Jen's Valentine Day Curse (A Short Story)
Judy Ramsook
February 03, 2010
Jen´s Valentine Curse
"So, what are you and Steve doing for Valentine´s day?" asked Marie, Jen´s best friend of fifteen years.
Jen, with her attractive oval shaped face and shoulder length brown hair quickly checked her cell phone for missed calls and looked across the lunch table at Marie.
Chewy´s Italian Grill was always crowded, especially if you got there right at lunch or dinner time. And today, a week away from Valentine´s Day was no exception.
"You know, I don´t know," answered Jen in a soft, friendly tone. She then took a swig from her beer mug and scanned the large restaurant dining room and returned her attention to Marie.
"Well, he must be doing something right, ´cause I haven´t seen you this happy in a while," chuckled Marie. Her short, light brown hair glistened in the noon day light as she passed her deep blue eyes over Jen.
"I don´t know if he´s got anything planned, but I´m looking forward to the day," replied Jen. She took in another mouthful of beer.
"I mean it´s been a while since you´ve actually had someone to share Valentine´s day with, hasn´t it? asked Marie.
Jen swallowed hard at her friend´s truthful words.
"Try like never. I´ve never really had a romantic interest to share it with. Well, you know my track record. My relationships always have a way of ending before the big day. I think I´m jinxed or something," Jen ended off with a light laugh.
"Nah, I don´t think you´re jinxed. How long have you and Steve been together now? Three months?" said Marie.
"Yeah, just about," replied Jen, "should I be scared?"
"No, of course not. Just have fun," said Marie.
"I am having fun, actually, and he is nice," returned Jen.
"Yeah, I can tell you´re having fun," smiled Marie.
"It just feels, I don´t know, different, knowing this time I´ll have someone to spend Valentine´s day with," said Jen.
"Well, I´m happy for you," said Marie.
II
A cheerful Steve strolled into Jen´s cozy one bedroom apartment and stepped into the kitchen where she was preparing a light dinner.
He was a tall guy, about six feet, not fat or thin, but kind of thick and strong looking. Jen liked that, and the way he wrapped those robust arms around her.
He grabbed Jen by the waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck.
"Smells good, what you got there?" asked Steve, still holding Jen´s slender body close to his.
"Some chicken in the oven and I just made a little salad here," said a happy Jen.
"Mmm, can I talk to you about something?" Steve asked.
At once Jen got a funny feeling she did not want to get. Not now, not again. But she tried to keep her cheerful wits about her.
"You wanna talk now or after dinner?" she asked.
"You know, I´m not that hungry," he answered.
Jen immediately turned off the oven, certain that the chicken was already cooked and they both headed into the nearby sitting room.
"What´s this about?" she asked.
"Us," came the response Jen did not want.
"Us, what, is there a problem?" said Jen.
Steve remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"I´m used to being with women who are more aggressive than you are, you know, so that way I don´t end up getting rejected," he said.
Surprised and still trying to process the information, Jen looked at Steve with a serious gaze.
"You mean women who are more sexually aggressive than I am? They usually initiated sex, not you?" said Jen.
"Yeah, I like that and you don´t do that, at least not all the time and I think we should be dating other people."
After he left, Jen did not know what to feel. The thing was, she was so accustomed to feeling disappointed, that for the time being, she tried to block the feeling from returning.
"He said I wasn´t aggressive enough," said Jen to Marie later that evening during a telephone conversation.
"Gees, what did he want you to do, throw him down and jump in his lap all the time?" said Marie.
"Maybe, he said something about rejection too," continued Jen.
"Oh, I get it," said Marie, "if you make all the moves, he won´t have to worry about you pulling away if he wanted sex and you weren´t, shall we say, in the mood."
"I guess," said Jen.
"Well, at least he didn´t break up with you on the ´phone or in a text message," said Marie.
"Yeah," said Jen.
And after she hung up the phone, Jen thought to herself:
"Well here I come, one more Valentine´s day without someone. Maybe I am jinxed after all. Screw you February. Screw you!!"
