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13 Ocak 2023, 12:03
It was a warm summer?s evening in the middle of July; Jennifer and her husband Myron were attending the wedding of Myron?s sister. The wedding ceremony had been earlier in the afternoon, but the bride, groom and wedding party had gone off to have photographs taken, so there was a break of about an hour or two before the reception was due to start. Jennifer, Myron and their two children had gone with the wedding party to have pictures taken, but those had been over rather quickly, and now the bride and groom were being photographed.The wedding reception, for reasons that Jennifer didn?t fully know, was adults only. So her two children were taken back to the house with an elderly aunt, who claimed tiredness from the lateness of the events. When Jennifer and her husband Myron walked into the reception space of the Hotel, Jennifer stopped straight in her tracks. Her breathing deepened, her eyes widened and she went pale. She hadn?t seen him in nearly twenty four years.?Are you okay?? Myron asked, looking at his wife oddly.?I?m fine,? she answered, perhaps a little too abruptly. Her eyes lingered on him for a little longer, and then she smiled at her husband, not only to reassure him but to reassure herself. She went sat down with him near the top table, with Myron?s parents.For the whole evening she was in an odd mood. Memories of times gone by kept flashing in front of her eyes. She saw herself as she was when she knew him, when she was eighteen years old. She remembered how close they were, how much they had loved each other, not only as a brother and sister would, but as best friends, lovers and soul-matesWhen she was eighteen years old she lived in a cul-de-sac halfway between Downers Grove and Oak Brook. Ric Anderson lived next door to her. They were best friends, he was like the brother she never had. They loved each other, and Ric told her this every day. He was in an up-and-coming band back then, Sledgehammer. Everyone was talking about them, they were the latest street band to hit the music scene. Jennifer Bouvier, as she then was, went to all of his gigs, despite the fact that she was under twenty-one.During a particular gig at the dive bar Scorpio, which was now long shut down, Ric dedicated a song to Jennifer, singing it in his low and melodic crooners? voice. After the song Jennifer got up on stage and the young pair kissed for the first time. Later that evening they went home together, and they slept together. This was Jennifer?s first time ever. That night Ric had her virginity. After that first night it was hard for the pair to get together. But they managed to find time. They went on a sexual journey together that was full of firsts and love. But this was cut short after only two months.Ric?s band Sledgehammer was noticed by a talent scout and before the band knew it, they were signed first to a small Indie label and they started touring around Chicago and the Midwest. Then they garnered the attention of the Hollywood music hotshots, and Sledgehammer found themselves with a recording contract and money. Within the first year of being signed they released their debut album, "Hand of silence", which found much critical acclaim and commercial success.They went on national and worldwide tours with all the big grunge and alternative bands of the day, playing to stadiums packed with people. It was a dream come true for Ric. But the fame was not to last. Almost as soon as they were on the radar, they dropped off. Subsequent albums that the band released were panned by critics and hated by fans. They flopped. People now accused Sledgehammer of being sell-outs, the worst thing any band or artist could be called.By 1996 the band was on hiatus with feuds between band members and record executives being well documented. The band gained a reputation for being difficult to work with and manage. People started refusing to work with them. Ric was the only member of the band doing anything productive. He was the only member writing or trying to get work done. The other band members were only interested in the money, drugs and chicks.At the urging of the record label in late 1997 the band released an album of old covers, which was met with mild success. Critics liked the band?s take on old rock classics şişli escort (http://sisliescort34.com/) and the style they added, but for Sledgehammer it was the beginning of the end. The in-fighting and feuding between members got too much for Ric; he left the band and went solo. Not long after that the lead singer Bobby Mays died of a drug overdose.For Ric Anderson, that was confirmation for him to leave the corporate music world. He returned to the Indie label and embarked on small tours across America and Canada. He gained a small cult following, there were new fans and some old, who liked that Ric had returned to the original Sledgehammer sound. He was a singer by this stage, as well as playing the bass. It was always good to be multi-talented in the music world. Versatile, was the word commonly used to describe the now solo Ric Anderson.But the music business could be a harsh mistress, even the independent Indie labels. Ric and his backup band now played clubs, pubs and events, and while it wasn?t the dizzying fame and heights he had once known in his twenties, it was a somewhat constant source of money for him and the band. Ric enjoyed it, he wanted for nothing. He had everything he could ever want. Well, not everything. There was one thing he wanted, and the knowledge that he had let it go hurt him and made him sad.Just as he and the band had finished that particular song, he saw her. He saw her for the first time in twenty something years. And