The scar sagged a little over the years, and it pained her to look at it. It had been years since the night she would rather forget because of what it caused and where it came from. She adjusted the straps of her sundress to cover her shoulder because she hated the sight of it. It ruined her otherwise flawless veneer with an unseeming crack on her porcelain skin and made her think less of herself because she wasn't as perfect as she used to be. Like a vintage stamp worth millions suddenly becoming a suitable replacement all because a corner was torn off. She struggled with these thoughts as she debated what to wear on her date that evening and hated every second. She hadn't been on a good date in years, and her insecurity had only built up since then. She wanted it to be perfect, and nothing seemed good enough for her first encounter with Jake. She remembered when she met him on the subway last Saturday afternoon after visiting her friends for lunch in the suburbs and was heading back into the city.
________________________________________________________________________________
She found an open spot and attempted to grab the handrail when the train kicked off with a jolt and sent her flying backward with a dish of leftover casserole in hand as the train careened forward. She braced for impact and instead landed in the arms of the man sitting down next to her, who had been transfixed on her the moment her heels stepped through the door. In one swift motion, his arm flew around her shoulders and snatched the tin foil covered leftovers out of mid-air. It took Jane a second before she realized that she was no longer headed for the floor and opened her tightly shut eyes. His hazel eyes were the first thing she saw and left her speechless as time seemed to stop when their eyes met as he brought her back to her feet.
"Looks like you broke your heel. Here, why don't you take my seat?" He said with his arm still around her. "Thank y... ouch, that stings" she said as her foot touched the ground. She steadied herself on his shoulder as he helped her to his seat. She gave him a smile that warmed his heart, and he found himself lost in her sky blue eyes when she spoke. "You know, it's been a while since anyone has swept me off my feet" she blurted out as she now found herself smitten with this knight in shining armor. "Well, it's a first for me" he jokingly replied with a smile and a wink that caused her to blush. "You know, this is my first ever subway ride, and I think I'm probably going the wrong way too? Maybe you could help me?""Of course I can. It's the least I can do"
Jane then showed him the transit map and explained the differences in all the coloured routes that were shown. He was headed in the right direction but on the wrong train. As she was pointing out the route they were on, the strap on her shoulder slipped off. Jake noticed the discoloration on her right shoulder, and she pulled the strap up in a flash as she continued and immediately felt self-conscious. "So, you'll have to get off two stops from now and catch the number 7 up to Straten Boulevard"
He noticed her awkwardness and felt her pain as he rolled up his sleeves to reveal a scar along the length of his forearm. He pointed at his stop with his scarred arm and traced the path to his destination. "Perfect! Maybe I'll actually make it on time" he said victoriously.
Jane noticed the charred scar on his arm and felt a swell of empathy for him. She felt her shyness subside as she somehow didn't feel as lonely as she normally did. She asked him about it and he told her the story about how his Labrador, Abby, was hiding under the bed when his house caught fire and how he saved her by pushing off a fiery panel that had her trapped her underneath. She couldn't believe how similar his story was to hers as she relayed it to him, except it was her Alsatian, Ruby, that saved her by pushing her out of the way of a speeding car and sent her flying into a broken bottle on the side of the road. Unfortunately, Ruby took the brunt of the impact and didn't make it. Jane had missed her terribly since that day, and the constant reminder on her shoulder never let her forget. It had been a while since she told anyone that story and it provided some relief when he told her how he was prepared to risk his life for Abby and how Ruby must have felt the same about her.
"We usually do all we can for those we love, and usually without consideration for ourselves." He said. He went on to say that his scar reminded him of Abby, especially since she passed on from old age within the last year. It felt like a knife pierced his heart every time he looked at it and he chose instead to have it remind him of all the good times they had. He realised that painful reminders don't have to stay that way if we don't want them to and that we're allowed to choose what we take from these moments in our lives.
"Well... that does sound like a better way to look at it" she said in a stammer. They made small talk for the rest of the trip until his stop, where they exchanged numbers and promised to meet up soon. Jane left feeling happy as she rode homeward into the sunset.
________________________________________________________________________________
He was right, she thought as she stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room while she tried on yet another outfit. She looked at the picture of Ruby on her bedside table and said, "This one is for you Ruby"
She stopped fussing and deliberately chose a top that would reveal her shoulders to proudly show off her mark of love. She headed out the door full of love while she remembered how Ruby would paw at her not to leave and how excited she was when she returned. Before she closed the door, she stopped, looked at the photo, and said "I'll see you again one day, my girl"
She blew a kiss and was off.
