Tuesday, July 7. 2009
The Date
Quite some time ago, Jenny had fallen for Darren. At that time, of course, he never realized. Jenny, from next door, was just a friend. A good friend, though. He told her just about everything.
He told her, how he kept bending over letting his shirt slip down his back a little, so that the chicks he wished to seduce could see bare skin. He told her how he talked to them, telling them what they wanted to hear. How he sang and played for them their favorite songs. And how they fell for him, and how stupid that was. And furthermore, how insignificant. That what he was really looking for, if his separate brain was not concerned, was a deeper meaning.
Jenny had always listened and watched in silence, not even allowing herself to hope that he would take notice of her and her needs. And when he had paused to let her add something, she had agreed to his words and come up with something witty. He had laughed, then, and had pretended to punch her.
Sometimes she had also been a lot gutsier. Then she had told him true love meant that you had a place in the whole wide universe where you could always meet. The Eiffel Tower, for example, the Colosseum, the Chinese Wall. Or your favorite street in the world, like 5th Avenue, or Sunset Boulevard, or Meridian Street. And that she would always go for the big old clock at London, Waterloo.
It wasn't that she was on his leash. He respected her as a human being. It was just as if she wasn't female at all, and maybe she wasn't, then.
Nothing had changed, when Jenny suddenly was gone. For the simplest reason she had had to leave, her father had to take over at another branch of his big company in another part of the world. It had happened so fast that especially Darren did not realise what was happening until it had happened.
And then, suddenly, he felt like in a stupid pop song, so lost without her. Where had she gone the girl from next door? And she had been a girl, he now realised, suddenly remembering her smile, her glance. Writing was nothing, he just couldn't do it. And what would he have been writing about anyway. He couldn't explain to her what he felt, as he could hardly explain it to himself.
So time went on, and Darren pushed everything aside. He left school, went to college, and then to university, and became a teacher. Who would have believed that he who had hated learning so much would now be standing in front of a class talking about history, and stuff.
Now and then, he had a girlfriend, but for some reason he could never find the depths in their relationship those women seemed to expect, and so they went, one after the other. He would have talked to them, though, if could have explained. But he could hardly explain it to himself.
His life was somehow incomplete and he dared not to allow himself to admit why that was. Only when he was with his music, when he was composing one of his songs, then he was content. Then he could tell what wasn't to be told, could ask the questions that where never asked.
And one day, that special song came right out of the middle of nowhere, as perfect as it was. It told their story, his and Jenny's. The story that never was. There were no names involved though. But it was about couples that had lost track and where now meeting in all sorts of places on this world, where true love had led them to. And the refrain made him, again and again, go to London Waterloo. He would wait there every 2nd of July at noon, because that is the middle day of most years, and noon is the middle of each day. It was the ultimate time and place for lovers. And he would go there only for one reason, to apologize to her for not realizing what she was, and who she was, with no demands, no expectations whatsoever.
Darren recorded the song and sent it to the local radio station, just because he wanted to hear it now and then, unexpectedly, as that made him happy. And just as unexpectedly, the song became quite a hit, before Darren understood what was happening. And furthermore, the kids in his school suddenly seemed to have more interest in history. And they seemed to expect him to go away soon.
He explained to them, that this one song meant nothing careerwise, and that it was nice to earn some extra money but that he was not going anywhere. They all stared at him, and one girl stood up and asked what everyone else probably wanted to ask, whether he wasn't planning on going to London for the upcoming 2nd of July.
Darren looked a little puzzled, and then, in realizing what they were thinking, laughed heartily. A song, it was only a song! he told them.
But when he went home that day, he suddenly felt a little uneasy. What if -? He shook his head and pushed away any upcoming thought. So many years had passed by, nearly fifteen altogether. It was stupid to hope for anything at all.
He could not let go. And one morning while he was brushing his teeth he realized that hope wasn't even important. That he had to do this anyway. That this was significant. And he picked up the phone and booked his journey.
You want to know how he got there, and what happened then? Well, then I suggest you go and find out for yourself. On any 2nd of July at noon, London Waterloo Station, underneath the big clock.
