The Crush

The Crush

Tom was outgoing, full of energy, always a smile. He was the kid everybody wanted to know, or be friends with. Add smart as a whip, eventually college then a great job! Two years in, his life was perfect, everyone thought. But then Tom got a crush.

Tom had never had a crush before. From preschool, girls always followed him around. He never took it for granted but, he never went overboard either. He politely gave each girl their turn. Movies, dance, parties. It wasn’t even egotistical, it just never occurred to him that the girls were actually after him. He always thought they were after whatever they were doing. Plus, he had so many girls around, he never thought to single in on one. Too polite. The girls, of course, let go fairly quickly, and found someone else.

Working at Dunham, he was suddenly not surrounded by women. At first it was fine, he was still popular and really liked, and he was good at the work. But then he met Jan.

Jan was apparently not swept up by him. Jan barely even noticed he existed. Suddenly, of course, Jan was the only thing on his mind. It took twenty-two asks before she finally gave up and went on a date with him. Two weeks later he got a second date. It was a slow year. It took another year before they actually became a couple. Two more, before he asked for her hand.

In their sixth year, Jan was nominated, and won, Mayor of Jonesburg! And Tom became the ‘first man,’ or whatever they call it. And for the rest of his life Tom was considered the mayor’s husband. He lived to be eighty-six. He hated every minute of it. Poor Tom, life is really weird huh.