"So, what are you and Steve doing for Valentine´s day?" asked Marie, Jen´s best friend of fifteen years.
Jen, with her attractive oval shaped face and shoulder length brown hair quickly checked her cell phone for missed calls and looked across the lunch table at Marie.
Chewy´s Italian Grill was always crowded, especially if you got there right at lunch or dinner time. And today, a week away from Valentine´s Day was no exception.
"You know, I don´t know," answered Jen in a soft, friendly tone. She then took a swig from her beer mug and scanned the large restaurant dining room and returned her attention to Marie.
"Well, he must be doing something right, ´cause I haven´t seen you this happy in a while," chuckled Marie. Her short, light brown hair glistened in the noon day light as she passed her deep blue eyes over Jen.
"I don´t know if he´s got anything planned, but I´m looking forward to the day," replied Jen. She took in another mouthful of beer.
"I mean it´s been a while since you´ve actually had someone to share Valentine´s day with, hasn´t it? asked Marie.
Jen swallowed hard at her friend´s truthful words.
"Try like never. I´ve never really had a romantic interest to share it with. Well, you know my track record. My relationships always have a way of ending before the big day. I think I´m jinxed or something," Jen ended off with a light laugh.
"Nah, I don´t think you´re jinxed. How long have you and Steve been together now? Three months?" said Marie.
"Yeah, just about," replied Jen, "should I be scared?"
"No, of course not. Just have fun," said Marie.
"I am having fun, actually, and he is nice," returned Jen.
"Yeah, I can tell you´re having fun," smiled Marie.
"It just feels, I don´t know, different, knowing this time I´ll have someone to spend Valentine´s day with," said Jen.
"Well, I´m happy for you," said Marie.
II
A cheerful Steve strolled into Jen´s cozy one bedroom apartment and stepped into the kitchen where she was preparing a light dinner.
He was a tall guy, about six feet, not fat or thin, but kind of thick and strong looking. Jen liked that, and the way he wrapped those robust arms around her.
He grabbed Jen by the waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck.
"Smells good, what you got there?" asked Steve, still holding Jen´s slender body close to his.
"Some chicken in the oven and I just made a little salad here," said a happy Jen.
"Mmm, can I talk to you about something?" Steve asked.
At once Jen got a funny feeling she did not want to get. Not now, not again. But she tried to keep her cheerful wits about her.
"You wanna talk now or after dinner?" she asked.
"You know, I´m not that hungry," he answered.
Jen immediately turned off the oven, certain that the chicken was already cooked and they both headed into the nearby sitting room.
"What´s this about?" she asked.
"Us," came the response Jen did not want.
"Us, what, is there a problem?" said Jen.
Steve remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"I´m used to being with women who are more aggressive than you are, you know, so that way I don´t end up getting rejected," he said.
Surprised and still trying to process the information, Jen looked at Steve with a serious gaze.
"You mean women who are more sexually aggressive than I am? They usually initiated sex, not you?" said Jen.
"Yeah, I like that and you don´t do that, at least not all the time and I think we should be dating other people."
After he left, Jen did not know what to feel. The thing was, she was so accustomed to feeling disappointed, that for the time being, she tried to block the feeling from returning.
"He said I wasn´t aggressive enough," said Jen to Marie later that evening during a telephone conversation.
"Gees, what did he want you to do, throw him down and jump in his lap all the time?" said Marie.
"Maybe, he said something about rejection too," continued Jen.
"Oh, I get it," said Marie, "if you make all the moves, he won´t have to worry about you pulling away if he wanted sex and you weren´t, shall we say, in the mood."
"I guess," said Jen.
"Well, at least he didn´t break up with you on the ´phone or in a text message," said Marie.
"Yeah," said Jen.
And after she hung up the phone, Jen thought to herself:
"Well here I come, one more Valentine´s day without someone. Maybe I am jinxed after all. Screw you February. Screw you!!"
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