As the blue sedan with a black top coasted to a stop, Tim was nervous. It was not a familiar
feeling nor was it one that he enjoyed. However, this was one of those days that was so big that
there was no escaping it. Today was one of those rare second chances. This one was for all the
marbles. He could feel his stomach turning flips. Reaching down inside of himself, he searched
for the inner calmness and strength. He knew that if this was going to work, he had to relax.
Looking out the car window, he studied the farm, the game board.
The center piece was a sturdy two story white farmhouse with red trimmings. It had the large
front porch with swings that hung from the ceiling. In front of the house, there were three large
picnic tables placed end to end covered with white table cloths. Adults were hanging around the
tables talking in groups of two or three. The picnics tables were largely empty showing that the
picnic had barely started. Behind the house, the young people, mainly teenagers, were playing a
game of volleyball. The net had been tied between a large tree on one end and a tall pole on the
other.
Looking out at the game board, Tim knew that it was time to decide what character he would
play in this game. The correct role was essential to success. Would the tough guy persona play
well? Or would the public respond to the sentimental fool? Was today, a good day to be a clown
or a comedian? After a moment of indecision, he decide to take on a carefree, devil may care
mood. With the next breath, he changed into a person that did not have a worry in the world.
As the fifteen year old boy bounced out of the car, his eyes started to search among the teenagers
that were playing ball. He saw Dawn and Linda, a couple of girls that he had dated last
semester. He was still friends with Dawn. However, Linda had gotten really upset when he
broke up with her and refused to say anything. Mary Ann and Karen were playing cheerleaders
on the side. There was no sign of Jenny, the girl that he had expected to come to the picnic.
Tim's eyes causally searched the crowd, but he could not see her. For a moment, he started to
think that she hadn't come. He couldn't really have blamed her if she had stayed home. After all,
these church picnics were no fun. If he had a choice, he would have skipped most of them too.
However, she was here somewhere, he knew it. He could almost feel her presence.
Tim continued to stroll toward the picnic tables carrying a container of cold slaw and beans. He
concentrated on carrying the food, walking over the rough ground, and continuing his frantic
search. Then, he saw her. She was laying on a lawn chair under a big maple tree. She was so
still that he had missed her earlier. She had indeed made it. There was still a chance. It could
still happen. Then, he quickly reminded himself to stay relax and carefree.
As soon as Tim had dropped the food on the table, he walked toward the volleyball game. As he
passed Jenny, he made direct eye contact with her and said, "Hi".
As his eyes made contact, he felt himself being pulled toward her. Those blue eyes were
haunting as if they were looking into another dimension or into a faraway place. After a moment,
Tim could sense the pain, the loneliness, the emptiness. He wanted to hold the eye contact for a
little longer than normal. Yet at the same time, he hated to see such pain in such a pretty girl's eyes.
Tim had not remembered the same pain during the week that they had dated. Her eyes had always
been bright and alert. Of course, the breakup had caused a lot of trauma. Further, it had been a
giant mistake. One of Tim's friend named Roger had an interest in Jenny. After the breakup, Tim
had given Roger a green light for Jenny. Roger was a tall, slick talking Romeo that believed that
women should be treated as queens. It did not take long for Tim to notice his mistake.
It was very subtle, but it was there, hidden below a bashful exterior. It was hard to describe.
However, every once in a while, he could see a flicker of passion, a daring that could not be
satisfied. He could see the flare of excitement and a little temper too. He could see a woman of
passion.
By the time that Tim had realized his mistake, it was too late. He had already given Roger his
word. So Tim had waited and waited. Recently, there had been a number of rumors on the
grapevine that hinted that the waiting may be almost over. It appeared that Roger and Jenny were
not getting along very well. Several people had mentioned that Jenny might be available soon.
Today, Tim had a special opportunity to see what potential there was in a relationship. He knew
that Roger was going to be out of town during the picnic. Jenny would probably be alone and
approachable. It was the opportunity that he had been waiting.
With a shout of victory from Dawn's team, the ball game was over. The teenagers started to
break into different groups as they headed toward the front of the farmhouse. Tim just stood and
looked into the distant tree line. Even though he had his back to Jenny, he could almost feel her
eyes staring straight through him. After a few minutes, he casually turned around and walk back
toward her. Acting startled that she was still there, he struck a conversation.
"Hey Jenny, how are you doing? " he asked.
"Hey, what's up?" she replied.
"It looks like I am doing a lot better than you. Are you feeling ok?" he responded.
