Jenny

I knew that anything could happen after I got married. I was prepared for anything. I prepared myself financially and mentally in case one of us dies, or if one of us lost our job, we would take care of each other. We were soulmates. But I was never prepared for what would happen in the coming years.

After we got married, we settled down on a quaint farm. It was a two-story home with a field to grow crops on. We eventually made enough money to purchase and breed our own livestock. I even had enough money to purchase a beautiful white stallion, who I named Aspen. We were happy together. But all that changed when the woman next door entered our lives.

One of my favorite things about our home was the lovely scenery. Our farm was right next to the ocean. Every morning, I would wake up to hear the serene waves rolling by, with the love of my life sound asleep next to me. I would then get up and give time to myself by walking on the beach. This morning was the same. I was walking along the beach, breathing in the crisp, cool sea breeze, feet in the sand, when I suddenly hear a voice behind me.

“Excuse me, but I think ya dropped somethin’.”

I turn around, and time comes to a stop.

Standing right in front of me is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

She is a bit shorter than me. Her skin is milky-white like the first snowfall of winter, sprinkled with freckles. Her eyes are pale green, like the lush fields and forests I love being around, a kind of green that makes me feel safe and comfortable whenever I looked at them. Her lips are painted red. It reminds me of an apple, ready to be plucked from the tree it grew upon. Her cheeks are rosy pink, as if the child in her never left when she reached adulthood. Her hair is a luscious chocolate brown, pinned up into a bun, with loose strands flowing in the breeze. Her jawline is strong and well-defined. She is slim, but has this sure sturdiness and confidence that makes my heart drill into my chest.

She holds out her hand. I look at what she is holding. In her palm, is a button. A simple, small button. I look down at my shirt. There is a hole where the button was supposed to be. It results in my shirt being open, exposing a part of my chest. I can feel my face heat up and my neck starts to burn. I quickly snatch the button from her hand and turn away.

“Thanks. It must’ve come off when I was walking.”

I start to walk away from her when she steps in front of me.

“Do ya happen to live in that house down yonder?”

She tilts her head in a certain direction. I turn to look at what she was indicating. My eyes set on our freshly painted farm, sitting on top of the cliff a few yards away from the beach.

“Yes. I’ve been living there for some time now.”

“Well, ain’t that the bee’s knees! I happen to live right next door! I moved in ’bout a week ago.”

She continues the conversation, but my ears are shut and my mind is elsewhere. My mind was taking in everything about her. Her movement when talking was expressive and jovial. It makes me feel a surge of happiness, as if I don’t want her liveliness to go.

I don’t want her to stop talking.

She then stares at me. As if she was expecting me to say something.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I manage to finally say.

“I said ‘what’s your name?’”

“Oh. Sorry. Um, it’s Sam.” I feel ashamed of having such a plain name like Sam.

“Sam,” she says eloquently, “now that’s a mighty nice name.”

“What’s your name?”

“Jenny”, she says sheepishly.

“Beautiful”, I mutter.

“What?” She looks at me perplexingly.

I panic. “I-I mean...it’s a beautiful name...reminds me of my grandmother’s dog. Her name was Jenny.” I can feel my face burn up again. I felt so foolish.

She laughs. A melodious, tinkling laugh, like the ring of a triangle or a bell. It was a sound I want to hear forever.

“You’re real funny Sam, ya know that? I think we’ll get along just fine.” She then grabs my arm, sending an electric pulse through my arm and my body. We turn around and walk back to the farm.

It wouldn’t be for another few weeks until I interact with her again.