’d embrace for prolonged minutes like they always did. When the clock on the DVD player said 8:30 p.m. she was disappointed, but not unhappy. Peter had a terrible habit of being late for everything. In his defense he did try leaving earlier, taking shorter routes, setting his clock ahead, but nothing seemed to help. He used to joke about being born late. She told herself that he was just a little late, nothing to be upset about. At quarter after nine Jenny was finally feeling angry. She paced around the kitchen putting the homemade meal away into plastic containers, muttering to herself about him better having a good excuse. Usually he would call if he was running late, but her phone hadn’t made a sound all night, which just added to her anger. By 10:30 p.m. Jenny had changed out of the dress into sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. She had tried calling him, but every call went straight to voicemail. Sitting on the couch her head swam with anger fueled thoughts. When her phone finally did ring at 10:45 p.m. she grabbed and answered it before the first ring even ended. The unfamiliar voice on the other end stopped the syllable about to escape her lips. What they were saying couldn’t be true, Peter had gotten into a car accident, they did everything they could, and she should come to the hospital immediately. Jenny gently put the phone down on the table and sat in the heavy silence. She felt the water welling up behind her eyes and stood up as the first tear rolled down her cheek.  Without conscious effort she moved around the apartment putting on shoes and finding her purse. She drove down the dark roads, the heavy silence having followed her from the apartment, mind racing. An occasional tear escaped from her eyes, Jenny mustered all her will to keep them at bay. The hospital was an oasis of light in the dark desert of the late night roads. Parking her car she sat for a moment in the heavy silence. She stared at the hospital doors, imagining them as both the pearly gates of Heaven and the wrought iron gates of Hell. Echoes of her shoes on the concrete drummed a slow rhythm that followed her through the parking lot. The doors parted with a gust of warm air and the disgustingly familiar smell of antiseptic and industrial strength, ammonia based cleaners. Jenny walked up to the nurse behind the desk and explained why she was there with no emotion on her face. The nurse called the doctor who led her into an empty waiting area down the hall. They spoke quietly for a few minutes and the doctor put his hand on hers when she began to weep.

2011