"Yea, I am fine" she replied. Her eyes looked up in shock at the question.. "Why do you ask?"
she responded with a sense of curiosity.
"You just seem really down. Is there anything that I can do? I hate to see those cute little eyes of
yours so sad." Tim answered and flashed a little smile.
"No, I am fine. You know how it is." Jenny responded as she looked down at her feet.
Tim decided that subtle conversation was not going to work. "Well, that is it. We are going to do
something. Something to get you out of the dumps. Come on" Tim said as he reached for her hand
and helped pull her to her feet.
"Where are we going?" she asked. She wasn't really in the mood to go anywhere or do anything.
It was clear that she hated being at the picnic. She hated where her life was at. She was
depressed and would have like to have done nothing but get through this event. However, Tim
was not going to have it.
"I don't know but we are going somewhere. It should be a sin for a girl as pretty as you to be so
down. Now lets see. What about a walk? I love the meadows and woods. What do you say?
Want to get away from all of the these people for a while?
Jenny turned her head and looked at the teenagers that were swarming all over each other. It seem
like a circus with everyone trying to out do the other. The competition was intense among the so
called friends creating a level of hypocrisy that was inexcusable. It was clear that no one was
paying attention to them.
"Sure why not," Jenny answered as she straightened her shirt and smoothed out a wrinkle in her pants.
They walked down a dirt trail into the nearby woods. As they left the farm, the landscape and
mood changed. The loud pushing and screaming combined with the adults gossiping about Old
Lady Jones's dress last week had disappeared. The world was now one of tall trees, and bushes.
The trail soon crossed an old dirt road. Without a word, they started to walk down the dirt road
deeper and deeper into nature. The conversation turned to how pretty the leaves were this time
of year. Tim noticed that there was even a few birds flying nearby.
With each passing moment, Tim felt closer and closer to Jenny. He let his hands drop to his side
as he walked. Swinging them back and forth in a way that he hoped looked carefree, he moved
closer to her. Casually, he let the back of his hand touched hers. It felt like electricity had leaped
between them when their hands touched.
Tim turned the conversation toward Roger. He had to know if he even had a chance. If she was so
dedicated to Roger that she planned to stay with him regardless, then this entire adventure was a
recipe for a broken heart. After a few well placed questions, it became clear that Jenny was
unhappy. She was starved for some special attention. Roger and Jenny had been having some
problems. Tim started to get excited. He did have a chance.
As the dirt road left the trees and entered a green meadow sprinkled with yellow flowers, a split
rail fence sprang up along the right side of the road. Over the fence was the most beautiful
meadow that Tim had ever seen, it was picture perfect. It was even better than a picture. The
smell of fresh flowers blossoming for the first time gave the scene something that no painting
could capture. Tim stopped and soaked in the beauty as a sun bather would in the warm sunlight.
About 10 feet ahead, a large maple tree with strong hard branches reaching skyward provide a
great resting spot.
Tim asked, "Hey, would you mind if we stopped her for a little while. It is so beautiful. I don't
get to see this kind of beauty in the city. Do you mind?"
"No not at all. I like the meadows too," Jenny replied. Sitting down on the grass, their eyes met
and held. This time, Jenny did not turn away. With her head tilted slightly to the side, she leaned
her body back on the ground stretching her legs out. She looked like an angel. With their faces
only inches apart, he watched her eyes dancing with the passion that he had suspected was there.
They were alive with excitement and anticipation. Below the eyes, her red lips were moist and
slightly open. They looked so inviting, drawing him closer and closer. Everything felt right. This
was the point of truth. Tim knew it was now or never. Then he felt the stabbing pain in his
stomach. It was as if his moral guide had buried a fist deep inside of his gut.
This was Roger's girl. Even though Roger and Tim did not share the same philosophy, there was
an unspoken agreement between the two friends. Neither one of them would ever interfere in the
other's relationships. This arrangement was essential considering their two styles. Tim had
always prided himself in knowing what he wanted and going after it. He believed in being
honest. It was no secret that he enjoyed and required a strong physical side to his romantic
relationships. It was also well known, that any breach of trust was dealt with very seriously. There
were a number of ex-girlfriends that found everything collapsed after a misspoken word and
inappropriate action. It was not easy to be Tim's girlfriend.
Roger always thought that Tim was too aggressive and demanding. He thought that Tim played
hardball with their feelings and gave very little room for mistakes. In fact, Roger had a difficult
time understanding why any girl would want to be Tim's girl. The fact that girls kept showing
such an interest in this jerk amazed Roger. He could only believe that there were a lot of girls that
wanted what wasn't good for them.