>> The clock
© 2009
He told her, how he kept bending over letting his shirt slip down his back a little, so that the chicks he wished to seduce could see bare skin. He told her how he talked to them, telling them what they wanted to hear. How he sang and played for them their favorite songs. And how they fell for him, and how stupid that was. And furthermore, how insignificant. That what he was really looking for, if his separate brain was not concerned, was a deeper meaning.
Jenny had always listened and watched in silence, not even allowing herself to hope that he would take notice of her and her needs. And when he had paused to let her add something, she had agreed to his words and come up with something witty. He had laughed, then, and had pretended to punch her.
Sometimes she had also been a lot gutsier. Then she had told him true love meant that you had a place in the whole wide universe where you could always meet. The Eiffel Tower, for example, the Colosseum, the Chinese Wall. Or your favorite street in the world, like 5th Avenue, or Sunset Boulevard, or Meridian Street. And that she would always go for the big old clock at London, Waterloo.
It wasn't that she was on his leash. He respected her as a human being. It was just as if she wasn't female at all, and maybe she wasn't, then.
Nothing had changed, when Jenny suddenly was gone. For the simplest reason she had had to leave, her father had to take over at another branch of his big company in another part of the world. It had happened so fast that especially Darren did not realise what was happening until it had happened.
And then, suddenly, he felt like in a stupid pop song, so lost without her. Where had she gone the girl from next door? And she had been a girl, he now realised, suddenly remembering her smile, her glance. Writing was nothing, he just couldn't do it. And what would he have been writing about anyway. He couldn't explain to her what he felt, as he could hardly explain it to himself.
So time went on, and Darren pushed everything aside. He left school, went to college, and then to university, and became a teacher. Who would have believed that he who had hated learning so much would now be standing in front of a class talking about history, and stuff.
Now and then, he had a girlfriend, but for some reason he could never find the depths in their relationship those women seemed to expect, and so they went, one after the other. He would have talked to them, though, if could have explained. But he could hardly explain it to himself.
His life was somehow incomplete and he dared not to allow himself to admit why that was. Only when he was with his music, when he was composing one of his songs, then he was content. Then he could tell what wasn't to be told, could ask the questions that where never asked.
And one day, that special song came right out of the middle of nowhere, as perfect as it was. It told their story, his and Jenny's. The story that never was. There were no names involved though. But it was about couples that had lost track and where now meeting in all sorts of places on this world, where true love had led them to. And the refrain made him, again and again, go to London Waterloo. He would wait there every 2nd of July at noon, because that is the middle day of most years, and noon is the middle of each day. It was the ultimate time and place for lovers. And he would go there only for one reason, to apologize to her for not realizing what she was, and who she was, with no demands, no expectations whatsoever.
Darren recorded the song and sent it to the local radio station, just because he wanted to hear it now and then, unexpectedly, as that made him happy. And just as unexpectedly, the song became quite a hit, before Darren understood what was happening. And furthermore, the kids in his school suddenly seemed to have more interest in history. And they seemed to expect him to go away soon.
He explained to them, that this one song meant nothing careerwise, and that it was nice to earn some extra money but that he was not going anywhere. They all stared at him, and one girl stood up and asked what everyone else probably wanted to ask, whether he wasn't planning on going to London for the upcoming 2nd of July.
Darren looked a little puzzled, and then, in realizing what they were thinking, laughed heartily. A song, it was only a song! he told them.
But when he went home that day, he suddenly felt a little uneasy. What if -? He shook his head and pushed away any upcoming thought. So many years had passed by, nearly fifteen altogether. It was stupid to hope for anything at all.
He could not let go. And one morning while he was brushing his teeth he realized that hope wasn't even important. That he had to do this anyway. That this was significant. And he picked up the phone and booked his journey.
You want to know how he got there, and what happened then? Well, then I suggest you go and find out for yourself. On any 2nd of July at noon, London Waterloo Station, underneath the big clock.
>> The clock
© 2009
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry