Wistful Smile or Wishful Thinking

Chapter 4: Many Questions, few answers

Chapter 4: Many Questions, Few Answers

“You might think I'm a bad host if I let you sleep at the motel, so I'll let you in for the night. And by the way, why were you stranded here?” Jenna asked as she opened the door to her apartment.

“You tell us. Why are you here in Kansas?” Devon threw the question back at her.

“I asked first.”

Devon rolled his eyeballs in disgust. He always hated it when people do not answer his question even if he didn't ask first.

“Do you remember Troy and Ronda, the class president and vice president? They were married over the weekend at Boulder, Colorado. We were invited and so we went there. Unfortunately for us, we have to ride back to Kansas City. That's where we first landed. Cassandra drove all the way from Boston till Chicago because she was on vacation. When she knew that we'd be coming to Kansas City, she drove all the way from Chicago to KC. Isn't she a trooper?” Conrad said, winking at Cassandra. The latter just laughed the comment off.

“Anyway, I have a spare room here. You guys can share that room. I'll have Cassandra here with me-”

“It's okay, Jen. I'll just sleep in the couch.”

The guys immediately made themselves feel at home by arguing over who should get the remote control. When Tyler won the paper-scissor-stone game, he shouted his hurray and began flipping through the channels. On one of the channels was WWF, so they watched it instead. Conrad was crestfallen because the Red Sox was supposed to have a game that weekend and he can't even see it on TV. Cassandra helped Jenna prepare for dinner.

&&&

Jenna unknowingly exited out of the house at 8 in the evening. It was her habit to go out and jog just so that she could sleep properly. Heading towards main street with music in her ears, she jogged. The evening zephyr felt nice on her skin. Her hair danced as the wind brushed against it.

Main street was unusually quiet that evening despite the fact that people usually flock to the diners. A lone 1994 Ford F150 passed by, its radio blaring a Wiz Khalifa song. The passengers were raising their hands high like they were on drugs, saying “Yeaaaah babehhh!” when the truck passed by Jenna. As she took no heed of them, they left her alone. She reckoned they were college students.

“You should have invited me for a jog,” someone suddenly announced. Jenna almost tripped when she came to a halt. She punched Curtis's arms before she jogged in place.

“You could have me at ER with your sudden appearance! And no, I don't invite guests to my jogging sessions. This is my way of winding down before I go to bed. Inviting someone would only make me talk to him more and I wouldn't be able to wind down.”

“You have a weird hobby, I can see. Some things never change, don't they?”

Not heeding him, the gal continued jogging. Curtis, unperturbed by his classmate's coldness, jogged along. They did this in total silence. A few minutes later, Jenna started slowing down to a walk. She never announced this, so Curtis made the wrong move of jogging till he didn't see Jenna with him. He turned around to see her behind him a few feet away.

“Jenna, I wish you'd be amiable to me just like the old times. I wish we could talk like we used to.”

Puffing out some air as she stopped, Jenna placed her hands on her hips. “Things will never be the same for us, Curtis. You are already married. So please stop flirting with me.”

“I'm not flirting with you. I just wanted to talk to you as an old friend.”

“Was that all I was to you? And did you even consider me your friend?”

“Yes.”

“Then, that's settled. There's nothing more to talk.”

The air of uneasiness hung heavily between them. “I knew you had unexpectedly watched me and Amanda making out in the music room. Devon saw you.”

It seemed as if a bucket of ice-cold water was hurled to Jenna's face. She stood there, aghast. She did see the act, but she didn't know that she'd been caught. Unable to answer any further, Jenna turned on her heels and headed for home. But Curtis held her wrist.

“I need to talk to you. I had so many questions. Why you did not agree to become bridesmaid? There's really nothing to do at Rutgers, right? You just used that as an excuse not to come.”

Dagger-gazes were thrown straight to Curtis. “I had some important business at Rutgers.”

“Then why are you here in Kansas?”

“That's none of your business.”

“You still love me, don't you?”

A slap smacked the guy's face. Curtis felt the smack hit and shake his brain as he nursed his cheek.

“Wow, that's...startling...”

Jenna's chest began to tighten. It seems as if something was about to explode inside her guts, and it was though as bile was starting to rise to her throat. She felt lightheaded. Tears were threatening to fall again. That same feeling she felt ten years came back.

“That..that was ten years ago, Curtis. I don't love you anymore. I...I am a changed person now...”

“Then, can I reckon that it's a coincidence that we met today?”

“There is no such thing as a coincidence...and you being at ER was something you did not expect would happen. And it could have been someone who...who could had you this morning...I could be somewhere..I could be back in Pennsylvania when you...” and tears fell from her eyes like water from an overflowing dam.

“If you've only known...I announced that wedding to make you jealous...”

The look of hurt and hatred were back. Jenna was suddenly washed with the reality that she had been fooled all along. Those ten painful years that she nursed her grievances seemed to laugh at her mockingly.

“How could you?”

“I reckoned I'd extract my revenge when I saw you this morning. I hated you all those years, and I still hated you. But...I feel like I've gone too far...I didn't mean to be so rude...I...”

And he hugged Jenna.