she had noticed him as well. Oh my God , he thought. Oh my God ! He managed to break himself from his trance and get himself together enough to continue playing. Sweet little Jennifer Bouvier was here. The girl with whom he had shared so much, the girl he used to live next door to. His first love. His only love.For the whole evening his mind was on her. He watched her interact with the other wedding guests and people he assumed were family members with the familiarity between them. She hadn?t changed one bit. Well, of course she had, she wasn?t eighteen anymore. She was a woman now, but she was still as beautiful as ever. The years had been kind to her. Her hair, while not as dark and shiny as it used to be, had mellowed out to a lighter color, but there were no signs of gray or fading yet. Her fair skin was still luminous and clear, and from where he was standing, her blue eyes were still bewitching as ever. He had to speak with her, or in the very least, see her up close. But how? How would that happen? How would he do that?The opportunity presented itself to him when his band took a twenty minute break from playing. Jennifer was sitting at the table by herself, speaking on her phone to someone. She pressed the button to end the call and looked around the room, smiling at people she knew. Without even realizing it, Ric had started walking towards her table. He wasn?t aware of his own legs taking him there, he wasn?t in control of himself anymore. His legs were independent from the rest of him. She looked up at him, and her face went pale again; she was expressionless.?May I?? he asked, his voice catching slightly.He was nervous. Jennifer nodded, and Ric sat down opposite her. He couldn?t believe it was actually her, and she couldn?t believe it was actually him. They looked at each other, taking the other in and not saying anything. Ric had grown up a lot since last she saw him. He had a mature handsomeness about him, not the pretty boy ruffian he formerly was.?So how have you been?? Jennifer managed to croak out awkwardly.?Good. Life is good. I can?t complain,? Ric replied.Things had been so natural between them before, was this how it would be from now on? Awkward chance encounters where conversation seemed unnatural??Congratulations with the band,? Jennifer said. ?I was always your biggest supporter. I was sorry to hear about Bobby?s passing.?Ric smiled ruefully. ?A lot of people weren?t. By the end of it Bobby had turned into this dark and sinister person. He hurt a lot of people and put them through a lot. I?m just sorry that I had waited until two weeks before his death to make my peace with him. I wish that I?d had more time. But you know, hindsight is a wonderful thing.??At least you made your peace. I?m sure there are people out there who wished they had tried şişli escort bayan (http://sisliescort34.com/) to help him and take that first step like you did,? she replied.Jennifer?s husband Myron came back over to the table and looked at Ric suspiciously. ?Darling,? Jennifer said standing up. ?This is Ric Anderson. He and I used to live next to each other as children and play together. Ric this is my husband Myron Fletcher.??Nice to meet you,? Ric said standing up and shaking Myron?s hand.Play together, Ric thought. More like lovers. Ric wondered if Myron knew this. He felt an odd sense of pride that he?d had Jennifer before this man did. Ric didn?t like Myron at all, and he was certain the feeling was mutual. There was something about Myron. A vibe of distrust. Myron shook Ric?s hand and nodded at him, giving this man the once over.?I?m going out to the balcony with some of the other guys to have cigars and brandy,? said Myron.Ric noticed that he spoke to Jennifer like she was an idiot. He was very condescending in his manner of dealing with his wife. He was a man of average height, his fair hair was starting to thin and his russet brown eyes were forever roving and judging people, Ric was certain. He was handsome, sure, but there was an arrogant smugness in his face that made one want to punch him. He just had that manner about him.?Does he always talk to you like that?? Ric asked as the pair sat back down again after Myron had left to enjoy brandy and cigars on the balcony with the gentlemen?s club.?Drop it, please Ric,? Jennifer replied.So she knows what I?m talking about, he thought. ?So tell me about your life then?? he asked, quickly changing the subject. ?You managed to get out of the cul-de-sac at least.??Not long after you and your band made it big, I packed my bags and went off to Boston, to the school of public medicine. I work at St Luke?s now as a public health nurse and midwife,? she explained.?Congratulations,? Ric smiled. ?I always knew you would do great things. What does Myron do???He?s an economist.??Impressive. Do you have any children together?? Ric asked.?We do. We have two children. A son Harvey who?s nearly 15 and a 13 year old daughter, Elaine,? she replied.Harvey and Elaine, he thought, Myron and Jennifer. He could imagine the four of them. He imagined Harvey to look like Myron and Elaine would be a mini-me version of Jenn. "So why didn?t you stay in Boston? I?m presuming that?s where you met Myron???I did meet Myron at Boston U. His father and my father actually knew each other from when they were students. After we married we moved back to Chicago to be closer to my family. My father was very ill, and I wanted to be closer to him so I could care for him and help as best as I could,? said Jennifer.?My father did tell me that Mr Bouvier had been ill. I?m so sorry for your loss Jenn.??Thank you,? she replied, smiling at him apologetically. ?My mother still hasn?t fully recovered, even after all these years. I don?t think