Hmmmm…deep breath. Before I get into this Life Crash Moment,
I feel it necessary to offer a disclaimer. I am not encouraging Jenny’s
method of enlightenment. You probably should not try this at home…well…not
until the end. That sounds yummy! And Jenny…please don’t be upset. You are a
remarkable human, which is why I am sharing your story. Thank you! Thank you so
much for gifting it to us! Ok, deep breath…so here goes.
Jenny sat in her driveway, engine running, hands gripped tightly over the steering wheel. She needed to press the garage door opener, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. He would hear it, and just like every day before this one for the last two years, he’d be waiting for her. It wouldn’t matter how she entered the house…wearing a smile, armed with a new stupid joke, sad and needy, completely stoic, or mad as hell…his greeting would never change. She knew, because she had tried all of them.
“What took you so long? You should have been home ages ago?”
Travis barked. As usual.
“Stopped by the store,” Jenny replied with her sweetest
smile then handed him the bottle of wine she’d picked up to cover her lie. She’d
spent the extra time sitting in the parking lot of the store, engine running.
Stalling. As usual.
Travis accepted the wine, placed it on the kitchen counter,
then eyed her suspiciously.
“Fine,” he said brusquely. “I’ll be working in my office.
Another asinine project with a ridiculous deadline. These people are morons.
You know where to find me if you need me,” and with one last glance, he turned
and marched to his office.
Once he was out of earshot, Jenny let out a long deep sigh,
shaking her head. Grateful. At least, she did not have to suffer through the
half hour version of his rantings. How had she ever convinced herself that
this man was her Mr. Right? Snatching the wine from the counter, she
grabbed a glass and a corkscrew then headed for the sofa. And…this is how it
had been for as long as she could remember. So, months ago, she resorted to
drastic measures and took her happiness into her own hands.
A book club. A close circle of her friends had created it over a year prior, but she had resisted their invitations. Too busy. Too slammed with the demands of work and home. All of her excuses? Lies. Every single one of them. But no more.
Enter Meridian Stone: The Transition. (Yay!) Jenny was excited about the premise of magick and was genuinely enthralled by the mythological and supernatural, but as she read further, she was stunned. Like…drop to the floor stunned. Her friends had warned her that the book was ‘a bit racy’, but Holy Hades… She’d never read anything like this before, but after the initial shock, she found herself overtaken, sucked in by magick and warriors and a female who would never take the crap she had. She found herself crying and laughing openly, alone and with her friends, as they recounted their thoughts during the meetings. It felt good. Really good.
It also forced her to realize just how much was missing in her own life. (Soooo…this is where I got a little unnerved.) Jenny made a vow to make up all of her losses. With Jim. With Larry. With Sam. And, yes…with Kyle. Her new Mr. Rights. (Uhhhh) She was determined to try every one of her favorite chapters with every one of her new friends…with benefits. Hey, but there was an impact at home. Travis still waited for her when she arrived, but the conversation had definitely changed.
“Jenny, where have you been lately?” Travis asked, voice
shaky.
“You know…work is crazy. Plus, I have the book club. Remember?”
Jenny lied, as she placed the 3rd bottle of wine of the week on the
kitchen counter. Travis didn’t even glance at it.
“But…I never see you anymore. You don’t get home until midnight, then you’re gone before 5am. We never speak anymore.” Whining.
The 5am was tough, but it was the only time she could see
Larry, and he was exceptional at certain things. Kyle was always free in the
evenings, and he was a feisty one.
“Really? I’m surprised you’ve even missed me. Need someone
to complain to?” she asked snidely, turning from him as she retrieved the
ignored wine.
“Complain to? No… I need my girlfriend home with me!” Yelling…that was new.
“Ok. I’ll be home at 11:30 tonight,” she replied
dismissively.
“But…”
Then…Jenny was out the door, after shoving a banana into her purse. There would be no time for lunch today. Jim could only get together in the early afternoon, his lunchtime. And Sam happened to love this wine. (So sassy)
At 12:05am, Jenny crept into her home, oddly, feeling a bit guilty for arriving past her self-imposed curfew. Tossing her clothing onto the bathroom floor, she slipped into the shower, leaning against the tiles. Exhausted. In the beginning, she’d drowned herself in her new pleasure quest, but juggling so many men was starting to get to her. Physically and emotionally. They were all fine men, virile and free of complaint, but she found each lacking in something. And it gnawed at her, little by little, stealing away increments of her satisfaction during each session. She needed more.
