Gwen and I lived on the same street. She lived a couple of doors down. We grew up playing together. We visited the park, swung on the swings, climbed the monkey bars and skinned our knees. We were nearly inseparable during the summer months. We learned to swim together, played softball and soccer.
When we got to high school and puberty hit us we became friends with a romantic edge. We would go to the dances together, we held hands and stole the occasional kiss.
As we grew, we changed. I became a more serious student, in those days I was called a nerd. Gwen blossomed. She went from a skinny little girl to a shapely beauty practically overnight. Because of that she attracted the attention of a lot of boys. She was of average height with long and wavy auburn hair, green eyes and a peaches and cream complexion.
Johnny Nolan was the school's alpha jock. He was the quarterback of the football team, lead scorer on the basketball team and a track star.
He set his sights on Gwen and I was toast, a distant memory.
One late fall day Johnny had to travel for a track meet. There was a dance at the school and normally Johnny and Gwen would be there. Gwen wanted to go so badly she told Johnny she would go alone. Johnny knew all the school horn dogs would be salivating at the having a chance to get Gwen alone on the dance floor, but Johnny was certain he had nothing to fear because no one would dare.
I was at the dance alone, I tried to get a date but had no luck. Gwen was with a number of other girls who danced together. Then I spotted some potential trouble, Rex King.
Rex King was a senior from a rival high school. Guest passes were often given to student council members of neighbouring schools.
Rex's nickname was "Sexy Rexy." A name I'm sure he chose for himself.
Rex spotted Gwen and started his strut toward the group of girls. He picked Gwen from the herd and was chatting her up. I wandered over and caught Gwen's eye.
"Gwen, is it okay if I borrow Rex for a minute?"
She nodded vigorously.
Rex was unhappy but followed me away from Gwen.
"Rex, do you know who you were just talking to?"
"I didn't until you called her Gwen. Thanks for the info. She's fuckin' gorgeous."
"Yeah she is but she is also taken. Do you know Johnny Nolan?"
"Yes, big track star quarterback. So what?"
"Gwen is his girl and my friend."
"Okay, I don't see Johnny here so I guess I'll have to fill in the gap!"
"If you value having a straight unbroken nose you should rethink that. Johnny would kill you."
"Let's let the young lady decide."
He marched over to Gwen and I followed.
"This nerd tells me you're off limits. Would you like to have fun with me tonight? I'm a great dancer and romancer."
"No thanks, my boyfriend wouldn't like it."
"He ain't here and I am. C'mon let's have some fun."
He reached out and pulled Gwen against him. Gwen screamed.
I put my hand on Rex's shoulder and turned him around. I drove my fist into his nose and heard it snap. There was blood everywhere.
The next thing I knew I was kicked out of the school and ended up going home. I was suspended from school for fighting. No amount of explanation was going to get me out of it since there was a zero tolerance policy in effect.
Both Gwen and Johnny thanked me for stepping up and defending her. I was a bit of a celebrity at school after that.
At the end of school I moved cross country to attend university. I stayed in touch with Gwen up until she married Johnny. We drifted apart after that.
Fast forward forty-three years. I have sold off my advertising agency and I am retired. I had always wanted to go back to live in my old home town so I bought a place and moved in.
I was grocery shopping one day and my heart skipped a beat when I saw Gwen. She was just as beautiful as she had been in school. The auburn hair was now grey and her peaches and cream complexion had wrinkles and the skin tone was a bit uneven but she was still a beauty.
She turned and looked at me as I approached her at the cash register.
"Robbie, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me, Gwen."
"What are you doing in town? I thought you were on the coast."
"I was. I retired and I've moved back home."
"Wow, that's great! I haven't seen you since my wedding."
"Before that actually. I didn't come to your wedding."
"That's right! I remember now. You had something going on at school that weekend."
"It was a lame excuse, Gwen. I should have been there for you. I just could never see you and Johnny as a married couple."
"You lied about being too busy?"
"Pretty much. It has been many years so I think the statute of limitations applies. I couldn't watch you get married."
"Why? We were such good friends."
"We were wonderful friends. I guess I expected us to become more than friends. You started hanging out with the cool kids and I was a nerd."
