A Modern Day Love Story – Chris Sharpe

Brad and Janet are in love, that’s all they really knew for sure. They’ve been in love from the moment they first laid eyes on each other, that sunny afternoon in the park. He had been texting his friend Bill when she had walked into his life. I mean literally, she had walked into him. You see, she had been texting her friend Sheila; both had been so busy bitterly complaining to their respective friends about the state of their love lives that neither had seen the other, and whack, they had collided. Cast yourself back with me now, lets relive it.

Cries of -“Oh, I’m really sorry, bloody mobiles, I was miles away” are met by “God, sorry are you OK?”

Next, blue eyes meet brown. Blue eyes dart over long blond hair, full lips. Brown eyes note strong jaw and trendy, floppy fringe. Blue eyes detect, (or desperately try not too) – on the outside edge of their range – splendid, full breasts, slim figure covered by flowery, light summer dress. Brown eyes go back to blue and lock together. The air seems electric; throats dry up, hearts race, stomachs bend, loins switch and sparkle.

What seems like an age passes and Brad breaks the silence, an introduction is fumbled; he knows what has happened and he knows what the next step is but is struck dumb and unable to articulate. They both laugh and the fear of losing what they have found passes on the breeze.

They then went for coffee and from there it grew like a child, maturing swiftly and healthily.

Back to the present and it’s 18 months from that magical summer day; Janet is stressed about work and Brad can’t seem to earn enough money. The tender moments are few and far between, the arguments more frequent than they would have dared believe possible. They are on the property ladder, just like everyone has been telling them they should be, but property has so many hidden nooks and crannies that just seem to suck away your money while you’re not looking. Brad worries about going home sometimes as Janet’s moods can be set off by the things that he doesn’t notice or think about; a glass left to dry on the draining board, a cushion left un-plumped, a window left unlocked. Janet gets annoyed with Brad’s lack of maturity, he needs to sort himself out, grow up and realise he’s a home owner, you should be proud of your home, respect it and take good care of it. But they don’t feel trapped; if they weren’t in love then they would sell up and move on. Both would be damaged by the experience but, if they weren’t in love, the damage would heal completely. If they let this glitch in their pairing break them and they go their separate ways, the damage would be irreparable. Thankfully they both know, but never admit to, this knowledge, both are stubborn, both are proud. Years from now things will be better, knots will be looser; wages will far outstrip repayments, eventually repayments will stop. “We’ll be flush one day.” Brad would say this when things got too much for them and they argued. But Janet is more ambitious and wants to live in the now but feels the constriction of their commitments. Why can’t she see? Thinks Brad, Everyone goes through this to some extent; we’re not the worst case out there are we? But his questions fall on deaf ears, or, if they are heard, fate merely shrugs and rubs her hands together; she always watches and guides in silence.

Talk of children calms things for a while; they even manage to approximate the happiness that started it all. But she loses the baby and things plunge to a new low; black despair sweeps our lovers away and threatens to smash them on jagged rocks. They dodge and swerve and eventually things go their way; they claw themselves out of the danger zone, promotions and realisations save the day. Each thinks of life without the other, alone in the world without their soul mate, that would be a million times worse than their lowest moments. They cling to each other, close their eyes through the trials and, when they dare glance about, they are in relative paradise. Girlfriend is now wife, partners are now parents. Things worked out, lessons were learned, love has brought the believers through its audition and found them to its liking.

Walking in that same park, years from now, others will meet in similar circumstances, trials will be set and limits reached. But is love tested or is love doing the testing? All our pair need to know is that Brad loves Janet and Janet loves Brad.

The End