JENNIE

Some months ago,

Jennie and I were introduced by a mutual friend,

over the phone.

In the spontaneity of that moment,

our first conversation might have been a bit awkward,

ambiguous, nervous

but

there was something about her,

her voice,

that I found most intriguing and familiar,

with a sound,

that resonated within me,

as though her words would echo,

from mind, to heart and back again.

It wasn't just the sound of her voice

which can only be compared to that of a Siren's,

it was her words.

It was as though each, was carefully selected

and weighed for it's meaning,

so as never to mislead,

ordered and enunciated without thought,

to where their delivery sounded like music.

For the next few days,

I would catch myself thinking of her,

hearing her voice in the back of my mind,

then feeling her words in my heart.

I soon found, I could think of nothing else.

What is it about her, that haunts me?

Everything!

I have only experienced this feeling once before

and because I didn't act on it, it was lost forever.

I hesitated a moment too long,

allowing my mind to over analyze,

what my heart intuitively knew.

By the time I came to my senses

and rushed back to her,

she was gone,

taking with her, that life defining moment,

leaving me alone,

with only “what if”?

I vowed if I were ever to feel this way again,

I would act without hesitation;

for then if I were wrong,

the “what if's” of regret,

wouldn't gnaw at me

the rest of my life.

Jennie,

had become such a moment,

so much so,

that I couldn't do, without hearing her voice again,

so I frantically checked my caller ID,

found her number and called.

I had no idea what to say.

I knew destiny was testing me

and I couldn't allow the miracle

of what I was feeling

to be lost again.

Hello!

Jennie, it's Gregory,

I need to talk to you.

Her voice carried a sign of relief,

she too, was wondering when I would call again,

even pondering what she would say when I did.

Now, after months of only hearing a voice, over the phone,

today, we are to finally meet, face to face.

As we spoke of this last night,

it was as though there was no distance between us,

save time

and before we said our Good Night,

she insisted

on telling me, “our story” one last time,

leaving today's reality

to be just that.

For the last month,

she has allowed her imagination to run freely

and create upon each retelling,

the ever evolving, beautifully told,

fantastical tale,

of what this day would bring.

And as I listened to her every word

it was as though each was as carefully chosen

for its color, as it was for its sound.

And with eyes closed, I became enraptured in the

seeing and hearing of her words, as they came to life.

It wasn't just the articulation of her words

that I found so captivating but in concert with the sound of her voice,

it was enough to bring one to climax.

The tomorrow of that story, is now our today.

And today,

we are to finally experience in the flesh,

that first encounter we have only fantasize about.

Today, we rendezvous with destiny.

We are meeting as we are

without exchanging a photo.

All we know of each others physical appearance,

is what we've imagined from our words.

There is not a question in either of our minds,

that our hearts will immediately recognize the others.

From everything we've told one another,

time has treated each of us well,

so I know she can only be, more beautiful than I've imagined.

I too have aged gracefully.

I am still told that I am handsome and charming.

I hope so, for her.

In a little less than an hour her plane will land

and by the time we meet,

I will have been here,

waiting,

3 hours.

It has been forever,

since I've felt this anxious about meeting any one.

So, from the moment I arrived,

I began pacing

back and forth,

from arrivals, to the airport bar,

the length of a football field.

I am in hopes, that I am only a few drinks ahead of her.

But then again,

perhaps she too is feeling a little anxious

and has had a drink or too many,

to keep her nerves at bay.

Why am I so nervous?

I consciously kept myself

from exaggeration, in my description of how I look,

although I did make note, of how adorable I am

and I was nothing but honest,

about my life and the circumstances,

that have brought me to where I am today.

I do know for certain, that it can't be performance anxiety

because I am self medicated to a point,

where if the wind were to blow hard, I too would be.

What is the problem?

Probably only the anxiety

of the “what ifs” of today?

Probably!

One more walk to the airport bar,

just enough time for a short one,

so I won't be too relaxed.

Finally it worked.........thank God.

I am calm and ready for the performance of my life.

Although, I need to stop thinking of it like that

because for this to be, what I want it to be,

there can be no performance.

I walk back and I check the monitors for her arrival,

her flight was 15 minutes early,

she should be cresting the top of the escalator any moment.

I find the perfect place to stand

and try to stop thinking.

I close my eyes, I take a deep breathe,

and as I am exhaling all of my anxiety.
 

I feel a tap on my shoulder from behind,

I turn,

It is her,

exactly as I had imagined.

Her arms circling my neck in her embrace,

the fragrance of Chanel 5, filling my heart

and all of my senses.

One kiss, so familiar, so comfortable,

her breath sweet, with a faint taste of Bourbon.

I knew, she too, would be a little nervous.

As we pull back from our embrace, to look at one another,

I see it, in her face,

she too realized, that we were in a moment of life,

that could never be duplicated.

We look into each others eyes and without a word,

take each others hand and begin

“our walk”

together.

While waiting for her bag to circle the carrousel,

I asked her,

“How did you recognized me?”

These are her words,

“My heart saw yours and my eyes followed, I saw no one but you.”

Gregory Javo

10/14/2011 10:18 pm