Wandering aimlessly through the grocery store he sees only what he wants to. Ever since she walked out of his life, nothing seemed important to him anymore. He wondered why he even bought food to keep himself alive. He shrugs off that thought and pushes the rusty shopping cart through the monotonous aisle filled with canned food. Processed and packaged and looking neat on the shelves, he sees an infinite amount of cans is what fills this endless aisle. He walks down aisle eight and sees a woman with gray hair moving around on a motorized wheel chair with a little basket attached, she politely smiles and passes him by. A little boy clinging to the end of his mom’s shopping cart, pretending to be on a boat, laughing and throwing things out of the cart while his mom scolds him: they too pass him by. He quickly buys the necessities and hurries on his way home.
Opening the door of his one bedroom apartment he picks up the newspaper and immediately throws it in the recycling bin, nothing in the newspaper pertains to him. The lonely man leaves his apartment and runs to his car; he never wants to stay at one place, especially his house. It just contains too many memories. Constantly needing something to keep him occupied so he won’t think too much, or she will get into his thoughts and that’s a dark place he never wants to be again. Pondering numerous things he can do as he drives down the highway, he decides to go to a restaurant that his good friend Jim owns.
“Hey Ben,” Jim says as he walks in the door.
“Hey I’ve got nothing to do so I thought I should stop by”
They talk about things and Ben likes Jim because he knows not to talk about her and about what could have been. However, Jim does like to play matchmaker.
“I know this girl and I bet you’ll like her Ben”
“I don’t know I’ve got a lot going on....” Ben stutters and pauses, desperately trying to think of an excuse. He looks around and sees people talking. Friends hanging out at the bar, couples on their first date, and one couple fighting over who should pay the check.
“Nonsense. I’ll set you two up on a date tomorrow night!” Jim shouts and runs away before Ben can protest.
Ben goes to sleep that night puzzled and lonely. He dreams of better time in his life, and dreams the same dream that has been haunting him since she left. It always starts with flashes of vibrant colors and smiling faces. He dreams of her eyes and the way they reflected the movie that was playing on the screen in the cinema, then it jumps forward to her crying and him not listening to her, taking her for granted. In the next scene she leaves and the slam of her car door forces him awake.
At two-thirty in the morning, he lies back down and tries to fall back asleep. Three- fifteen in the morning, still awake and starting to break out into a cold sweat, three-thirty still awake and watching infomercials on the TV. Three-forty five the power has gone out and his thoughts are beginning to get to him. Four in the morning he considers calling her and apologizing; he picks up the phone and changes his mind. Four- forty five in the morning he begins to cry and realizes he is only half the man he once was. Five in the morning he has had enough and decides to begin his pathetic day.
Six in the evening he is sitting alone at the table waiting for the girl Jim set him up with. She arrives and he has to admit that she is beautiful they talk and sparks fly. They fall in love in what seems like an instant, a deep heart to heart conversation and dinner and they are officially in love. Her name is Jennifer, but she prefers Jen. He talks with her and laughs with her, and thinks to himself that they are a match made in heaven.
(ONE MONTH LATER)
Happier than ever Ben cannot seem to stop smiling. Everything is perfect and he has completely moved on from her. Jen is everything he needs and more. Even though he is half the man he once was, he gives everything he has left to Jen.
