By Max Tron.
Amateur
Writer/Novelist
It was a warm winter
day in Fairbrooke, one of those small towns just outside Missouri.
The air was crisp and the few leaves that remained on the tress were
a deep red and orange. The evergreens and cedars were bright green
lined up along the boulevard like the columns that lead up to a
museum. People could be seen walking and scurrying around the small
town busily searching stores for the perfect gift for their children
and relatives in time for Christmas. Voices could be heard as people
cheerily greeted one another with a “Good morning!” and “Lovely
day isn’t it?”
Lenard Lee sat on a
park bench taking it all in. Then a thought entered his mind and he
pulled out his camera to snap a photo. It was a sunny day, so he
nudged down his ISO and -“CLICK.”
He stared at the photo and decided it was okay. “I’ll
fix up any mistakes in editing.” He thought to himself.
It was about time
for him to go to school, so he put his camera in his backpack, stood
from the park bench and stretched his muscles. He took one last look
at the hustle and bustle then turned and left.
He was sitting at
his desk when the teacher asked for silence in the classroom.
“Everyone,” The
teacher was saying, there was a girl standing beside him silently,
“This is Jasmine White, she’s just transferred here to our school
from New Jersey. I want you all to give her a warm welcome.”
Everyone could be
heard saying, “Hello Jasmine.” and “Welcome to Fairbrooke.”
But Lenard sat there and watched her. She had long ebony hair that
fell past her shoulders and stunning almost opal eyes. She was tall,
but not overly tall, and her smile was truly bright. Later that day
at lunch, he was standing in line at the cafeteria getting served
warm dishes of miscellaneous foods when she spoke up from behind him.
“Hi, I’m
Jasmine.” she said. When she spoke he jumped slightly then realized
that it was the girl from class earlier that morning, with the same
beaming smile.
“Oh, hey, I’m
Lenard, but most people call me Len” he said in return.
“Oh, okay. I was
just thinking about what a nice little town you have here,” she
said, “I like it much better than in New Jersey.”
“Yeah, it’s
small, but active.” Len said, recovering.
“I noticed that,”
she was saying, “but I didn’t get to see much of it on the way
in.”
“You know,” he
said, “after school I could show you around the town if you want.”
“It sounds nice,”
She was saying, “but I can’t, I’m still moving in, unpacking
and things like that.”
“Ah, I see.” He
said as he pulled away from the counter a few steps, “maybe next
time.”
“Yeah, maybe next
time. It was nice meeting you Len.” She replied as he walked to his
table and sat down.
When Len got home,
he went upstairs and put away his things then opened his laptop to
see how much his camera he wanted would cost. He’d seen the ad in
the paper but it didn’t say a price. He pulled up the website and
found the camera, “four hundred dollars!” He thought as he
saw the price. “I’ll definitely need a job for this.”
He was busy
searching the internet for different areas of work but couldn’t
focus on what he was doing. Every time he went to read on how to
apply for another application source his mind drifted back to
Jasmine’s bright and beaming smile. He wasn’t upset that she had
come to his school, but if he couldn’t focus, he would never be
able get his camera.
Finally, he decided
to head downstairs and eat dinner with his father. When he came in
through the doorway his father said, “When did you get home? I
didn’t hear you come in.”
“Oh,” said Len,
“I fixed the door dad, it doesn’t creak anymore.”
“Ah,” said his
father, “okay, then let’s eat.”
As they were eating,
Len brought up the subject of school and what had happened that day
with Jasmine.
“Did you get her
number?” asked his father.
“Dad,” said Len
with a laugh, “she barely knows me, and besides, she probably
wouldn’t give it
to me if I asked her.”
“Son,” his
father was saying, “never underestimate what a girl will do. After
all, your
mother married me
didn’t she?”
“I guess.” Len
said. His mother had died when he was born in 1994, his father had
done his best to raise him, but it was hard not having a mom.
“So what about
that camera you want eh,” said his father, “you find a price on
it?”
“Yeah,” Len was
saying sarcastically, “you’re going to love this, four hundred
dollars.”
His father whistled
long and loud.
“That’s a lot,”
he said finally, “you’d better get a job, and soon.”
“Yeah, but I can’t
find any.” said Len.
“Don’t worry,”
his father was saying, “I can get you working somewhere in the
market, but you’ll probably be a cashier.”
“That’s fine
with me.” said Len, “when do I start?”
“We’ll see soon
enough.” said his father, “don’t worry.”
***
A few days later,
Len was eating his lunch in the cafeteria and worrying about getting
his job, when Jasmine sat down next to him.
“Hey Len!” she
said cheerily, “How’s it going?”
He looked up to see
her smiling, as she always did.
“Oh, hey Jasmine.”
Len replied.
“Please,” she
said, “call me Min.”
“Ah, okay.” he
said.
“Is something
wrong?” she asked innocently.
“Well,” he
started saying, “I want this new camera and it’s costs plenty of
money, so I need a job to raise up for it, but I don’t have one
yet, I’m still waiting for a message from the market.”