"You were my best friend. High school was cruel. We were all so very self-important back then. Things got a little better in college but there were still cliques."
"How is Johnny?"
"No clue. He left me after five years of marriage. He had been having an affair the entire time we were married. He left us pretty much broke. Times were tough. He drank and gambled away most of our savings. I ended up alone and in debt. I had to take any job that I could get. I've been a waitress, worked a cash register here in this store, and did some secretarial work as well. Whatever put food on the table."
"What about your family?"
"They passed away. I didn't have any children. I've always wanted to be a mom but it never worked out."
"You knew where I was right?"
"I had heard you were on the coast but I didn't know where or what you were doing."
"If I'd known that you needed help I could have hired you to work at my agency."
"You mean you did the hiring?"
"Yes, it was my ad agency, I owned it."
"Oh my God, I wish I'd known. It would have been so good."
"Are you free to have dinner with me tonight? I would love to talk more and I think my ice cream is melting."
"I would love that."
We agreed to meet at a nice quiet little place.
She dressed comfortably in slacks and a sweater and I felt that twinge that used to get when I saw her. She sat opposite me and gave me a broad smile.
"It's just so good to see you again Robbie."
"It sounds so strange to be called Robbie. For years people have called me Robert. I started the Robert F. Parks Agency. I like that you call me Robbie."
"It's all I know you as. You bring back some great memories and a few regrets."
"What kind of regrets?"
"I gave up on you that first year of high school. I knew you liked me but I matured faster. When the popular boys came calling I gave up on waiting for you to mature. I guess you always stayed that geeky smart guy. How about you? How has your life unfolded?"
"College was okay. I studied hard, got good grades and stayed out of trouble. I thought about you a lot back then. I got hired at a major agency in a junior position. I loved the business and I was a quick study. I squirrelled away a lot of money and made some smart investments. Eventually I bought the company."
"I never married, never even dated seriously. Like you I wish I had children but never had the opportunity."
"That's hard to believe Robbie, a wealthy owner of a successful ad agency and you couldn't get a date?"
"I could have dated a lot but I just wasn't interested. Believe it or not there has only been one woman able to capture my heart, but she was unavailable."
"That's so sad."
"That's life. Or rather that has been my life. I always envied you. I pictured you as a happily married woman with a half dozen kids, just you and Johnny. Little did I know the reality."
"Reality sucks. I wish your fantasy life for me was real. Johnny abandoned me as soon as the loan shark came looking for him. I could have been granted a divorce because of abandonment but that would mean hiring a lawyer and a P.I. to try to track him down. I just didn't have the cash. He has been gone for years. I've just left it at that."
"That's awful, so you are still married to Johnny."
"Legally, yes we are still married but after so many years I think the marital status is moot."
"So you are living in town?"
"A crappy apartment. Actually you remember the old Clover Leaf Motel? I am renting a room there. I glorify it by calling it an apartment."
"So you've never really gotten your feet under yourself. Was Johnny in that much debt?"
"Up to his eyeballs. I've had to work a couple of jobs at once to pay the loanshark. He keeps threatening to turn me out as a working girl to work off the debt, even at my age."
"Holy shit, really. But the debt surely is paid off by now."
"The guy is a prick. He is charging so much interest that all I end up doing is paying that and not touching the debt."
"How much is the debt?"
"Johnny borrowed three times. The total worked out to $100,000. I think the shark just likes having me indebted to him. It's a control thing."
"What would life be like for you if you didn't have that hanging over your head?"
"I could start banking some money. I'm old enough that I'm never going to save enough to retire."
"Why haven't you found a new romantic partner.? I mean you are still a beautiful woman."
"Thank you Robbie, you won't believe how much I need an ego boost. I dated a few men but none of them lived up to the high standards that I set. Besides when they found out who I owed the $100k to they backed away."
"Gwen, I am going to be staying in town for the foreseeable future. Please let's be friends, let's get to know each other again."
"This is great, my best friend comes home. What could be better?"
"What indeed"
I was surprised that my feelings for Gwen still remained alive after so much time had passed.
I drove by the motel where her apartment was located. It was pretty run down. It had the stereotypical neon motel sign with some of the letters not lighting up. C_over Leaf Mot_l.
