Cindy And Jack [Fiction]

I stared for minutes into the mirror. My balding hair, slender sun-tanned body, and varicose veins spread out on my thin hands and legs only made me sadder.

I was getting old and my life had not improved in the slightest bit.

An unexpected punch on the back of my head dulled my hearing for a second. "Admiring your wrinkled face in the mirror? Gimme that!"

It was my wife of six years, Cindy. She snatched the hand mirror from my trembling hand. It was hers after all. Maybe even my life belonged to her. Her word was law and must not be disobeyed.

I raised my bar too high. I wasn't getting younger, waiting for that beautiful woman who would be my wife while working hard at my farm.

My brother Jimmy called me "old school", that I loved my farm more than my blood. I was only thirty-nine but years under the harsh sun made me look forty-nine.

So I asked young Amanda who worked at the local diner out on a date. I tried to see her the following day but her boss warned me to stay away from her. A similar thing happened with Sarah who worked at the clothing store on Berkeley Street.

"I say you're old school. C'mon, I'll make a profile for you on LuvMate," Jimmy suggested.

"What's that?"

"A popular dating site. You can get any girl you want."

Then I met Constance, my first date on LuvMate. She was young, shy and sweet to talk to. After dinner, I asked if I could come with her to her apartment. Her shocked look scared me for a moment.

"What? Don't you like me?" I asked, feeling quite confident.

"I don't invite men over to my place on a first date. Gosh, you are weird. Stay away from me," Constance pronounced and stormed off.

The shame was overbearing. I yelled after her. "Walk away, silly little girl. No one wants you."

I went on another date three days later with Cindy. I got to the restaurant late. She stood up with a slight frown. Her height took me by surprise. She was a big woman but easy on the eyes.

^{Image credit: Cottonbro}

"Well, go on. Have a seat," she ordered and I obeyed.

Our conversation was awkward while she did most of the talking.

After dinner, Cindy invited me over to her apartment and my heart lurched in excitement. Jimmy said when the ladies invite you over, it means the date went well. After that night, I had no intention of seeing Cindy again. Her height and body build scared me.

She microwaved some lasagna while I looked at portraits of her late parents and a dog on a table. "You love dogs?"

"Yes," she whispered calmly behind my ears. I was startled and stepped on her foot. I did not realise she was at my back.

"Oh. Sorry about that."

"It's okay." She shrugged. "My dog's name was Jack."

Yea. We were talking about her dog. "Jack. What a coincidence." I mumbled awkwardly while my skin popped goosebumps all over.

"I know, right? I feel you and I are a good match. Maybe you'll do better than my dog."

"Uh, what happened to Jack?"

Cindy paused in dishing the lasagna to give me a dark look. "I shot him for disobeying me." Then she grinned, displaying white teeth and slightly longer incisors.

That conversation changed my life.

I married Cindy the following week as she'd requested and dared not disobey her. It was either that or be buried beside Jack in the town cemetery.

Her food and our nights together are not bad.

Cindy's a keeper and just so you know, my name is Jack.