“I’m sure it
will be alright.” she said. “What kind of camera is it?”
“It’s a Digital
SLR, and it’s a good one too. High speed shooting, it has a zoom
lens.
It’s just what I
would want.” He replied.
“Sounds nice, but,
won’t you get it for Christmas though?”
“I doubt it, my
dad says I need a job if I want to get it.” Said Len.
“Hmm…”
There was a lull in
the conversation.
“So,” Len
started saying, “you still interested in seeing the sights?”
“I don’t know,”
said Min jokingly, “are you?”
They continued to
talk with each other until the bell rang. Jasmine got up to go and so
did Len. As she walked away Lenard called to her down the hall.
“Hey, my dad is
having a Christmas party next week! You should come!
“I’ll try!”
she called back over her shoulder.
***
When Lenard got out
of school he saw Jasmine at the flagpole and ran over to her.
“Are you ready?”
he asked her.
“Yeah,” she
said, “I just cleared it with my parents, they’re okay with it”
“Okay then,”
said Len, “let’s go.”
They set off from
the school like two expectant explorers hoping to find something
amazing. As they were walking down the sidewalk Min kept saying “Oh,
I’m so excited! And “It’s going to be so great!” Until
finally she turned to him and said:
“Where to first?”
“You like to
read?” Len replied.
“Yes?” she said
confused.
“Then we’re off
to the library!” he exclaimed.
When they came
through the doors Jasmine couldn’t believe what hers eyes were
showing her. There were rows upon rows of books. She turned to Lenard
and said quietly.
“This is amazing…”
“I know…” he
replied in the same hushed tone.
After that, he took
her to the all of the other places in Fairbrooke. The market, the
fire department, the diner, and finally, the park. There weren’t
many people around and it was a nice, clear day, without a cloud to
be seen.
“What do you think
so far?” he asked.
“It’s
beautiful…” Min said smiling, “Thanks for taking me.”
“No problem,” he
said, “you have to know where everything is if you’re going to
live
here.”
She turned and
looked at him.
“Where do you
live?” she asked.
“Would you like to
see it?” he said.
Jasmine nodded.
“Well then,” he
said with an accent, “This way if you please.”
She laughed and
followed him back down the sidewalk to his house. When he opened the
door he could hear his father working on something inside.
“Looks like my dad
is home.” he said.
“Really?” Min
asked, “Can I meet him?”
“Sure, if you
want.” Len said walking inside. He looked around and said:
“Hey dad!” I’m
home!”
From inside one of
the rooms his father walked out holding a screwdriver and a clock.
“Hey Len,” he
said, then saw Jasmine standing next Lenard. “Who’s this?” he
asked.
“Dad, this is
Jasmine.” Len said as Jasmine stepped forward.
“Hello Mr. Lee,”
she started saying, “your son was just showing me around town, it’s
such a nice place
here.”
“Ah,” Mr. Lee
said, “Well, it certainly is nice to meet you, and I hope you like
it
here.”
“Me too.” said
Min, then a buzzing sound drifted up from her pocket.
“Ah,” she said,
“My parents need me back home.” she turned to Lenard. “Sorry
Len, I have to go, thanks for showing me around!” she said as she
opened the door and walked out.
“See you
tomorrow!” he called.
“Bye!” she said
from outside.
Lenard turned
towards his father who was staring at him with a peculiar grin across
his face.
“That was her
wasn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes, dad, it
was.” Len said looking out the window.
“And you still
didn’t get her number did you?”
“Dad,” Len
laughed, “Come on.”
“Heh heh,” his
father laughed, “hey! I got some good news for you, you’re
hired!”
“Really?” said
Len in disbelief, “are you sure?”
“Positive, you
need to show up at the market day after tomorrow.”
“Aw, thanks dad!”
Lenard said hugging his father.
“Okay, that’s
enough Len, I have to make dinner.” he said.
“Ah, yes, you do
that.” said Len.
***
The next day, at
school, Lenard told Jasmine that he got his job.
“Really?” she
said, “I’m so happy for you!”
“I need four
hundred dollars,” said Len “so I’ll have to work every day
after
school.”
“For how many
days?” Min asked
“Hmm,” Len said,
putting a hand to his chin, “about a week or two, not long.”
“Well,” started
Min, “I guess I won’t be seeing you very much for the next few
days, so here’s my number if you want to talk after work.” she
said writing down her number on a scrap of paper. Then the bell rang.
***
Lenard walked
through the doors of the market and looked around. There was another
man at a different register and another man taking stock. All the
people he’d seen countless times before, but now he would be
working alongside them.
His orientation had
gone well; he now knew how to operate the register, computer,
everything, and all he had to do now was prove himself.
He asked his new
manager what to do first and ended up mopping the store all day. This
continued for the first week and a-half, until he was finally told to
restock the shelves one evening. As he did this he started thinking
about his camera. “I can finally get it, I can’t wait!” As he
thought, he leaned up against a shelf. But to his surprise, it
started leaning over too. He quickly stopped, but it kept going.
