Two months later on a Thursday night, to my astonishment and utter delight Jenny walked into the Crown. It was a great feeling to know that she had taken note of where I worked, and had acted on that knowledge. I remember clearly that it was Thursday because I could hear the peals of laughter from the old dears at the bingo club next door. Thursday was the big night. I often yearned to go inside myself of a Thursday for a peek, to see what all the bother was but I never got around to it. When Jenny stood before me, I knew then that I didn’t merely want her in a physical sense, but that it would be more. It would be a deep love. When I was eight, playing football at the Mini World Cup, I had won a gold medal. I truly loved it, and I knew that in time I would love Jenny with something akin to that intensity.

This was the way my heart moved.

She said that she was hoping to catch me and I wanted to believe her, so I did. This wasn’t just some chance encounter, it was meant to be. When she asked for a red wine, I fell into a momentary confusion as if I had forgotten that I was indeed a barman. I pointed out that we stocked Malbec and Cabernet. She chose the Malbec. I had an inclination to warn her that Malbec could be headache-inducing but I didn’t want to come across as being bossy. Instead, I reached for a small bottle and unscrewed the black cap. As I waved away her money, I told her that she looked amazing and that I was really happy to see her.

She smiled at me and the effect of it did something to my heart and I felt strangely breathless for a moment. She took her wine from the bar and moved to a seat beside the window. I noticed how the light from the lamp outside shone in through the window pane and did something wonderful to her profile. She looked sublime. Her beauty was stark.

I began to make a show of gathering up some empty glasses. I went over to Jenny and started a bit of banter. It felt natural and her laughter at my jokes about the desperation of the clientele gave me a warm feeling inside. I was doing my best to hide my nervousness and my excitement, such that I found it difficult to make eye contact with her without images of our night together formulating in my mind.