Mary was a pretty normal woman. She had hopes and dreams, firstly when she married the man she loved from high school, Joal Miller and then kids, which they were talking about, but it seems that life is a little cruel even to the dreamers. Joal was...
The funny thing about love is that it is not always beautiful and sweet like a rose. Sometimes, those roses have thorns that have a way of hurting you in the end; Mary Willow Grove was a confident woman who loved the world around her and the people she had close to her, but what happens when her little world is turned upside down from one little thing?
The sound of the jukebox plays in my ears as I tap my fingers on the bar to the steady beat of the jukebox, waiting for someone as the sound of clinking glasses and people chatting is in the background, which has me sighing, picking up my whiskey glass and downing a few gulps which have me to cringe in hatred of the bitter drink. A lady at work set me up on this date. That is why I am waiting for someone, but I never thought the person who was supposed to come down here would stand me up this hard.
I have tried to date in the past. Still, it would fail every single time they would either tell me they weren't interested in a woman like me or that I was too straightforward, which hurts a little to hear sometimes. Still, I push most of those feelings out of my mind to think that they didn't have the stomach to date me, which has me tracing the lines on the glass I put down on the bar, leaning my head in my hand as I smile softly when the water droplet meets my finger, "life is cruel" I whisper to myself as I heard someone come in which has me to look over my shoulder a little to see the rough features of the person I tried to conceal my feelings from in school coming back to haunt me even now, Joel Miller, he was handsome, rugged, honest and trustworthy. Still, he never looked at me in that light.
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The most we ever were was friends, and I didn't want to ruin that with feelings that would never get accepted in the end; I have had my heart broken many times to end my friendship with Joel like that, but after he got married I left that friendship to focus on my career in Astrophysics. I turn my attention back to my glass and find that I need another from me, drinking the last of it, "Can I have another one, Carl?" I call out to the bartender while raising it in the air with my hand on the top of the glass to move it around as Carl nods at my request. I look in the corner of my eye when I place the glass on the bar to see Joel sitting in a booth, "here you are, Mary", Carl tells me as he places the glass in front of me, which has me breathing in, nodding in thanks for getting the drink as he takes the empty glass away from me.
After some time, I looked again at Joel in the corner of my eye as he sighed in aggravation to get out of the booth with a sour look on his features. Walking over, I play with my glass as he stands beside me to speak with Carl. As I smell his scent for the first time in years, he still smells so good, "hey Carl, can I get a drink?" Joel calls out to the bartender as I sit there, trying not to make myself look stupid in front of my old crush and friend, "ok coming right up," Carl answers as I look at Joel again; he hasn't changed that much; he has that ruggedly handsome look down pat which has my heart to skip a little, "Mary?" Joel then questions as I look up at him.
As a smile comes onto my lips, leaning my head in my hand as I look at him, "Joel Miller," I say as he looks at me with a smile at seeing me again when it has been years, "it been a while, hasn't it?" he questions as I smile at him pointing it out, "since high school, I image" I point out which has him to chuckle at those days we were quite the pair to be around, "how have you been?" he asks as I shrug my shoulders dusting some hair away from my vision at him asking about my life when I haven't seen him, "busy" I answer him truthfully as he watches me as I keep an eye on him with my blue eyes never coming away from his dark eyes that always had the chance to make me feel better in school, "how about you, how have you been?" I ask as we turn to each other to talk on the bar stools, "good, business is slow", Joel answers as I watch him. He is still the same man since his wife, Penny, was in the picture, which she is no longer in, it seems, and I heard that he has a little girl called Sarah; word travels around this place like wildfire when you keep an ear out.
We moved away from the bar stools to sit in the booth as I found this more enjoyable than a date with an unknown guy I was set up with, "so why are you here, Mary?" Joel then asks as I push the hair away from my face letting out a sigh at his question, "I was waiting for my date", I admit taking the whiskey glass in my hand, "what about you, Joel?" I ask as I sip a little of my drink, waiting for his answer, "same" he answers, having a look on his face that tells me he is not happy about being stood up by a girl, "my daughter thought I needed to get out of the house" Joel admits as I try and hide the smile on my lips at his daughter being quite strong in those aspects, Joel is a hard man to do as he is told, "I like her already" I tell him as he shakes his head at me with a 'really' look coming to his features, "you would get along with her" he tells me as I know he is trying to liven my mood after our dates didn't turn up, "what's her name?" I ask as I take a sip of whiskey.
"Sarah", he answers as he smiles at the mention of his little girl who would be his presouis angel, "I would love to meet her," I tell him as he looks to me with a nod on the request, "why not tomorrow night?" he asks as I look to my glass with a small blush on my cheeks at him inviting me, "sure, I can do tomorrow" I answer as I try to control the racing of my heart, "good, I'll see you tomorrow," he says as he gets out of the booth which I follow suit as we stand in front of each other as I hold out a hand to him as he looks to it and then to me as I watch him, "Mary?" he questions as I look to him as he watches my eyes, "it was good seeing you again," he tells me to then pull me into a hug as my breathing stalls on being close to him he smells of wood and colonge which has me to gulp in as I wrap my arms around his middle wanting to hold onto this feeling forever.
He pulls away, looking at me as I notice the closeness of us being together as I try not to let my emotions get the better of me, "I should...be going", he was saying as I step back, tucking my hair behind my ear, "yeah me too," I tell him as I pick up my bag, slinging it over my shoulder as I was adjusting it I take a peek at Joel who watches me closely in my actions, what is he looking at. We leave the bar and walk into the parking lot towards our cars. I bite my lip, thinking about what to say to the man beside me who has always been on my mind, but it seems I am stuck, "ummm"; I try to think as we walk closer to the cars as my words will not come out, I usually am quite a talkative person, but regarding this man, it is hard to form a sentence in my mouth. My car was first, with us stopping next to it as I pulled out my keys from my bag, unlocking my little car, "Mary?" Joel questions as I look over to him, "yes?" I question as I watch him waiting for him to talk with me.
He was never good at displaying emotion. It was hard for him. The only people he opened up to were friends and his family, but it's been years since I talked to Joel. It's like we are strangers all over again, which hurts a little that we can not confide in each other again as we used to, "I'll see you tomorrow", he tells me, walking away to his car and shoving his hands in his pockets. I watch him walk away to look down as I open the door and get into the car, brushing my hair away from my face as I start the car up with a heavy heart, "he is still the same," I whisper to myself as I reverse out of there, taking the road home with a little smile on my lips at us being together again like friends are supposed to but what if there are feelings deep down, what happens to us then?
