Jenifer

Jennifer was the most beautiful girl in school. Every school has one so I am sure you can relate even if you do not know her. She was as close to perfect as I have ever seen. She was the type of girl that a guy like me could only watch from afar. She was on the Pom-Pom squad, in drama and played flute (I think) in band. She took ballet lessons at a dance studio in town. I know this because one day I was passing by as she came out of the door. We nearly collided with each other. I asked what she was doing there (mostly because I was(am) an idiot and couldn’t think of anything else). True to herself she answered as sweet as anything I have ever heard “I take ballet lessons here”. For the next year I went over that encounter again and again. Each time I had a new line that I should have used. Of course I never ran into her coming out of the door again.
I was never under the delusion that some day she might notice me. I just smiled at her when I could and dreamed about her most every night. We had some of the same classes together but we never sat close and I never really spoke to her. That is until two glorious days during our senior year.
It has been 24 years since then and I still think of it as one of the best days of my life. We were in science class together. I was not real big on science so I just plodded through the best I could. A few days before we had our big talk our teacher gave us an assignment that was to be done in groups. We were to design a paper wing that would lift when you put a fan in front of it (or something like that). The class broke into groups and me, being the ever popular guy I was, picked me for a partner. Well you can imagine my surprise when Jennifer came to my table and asked if I needed a partner. My jaw dropped, my heart stopped. I am sure I said something stupid I just can’t remember what. She smiled that angel smile and we began working on the wing as if we had been partners all our lives. Then disaster struck. Disaster in my life then often came in the form of Larry. This day was no exception. As soon as he saw Jennifer at my table he jumped right over there to “help us out”. I am not sure if it is 24 years of reliving those few days or I really saw it, but in my version she rolled her eyes as if to say “I can’t believe he ruined this for me”. I wanted to kill him. My one chance to talk to an angel and Larry happened. He was my best friend so I said nothing. It was a few days later when the teacher took the class to the library to research a report on something or other. Most of the class got their books right away and got to work. I wandered around for awhile then turned down on aisle and she was there. There was no halo or magical aura about her but I was, am, sure she was an angel standing right before me. I have no idea where I got the courage from but I said hi. She smiled back and began to chat with me. Before I knew what was happening we were sitting on the floor talking as if we had been friends for years. We talked about school and what we were going to do next. I was going to be a rock star, she was going to college. I told her that I thought she would have gone into dance. I could see her going to Broadway and making it on stage. She smiled and said that would be great but her parents insisted she go to college. We laughed about nothing and talked until class was up. We both took zeros on that assignment. I don’t recall ever talking to her again. We went the rest of the year as we had spent every other year. I would smile sheepishly at her in the halls and she would smile quietly back. Like I said, I had no delusions of her falling for me or anything like that. It is just one of those things I keep to myself. I pull it out on long winter nights when I am cold and lonely. It warms me like a cup of hot chocolate. Recently I got out my high school yearbook and looked her up. Most of us looked like dorks back then. But Jennifer was perfect. Even now her picture stings my heart.
It was one of the best days of my life.