For so long, Travis had irritated the hell out of her with his aloofness and incessant dissatisfaction with everything, but for some reason, she had never broken it off with him. Just moped through the suffering. And now, she was creeping about like some adolescent brat. Like Alessandria. Before…
“What are you doing?” Travis’ voice startled her, making her aware that she’d dozed in the shower.
“Uhhh, what does it look like? I’m showering,” she stammered
out, shivering under the now frigid water.
“Asleep, Jenny! You were asleep in the damn shower!”
“Fine, so what are you going to do about it? Whine? Whine! Whine! Until I feel as horrible as possible!” Jenny shouted, completely fed up. Mostly with herself. She could not believe she’d zonked out in the shower.
“No, I have something else in mind,” he said in such a way that shut down the chattering of her teeth. Eyes blazing. In such a way she hadn’t seen from him in a very long time.
Jenny watched as he stripped off his pj bottoms, all he was
wearing, and stepped into the shower stall.
“What are you doing, Travis?”
His answer was to spin her around, so quickly she barely missed stumbling over her own feet, before flattening her palms over the tile wall. (Oh my) And…Jenny’s Life Crash Moment had arrived.
“Let’s see if you can guess which chapter this is from,” he breathed, right into her ear, sending her entire body into shudders.
She opened her mouth to speak but found herself speechless…when her feet were kicked apart and his hand fisted in her hair. (Ooh! Ooh! I can guess which one…)Nothing left her mouth but helpless noises for the next hour or so, as he reminded her exactly why she once believed him to be Mr. Right. (Yepper…definitely the one! You go, Travis!)
The rest of the story…
As you’ve probably guessed, Travis is no idiot. It took him all of two weeks to figure out just what his suddenly absent girlfriend was up to. After his rage subsided, he reached out to one of Jenny’s book club buddies, and she was more than happy to provide him with the full scoop. He learned about Meridian Stone: The Transition and how unhappy Jenny was with him. Most specifically…his dour demeanor. Apparently, the ladies spoke about much more than just books at their meetings.
It required awhile to come to terms with all of it, especially owning up to his dreadful behavior. Since he could never leave Jenny…because damn…he loved the woman, he’d have to find a way to prove he was enough. That she did not need a mess of other men to be fulfilled. He’d done it in the beginning but had allowed life to intercede, to steal him away from the most important thing in that life. So…he decided to jump into hers. To read Meridian Stone: The Transition.
As for Jenny… One night in a cold shower had turned into the hottest experience she’d ever had. It was also all it took for her to understand exactly why she had not found the fulfillment she’d sought. With Jim. With Larry. With Sam. And, yes…with Kyle. All of her Mr. Rights had been all wrong, because they were not Travis. Though she’d read Meridian Stone: The Transition countless times, reenacted scenes over and over, she’d missed a crucial lesson. Love. The more. That exquisite thing that had prevented her from breaking up with Travis. She loved him. Deeply. Instead of looking for happiness elsewhere, she should have just sat down and told him how she felt. Communicated like a grownup. Fought through the storm. Like Alessandria. After…
And following that amazing tryst in the shower? Travis surprised her with a gift. Meridian Stone: The Awakening (Book 2 of the Series). (So love you, Travis!) And this time? Oh, yes, Jenny brought every one of her favorite chapters to life, repeatedly, but only with Travis. Her true Mr. Right.
My thoughts…
Thanks again, Jenny! I know how difficult this story was for you to share, and I am extremely grateful for your courage. I am wishing you and Travis the best of all things, together. Life is a difficult adventure, and can certainly throw us upon perilous paths, but through wisdom, faith, and a whole bunch of that wondrous thing called love, we can find our way. And you are so right. Communication is key in any relationship. Without it, our minds and hearts have a way of conjuring monstrous things, and most of the time, our conclusions are inaccurate. Keep talking and holding each other through the tough spots. They will come, but I am sure that you and Travis are more than equipped to weather them. Ummm…and just for future reference, girlfriend…less is definitely more.
And Travis…you are a fine man. I don’t know how many
could move past what you discovered. Your love for Jenny is one that I will always
remember. And I am sure she recognizes how fortunate she is. Just…please don’t
start with the complaining again. So annoying. It’s normal to rant about,
now and then, but constantly? Life is too full of magick to waste it on that
sort of stuff. If you feel the urge, just pick up a book. Preferably…😊
I look forward to hearing from you, too. Yeah…YOU…reading
this post. You are invaluable, priceless, and your contribution is uber
important. Plus, a girl can’t have too many fearless friends! Let’s hear from you
today. If you want to remain anonymous, that’s cool. Just stop hesitating and
share. 2019 is your year to be bold. Be MORE! You’ll never know what magick
you’ll find or inspire…until you let us
see you. Really see you!