“Oh no!” He thought, and then winced as the shelf came down with
a loud, resounding -CRASH!
***
When Lenard came
home that night, he did not want to tell his father the news. He
hesitantly walked up the steps and stopped, ran a hand nervously
through his short blonde hair, then opened the door and walked into
the house. His father came out of one of the back rooms and looked
him over.
“Something wrong
Len?” he asked.
“Dad, I’ve got
good and I’ve got bad news.” said Len.
His father cocked an
eyebrow.
“The good news is,
she gave me her number.”
***
Finally, it was the
night of the Christmas party, and everyone was driving up in their
cars trying to find a parking space before they missed out on the
fun. There was fruitcake and cookies, soup and coffee, and
practically anything you could think of.
Lenard was at the
front door greeting everyone as they came into the house. He hadn’t
seen Jasmine yet, but he was still confident she would come.
“I hope she can
make it…” he thought to himself. As he did, another car pulled up
through the driveway. He watched it drive around the yard, park, and
shut off.
A woman climbed out
of the car and looked around, as she did this, Jasmine stepped out of
the other side and locked eyes with Len. The she smiled and waved at
him.
“Hey Len!” she
called.
“Hey!” he
shouted back.
Both of them walked
over to him, as they approached Jasmine said:
“Len, this is my
mom, mom this is Lenard Lee.” she gestured towards him as she
spoke.
“Hello.” Min’s
mother said.
“Nice to meet
you.” Lenard replied shaking the woman’s hand.
“Come on mom,
let’s go inside.” Min said and smiled at him as they all walked
through the door.
***
As the festivities
were carried out through the night, Len noticed that Jasmine wasn’t
in the room. “Where did she go?” he wondered as he went
through all the rooms in the house. He was perplexed until he thought
to look outside.
He came out the
front door and looked around. “Nothing…” he wondered,
and then, “What’s that?” he thought he had heard a
noise… There it was! “It almost sounds like… crying…”
he thought and listened a second more. “It most definitely is
crying, but from where?” he went around the side of the house
and lo and behold, there was Jasmine, leaning against the wall crying
into her hands.
“Hey, are you
alright?” he asked. Jasmine looked up suddenly, “Oh, hey Len…”
she said and started to wipe her tears from her eyes.
“No no, it’s
okay, you can cry if you need to.” he said to her. “If it helps,
I cry all the time, especially when I kick the furniture on
accident.”
Jasmine laughed
slightly between sobs.
“Come here.” he
said gathering her in his arms and hugging her.
“Now what’s
wrong?” he said.
“Oh Len,” Min
said, “It’s been such a long year.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Well,” Min
started, “Last year, at Christmas, my boyfriend broke up with me…
It’s just painful to celebrate it at times.”
“I’m so sorry,”
Len said, “if you ever need to talk, I’m here. Okay?”
“Thanks Len,”
she said stepping back, “I needed some cheering up.”
“Tell me about
it,” Len said back, “I lost my job yesterday.”
“Oh no,” she
gasped, “But, what about your camera?”
“Don’t worry
about me…” he said, and took her hand, “come on, let’s go
back inside.” he said in a gentle voice.
“Okay.” she
whispered.
***
Lenard went to the
calendar in his house to check on his schedule for today. December
31st. “Hmm,” he thought to himself, then he
remembered that he also had more important plans for today.
“Hey dad! I’m
going out!” Len called.
From somewhere in
the house his father stepped out.
“Len, that
girlfriend of yours is taking all of your help out of this house.”
he said.
“Sorry dad, but I
have to go.”
“I’m just joking
with you Len, go on, get out of here. Have fun!”
***
Lenard walked up to
the house holding a bouquet of flowers behind his back. He knocked on
the door and waited. Then Jasmine poked her beautiful face out of
the door. She looked around and saw Len standing there.
“Excuse me sir,”
she said with an accent, “did you knock?”
“Well yes madam,”
Len said with the same accent, “I believe I did.”
They both laughed,
and Min came out of her house and hugged him.
“Are we ready to
go?” she asked.
“Yes,” Len said,
“But first..” and then he showed her the flowers.
“For you.” he
said with an accent while bowing.
“Oh Len!” Min
gasped, “Oh they’re beautiful!”
“Thank you,” he
said, “Come on, we have to go before people think we’re
loitering.”
“Okay.” Min said
with a laugh, and they were off.
***
When they both
arrived at their desired location they got out of the car. It was a
large, treeless, field filled with flowers.
“Len,” Min said,
“if you keep amazing me I won’t be able to top it.”
“That’s okay,”
Len said, “it’s my pleasure.”
They both walked
out to the field and
looked around at it’s picturesque landscape. Then Jasmine walked a
little further and turned around to look at Lenard.
“You want to dance
with me?”
“I don’t know.”
Len said, walking towards her, “I’m not the perfect dancer.”
“Come on Len,
please.” she said.
“Alright.” Len
said. And they started dancing.
“I wonder what
this looks like to other people watching us?” he said.
“Len,” Min said.
“Yeah?” he
replied.
“Just shut up and
dance.”
***
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