Love Theory

Lindy stared blankly at the music in front of her.  For once, she couldn’t concentrate.  The neighbors’ dogs  barked every time she picked up her instrument.  She was exhausted.  Suddenly playing didn’t seem fun anymore.

Her gaze shifted from “Old Hundredth” to the flute in her lap.  It was nothing special, a beginner’s instrument that her parents had bought her when she was ten.  That flute had gotten her through a lot.

Lindy rose with a sigh and grabbed the case to put her flute away.  The blue velvet inside the case was dirty; the flute itself needed some work, too.  She hadn’t played it in years; she preferred the flute she had acquired in high school.  Her favorite part of it was the engraved brass lip plate.  It was a beautiful instrument.

High school – there was something she hadn’t thought much about in a long time.  The last two years had been especially memorable; when she thought of school, it was those last two years she recalled most often and her nostalgia was usually accompanied by an annoying urge to find out what might have been.

Tonight as she crawled into bed, it was the what might have been thought that kept crossing her mind.  She fell asleep thinking of Jason and wondering what he was up to at that very moment.

Forty miles away, Jason was also up late.  He was alone in his apartment, flipping through an old yearbook and wondering what had become of Lindy Johns.  She probably married that boyfriend of hers and has a couple kids by now, he thought with a sigh as his gaze lingered over her picture.

The longer he looked at her picture, the more discontented he became.  He grabbed his laptop and typed her name into Google.  No results.  He tried WhitePages.com next.  She used to live in Happy Creek; maybe she was still there.  No luck.  On a hunch, he tried Lindy Kauffman.  Bingo!

Jason stared at his computer screen for a long moment, feeling rather embarrassed.  “This is silly,” he muttered, and yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away.  She’s obviously married, a voice screamed from inside him.  You’re wasting your time!

He glanced back down at the yearbook photo.  Lindy smiled back at him from seven years earlier.  She probably doesn’t even remember me, he thought, looking away, only to have his gaze drawn back.  “Screw it,” he mumbled, closing his laptop.

Lindy woke early the next morning and felt compelled to clean her apartment.  She hated cleaning and it wasn’t often that she felt compelled to action like this; something must be about to happen, she decided.

After a morning spent washing, vacuuming, soaking, and scrubbing, Lindy cleaned herself up and sat down to watch a movie, though she was a bit overdressed for staying in.  She was just getting situated and had her finger hovering over the play button on the remote when the doorbell rang.  She shot the t.v. an exasperated look and sighed as she rose from her recliner.  “Can’t even have two minutes to myself,” she grumbled as she crossed the living room.  But as she opened the door, she nearly collapsed from shock.  “Mr. Baker?” she whispered.

“Hi, Lindy,” Jason replied, rather surprised himself.  He’d been harboring doubts right up until she answered the door and he was now down to one.  “How-how are you?”

“Fine, fine,” she answered a moment later.  “Sheesh, what’s with me?  Come on in,” she said, stepping back.  “How’ve you been?”

“Oh, fine,” he replied, stepping into the apartment.  “Keeping busy.  And you?”

“The same,” she answered, nodding once.  “You still live around here?”

“I live in Manhattan,” he explained, “but I thought I’d come up for Corn Carnival.”

“Corn Carnival isn’t for another week,” Lindy told him, growing curious.

Panic flashed through Jason’s eyes.  “Oh.  Right.  I…um…Well, I…”

“Do you want to sit down?”  It was rather abrupt; now Lindy began to panic a bit.

Jason, though, was visibly relieved.  “That would be nice,” he replied.  She led him into the living room and returned to her recliner as he took a seat on the couch.  “Come sit by me,” he murmured.  Hesitantly, Lindy rose and joined Jason on the couch.  “It’s been a long time.  How’ve you bene, really?” he asked.

“It has,” she agreed.  “I’ve been okay, I guess.  I’ve had a rough few years, but I’m doing better now.  You?”

“I can’t complain,” he replied.  “I love my job and the kids I work with, but…”

“But what?” Lindy asked, studying him.

“But I can’t stop thinking about this girl I used to know,” Jason answered.  “I haven’t seen her in six years; we kinda lost track of each other.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Yeah.  I’ve spent a lot of time lately wondering what might have been.”

Something in Jason’s gaze disquieted Lindy.  “I-I know what you mean,” she stammered.  “I’ve often wondered that about someone, too.”  She paused for a moment to catch her breath.  “Mr. Baker, why are you here?”

“Lindy…”  He breathed her name and then he kissed her. “Lindy, it was you,” he murmured, pulling her close.  “It’s always been you.  Surely you knew that.”

“What?  Mr. Baker -”

“Please call me Jason.”

“But I haven’t seen you in six years,” she nearly whispered.  “People change.  And what do you mean it’s always been me?”

Lindy’s heart hammered away in her chest as Jason replied.  “It’s always been you,” he explained.  “I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one.  I know it’s been a long time and I know people change, but don’t you remember how much fun we used to have together?  It could be that way again.”

“But-but Jason…” she faltered.

“Why are you so afraid?” he asked gently.  “You were always so fearless.”

“The last time I thought I had what I wanted, it blew up in my face,” she replied.  “I just got divorced; my husband left me for another woman.  I don’t think I can bear to have my heart broken again.”

“Lindy, I have been in love with you since the moment I laid eyes on you,” Jason confided.  “As a matter of fact, I haven’t had a girlfriend in six years.  I guess I was always sort of hoping that one day we would end up together.  The truth is, Lindy, I came up here to see if there was any chance at all that you were interested.  Would you go out with me?”

Suddenly they all died.  The end.

(c) 2008.  All rights reserved.