June
The sultry air
was heavy in the middle of their second week in Sharpington, and as the sun was
setting, Kenny and Chloe, sat on the terrace of the Ancient Mariner pub
accompanied by the familiar symphony of evening birdsong.
“It’s been
another lovely day” Chloe said.
They had
ordered their dinner and were just enjoying an aperitif; the cracking of ice
cubes was clearly audible in their Gin and tonics.
“It really has”
he said, and they chinked glasses.
After dinner,
and the best part of two bottles of wine, and a hilarious reliving of the
afternoons crazy golf tournament, the subject of the conversation took a
familiar turn.
“Of course,
there is one thing that could have made today even better” Chloe said.
“And what’s
that?” Kenny asked before draining his glass.
“Our perfect
partners” she replied.
“Oh yes, I’d
forgotten about that” he said.
“Of course, it
would help if we could recognize them if we saw them.”
“Well yes that
would help” Chloe concurred.
Kenny thought
she looked lovely that night and he was particularly pleased to see she was
wearing the gold crucifix he had bought her for Christmas.
“Ok then” he
said, “do you have a pen?”
He already knew
the answer; Chloe always had at least one pen in her bag, so she fished in her
bag and produced one.
“So, what is
your ideal?” he asked.
“What do you
mean?” she replied with a puzzled expression.
“What would you
want in a partner?” he elaborated.
“Tell me what
qualities you are looking for and we’ll make a check list.”
“Oh, I see, ok”
she said, “Well the usual I suppose.”
“Let’s write
them down then” Kenny said and using a napkin he headed the list “The perfect
other half.”
“Someone I can
trust” she said.
“Dependable” he
wrote followed by “trustworthy.”
“Someone who
shares my values and my faith” she added.
Kenny wrote “Moral
compass.”
“Someone who
makes me laugh and laughs with me” Chloe said.
“Good sense of
humour” he wrote.
“Someone who
loves me and will cherish me” she said.
He wrote “Romantic.”
“Someone who
will be there for me” she said, “whenever I need them.”
“A friend,” he
put.
“Someone who
listens to me and understands me” she added.
“And who values
me.”
Kenny thought
for a moment before writing.
“A confidant, a
kindred spirit” and for good measure “Open and honest”
“Someone I can
grow old with” she said, “who will want to grow old with me.”
Kenny wrote “Soulmate.”
Chloe was
silent for a moment as she gave it some more thought and then said.
“That will do I
think.”
Kenny took
another drink and then read down the list and his brow furrowed.
He read each
item and mused over it, added the occasional word to it, and muttered under his
breath as he studied it and, in the end, after what seemed to Chloe like an
age, nodded his assent.
“Are you ok?”
she asked with concern.
“I agree with
every single one of those” he said.
“Good” she
replied.
“And
furthermore, I know the person who has all of those qualities and more” he
added.
“Really?” she
said open mouthed.
“Who?”
“You Chloe”
Kenny said.
“What?” she
asked.
“It’s you” he
said, “you tick every single box on this list; you are my perfect other half.”
“Don’t be daft”
she said.
He didn’t say
anymore but handed her the napkin.
Chloe took it
from him and started reading down the list of her suggestions and his additions
and was very thoughtful for a few moments and then she went down the list in
front of her again.
“You’re right”
she said finally “you are the perfect other half of me.”
Knowing smiles
were exchanged and then they sat in silence as a confused turmoil raged inside
them and thoughts raced in and out of focus.
“More wine sir?”
the waiter asked breaking in on their silent deliberations.
“Absolutely”
Chloe said and returned to her thoughts.
Both of them
shared the same thoughts and were afraid, afraid to take a chance, afraid of
being wrong, afraid of getting hurt but most of all afraid of losing their best
friend.
The wine came
and they drank in silence as they continued their internal struggle, until in a
moment of perfect clarity Chloe looked at Kenny and smiled as it dawned on her
that they had come to Sharpington looking for love but the romance they had
searched for wasn’t in the town at all, they had brought it with them.
And when Kenny
saw her smiling countenance, he was immediately entranced and all his doubts
melted away and the deep passion for her that he had always harboured
subconsciously, stirred within him and rose to the surface.
Her inner
beauty exposed, Kenny reached his hand across the table and Chloe took it.
“All this time
I was looking for Miss Right and she was there right under my nose.”
Kenny mused.
“Living next
door” She added.
“Living in my
spare room even” Kenny corrected her.
It was a
miracle finding their heart’s desire so close at hand.
“How could we
have been so blind?” Chloe asked as she caressed his hand.
“Love is blind”
Kenny replied.
“Yes” she
agreed “yes, it is.”
Neither of them
could understand how it was possible they were both so short-sighted.
He had always
thought she was lovely but now Kenny’s feelings for her were of love for his
soulmate who lived in his spare room.
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