While Roger had always held back from warning Tim's girlfriend about what a jerk he was, Tim
had avoided taking any romantic interest in Roger's girlfriends. Suddenly Tim realized that he
was not just getting into the gray area with Jenny. He was on the verge of breaking their
unspoken agreement. He was actually considering seducing Roger's girl. Tim had only expected
to improve his position in her mind. He had hoped that he might plant a seed to let her know that
he was interested. It had gone further now. Jenny was giving him the opportunity to win her back.
She was giving him the opportunity to correct the mistake that he had made so many sleepless
nights ago.
He took another long look at her. He knew that she was watching him. So he took his time and
waited for her to stop him. He let her watch as his eyes moved up from the tennis shoes, up the
smooth calves and along the strong thighs. Her legs were well conditioned and firm. He couldn't
help but wonder what they would look like in high heels with black stockings and a red skirt. Letting
his eyes drift upward, he massaged her hips with his eyes, leading to the waist that told the
world that she was all girl. As the waist started to curve upward, he could see two small peach
size breasts hiding under the thin shirt. There was no sign of nipples showing through the bra.
However, he could see from her chest that her breathing was starting to get heavier. The open
collar showed the most wonderful sweetest neck that a man could imagine. She was so totally
beautiful.
Tim knew he had to decide what to do. Tim's mind echoed with thoughts and questions, "If he
moved forward now, would she feel pushed into a decision? Does she really love Roger and
would she feel guilty for cheating on him? Would it be worth destroying the friendship with
Roger?" Each question led to ten others. The only thing that was certain is that she was so very
beautiful.
He leaned over her body drawing his lips closer and closer to hers. She was starting to respond
by lifting her head back to meet his lips. Then, he decided. This was wrong. It was the wrong
time and the wrong way. He was not going to sneak behind another guy's back and taste the
forbidden fruits. It was not going to happen. He was not going to seduce his friend's girl like this.
So Tim, ever so slightly, changed his forward motion to move toward his right so that his lips
neared her ear and whispered, "You are a very special girl". When he lifted his head, he reached
for her hand. He wondered if she had noticed his change of direction. If she did, she didn't show
it. She instantly opened her hand to his touch. Taking her hand in his, they talked. They talked for
what seemed to be an eternity. As the moments went by, Tim could see her eyes relaxing. The
tension that had held her face so taunt was gone.
Almost instantly, Tim heard Jenny say the words that he was waiting to hear. In a low voice,
Jenny said "You know this is so peaceful. I would have never thought that I would have enjoyed
today as much as I have. I mean you have a way of making me feel so, I don't know, complete.
You make me feel special, like I am someone. When we are laying here like this, it is like
everything is under control. I don't have to worry about anything. No worries, no cares, just
peace. Thank you," Jenny smiled a small but very telling smile. It was her first real smile that
Tim had seen all day.
Tim responded, "I know. I feel it too. You know, there are a whole bunch of people right over
that hill. But, it seems like they have been a thousand miles away from here. It is hard to believe
that we have been almost an hour, isn't it?"
"An hour??? You have got to be kidding. We have been here for an hour? We got to get back."
Jenny asked as she tried to shake the cobwebs from her mind.
"I agree with you totally. But, could I ask you one question before we leave? I may never get this
chance again." Tim asked.
"Sure...You get ONE question," Jenny replied with another one of her smiles. Tim liked her
smiles.
"I been thinking about something for a long time. When I broke up with you, I hurt you. I don't
even want to start to explain what I did or why. But, I was wrong. You are a very special girl.
And, I made a terrible mistake breaking up with you like I did. Can you ever find it in yourself to
forgive me?"
Jenny's eyes were glowing. "Tim, if I had not forgiven you, I would not be sitting in the middle
of nowhere holding your hands, now would I? We both made some mistakes in that time period.
And no, I don't hold anything against you."
"Good!!! You don't know how glad I am to finally hear those words. And you are right, we do
have to get back before someone starts spreading rumors."
"Rumors... Oh no. If anyone noticed that we were in the woods for this long, and they tell Roger.
Oh man, he will... he will explode," Jenny poured out.
"Well, lets get back and see what is going on. There is no need of playing a what if game," Tim suggested.
Retracing their steps, they finally returned to the farmhouse. Looking down, they realized that the
food had just been served. Everyone was eagerly getting in line to fill their plate. They had their
eyes so focused on the food as if it was going to be all gone before their turn arrived that would
not have noticed a battalion of tanks arriving. The real world had returned. Jenny and Tim joined
the crowd without notice.
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