Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

FOLKLORE: 118. The 1

118. The 1 (2/14/21)

He walks towards her in her dreams, the edges of his body blurred so she knows he isn't real. If he was anything but a blurry image, she would try to reach out, take his hand, wrap him in a tight embrace, or even kiss his cheek. But she knows he isn't real, just a jumble of memories and moments, hopes and fears, of relationships from the past.

Sasha sits up in bed, hot sweat dripping down her back and soaking through the satin fabric of her pajamas. The small clock on her dresser lets her know that it's time to get up and head to the theater. She has slept the afternoon away, and all her dreams were about him.

A knock comes from the door, and Sasha wraps her robe around her dark body. Her husband, a rich man, is waiting for her in the hall. He doesn't dare enter her room without her permission. He's nice like that. Instead, he waits in the hall, tapping his foot on the hardwood; a constant reminder that he is there, and he isn't the man she wanted.

Sasha, who had retreated to her bedroom following lunch, makes sure to wash her face before dressing. The sweat overcomes her body where she is almost tempted to hop in the shower, wash away the fears that cling to her. But there is no time, and the sound of her husband tapping his foot in the hall is a constant reminder.

Instead, she slips out of her robe and pajamas and selects a black evening gown from her closet. If she had more time, she would attempt to do her hair. But with the tapping in the hallway being an ever-present reminder, she hides her hair beneath a wig cap and carefully selects a wig from her dresser. By the time she is finished and standing in the hallway, she doesn't look as if she has just rolled out of bed.

Kevin Fitzgerald, her husband, gives her a smile when she steps out of her bedroom. "The car is waiting outside," he says to her before offering his hand. The two descend the stairs and exit the house, saying goodbye to the housekeeper, kitchen staff, and butler. Once they're outside, Sasha notices the bus stop across the street. The bus is coming down the street, but she swears she sees Jimmy, in his torn-up suit and his light gray hat. He smiles at her and waves. Unlike her dreams, he is not a blurry image. But when the bus rolls past the stop, he disappears.

Kevin opens the door for her and the two climb inside the slick black car. Before they were married, Sasha had not heard of the Fitzgerald family or the rumors about where they got their money. She had grown up in the slums, much more concerned about where her next meal would be coming from instead of rich family gossip.

But then Kevin walked into her life at exactly the wrong time.

"Have you heard what the play is tonight?" he asks her in the car, and the old driver ignores the conversation. He focuses on the road.

"I have not," Sasha replies, and is tempted to remind her husband that she has slept most of the afternoon, therefore leaving the social scene. If she were to hear about the play, it would be from the newspaper, which she never reads.

"They say the music is very well-done," Kevin says, his voice dripping in disappointment. It sounded as if he was hoping Sasha had heard about the show and they could talk about it on the drive there. Instead, the drive is silent, and Sasha is left alone with her thoughts of Jimmy.

Her and Jimmy had gone to school together and were usually enrolled in the same classes. They sat next to each other at times, giggling about the teacher's poor attempts at the new hairstyles. As they watched each other grow up, Sasha couldn't help but feel an attachment to Jimmy. He was nice to her. He picked flowers for her on his way to school, dropping them off at her desk before first period. His smile took over most of his face, and it was contagious, causing Sasha to smile whenever she saw him. There was a time in Sasha's life where she thought she would marry Jimmy, that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But it was not to be.

The car pulls up in front of the theater, and Kevin helps Sasha out of her seat. She adjusts the neckline of her black gown before following her husband inside the theater. They sit in their box seat, the box seat that Kevin received from his grandfather when he passed away two years ago. His grandfather supported the arts and even tried to publish his own music. But music was not his calling, and instead decided to stick to his business, opening restaurant after restaurant until he owned half the eateries in the area.

The couple walks inside and takes their seats in their box. The members of the orchestra pick up their instruments, plucking the strings until they are in tune. To take her mind off things, Sasha pages through her program, wondering if now is the time to discuss the play with her husband. The program informs her that the play is about a man and woman from rivaling families who fall in love. A laugh gets stuck in Sasha's throat as she shuts her program. The play, while meant to be a form of escapism, is a bit too real for her liking.

Similar to the bus stop, Sasha leans over the railing and thinks she sees Jimmy and his family sitting in the sixth row. The man of her dreams looks up at her, tipping his gray hat as a form of greeting. Regardless of whether he is there or not, Sasha smiles and waves. She even blinks a few times to make sure she isn't seeing things.

Just the sight of Jimmy and his familiar gray hat reminds her of their relationship. Following high school, they spent the whole summer together, swimming in the lake, kissing under the light of the moon, and entangling their bodies under the willow tree. But it all ended when Sasha's father decided to marry her off to Kevin Fitzgerald, a young man from a wealthy family. Her father had just started working at the Fitzgerald restaurant, and he was a man who when he saw an opportunity, he took it, not thinking about the consequences. Sasha's mother, who had been dead for five years, was not there to defend her daughter or the decision. So, without her mother by her side, Sasha was forced to marry Kevin, who was a nice man, but he was not Jimmy.

As the musicians begin playing their music and the leading actors walk onto the stage, Sasha wonders what her life would be like if she had married Jimmy. She wouldn't live in a large house. She would live the rest of her life not knowing who the Fitzgerald family was. And life would be sweet. But it was never meant to be.