she ever will. It?s been hard on her.?The mother,? Ric said evenly, out of habit.He couldn?t believe that after all these years, Nancy Bouvier was still as painful as ever. At least from what his father told him. Jennifer refused to meet Ric?s gaze, but he could see a hint of a smile forming on her face. It was a smile reminiscent of the girl she used to be. The girl that Ric used to know. Ric leaned over and grabbed Jennifer?s hands, taking them in his grip. Jennifer looked down at their interlocked hands and then up at Ric.?Do you remember that first time Jenn?? he asked in a low voice.?Stop it Ric,? she whispered in return.?Because I do. I think about it all the time. What was and what should have been between us.??What should have been? The past is the past Ric and that?s where it?s going to stay. We had what we had, and that is it. These times are different,? she said. She retracted her hands from his and placed them in her lap where he couldn?t see, protecting them.?We need to talk Jenn,? he said.?We are talking.??Properly. We need to talk properly. I have a room here, on the third floor. Ask after me at reception. I get it if you don?t want too, but I?d really like it if we spoke. We have a lot to tell each other,? Ric explained. He checked his watch and saw mecidiyeköy escort (http://sisliescort34.com/) that the twenty minutes had nearly elapsed. He stood up and smiled at Jennifer and returned to the small stage.For the rest of the night Jennifer was by herself, while her husband was out with the men on the balcony, drinking, smoking cigars and speaking of matters that you couldn?t when women were around. She didn?t know why she was surprised, he did this all the time to her. He would find people or company more exciting than Jennifer and the children and go be with them instead, leaving his family on the side lines. Myron always had that way of making Jennifer feel as if she was unwanted and making her feel as if she didn?t matter. She was lonely in this marriage, and had been for the past few years.But seeing Ric again had brought back all the memories they had shared together, all the firsts she had done with him, and the firsts they had experienced together. He was right, they needed to speak. They needed to get everything out on the table. There was tension and awkwardness between them, as well as a sort of undefined grief that neither of them had mourned. Indeed Jennifer hadn?t realized it until that point in time. But how would she get away from Myron?She couldn?t tell him that she was going to spend some time with her former lover in private. She saw the look in Myron?s eyes; he didn?t trust Ric or like him, despite not knowing him. She was going to have to think of a lie to get herself away from the party for half an hour at least. She sighed angrily. She hated lying to her husband. A voice went off her in head, full of self-hate and scorn. You should be used to lying to him. Your whole marriage is a sham, the voice told her.For the remainder of the night Jennifer tried to justify taking Ric up on his invitation. She tried to justify lying to her husband, telling herself that it could potentially be for the good of their marriage. If she left tonight with Myron and ignored Ric?s invitation, then she would be questioning herself for the rest of her life, providing she never saw him again, or providing it was another twenty years until their next meeting. She would be questioning herself about what could have been answered or what could have been between them, because she realized in that moment that she loved Ric, and she always had. The love had never gone away, she had merely suppressed it.But if she went to Ric?s room and spent time with him talking, could she trust herself? Nothing but time had changed between them. Could she trust herself to stay faithful to her husband and be a good wife? Of course she could trust herself. She had willpower and integrity. She would just have to keep her distance and not put herself in that position. But how would she get away from Myron and the rest of the wedding party? She would have to think up a story so she could excuse herself. But how? All the stories that she ran through in her head sounded stupid and unfeasible. Myron would never believe half the stories she was making up.She had to be smart about this, and she had to be sensible. She would go and speak to Ric and then leave straight afterwards, returning to Myron. If Ric tried anything she would put him in his place and tell him no, she was a married woman, they couldn?t just resume where they had left off.Myron came back inside for the last dance with first his sister and then his wife, and then the wedding party came to a climatic end with fireworks being let off, which everyone enjoyed out on the balcony while the band packed up and left.?Sweetheart,? Jennifer said, turning to face her husband of sixteen years. ?Do you mind if I stay here and help the girls?? she asked.She hoped that Myron was buying all of this. This lie seemed the safest as she was very close with Myron?s sister Aimee and the cousins who were her bridesmaids, and of course there was always some girly tradition that needed seeing too on the wedding night.Myron narrowed his eyes in scrutiny of his wife, something about her seemed odd, but he heard himself saying ?Okay,? to her.?You don?t have to wait around, I?ll get a cab back home,? she said.Again Myron studied his wife, trying to figure her out. Something just didn?t seem right, both about her behavior and the situation. ?Okay,? he repeated slowly. Jennifer planted a kiss on Myron?s cheek and told him that she loved him before disappearing from the large events room and heading straight for reception. She asked after Mr.