The Worst That Could Happen

"The Worst That Could Happen"

A JAWS Short Story for @theDailyJaws #NaNoWriMo challenge 2020

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“What shall I do?  Decisions, decisions, Thomas!”

Studying himself in the mirror, Tom Cassidy was pleased. He liked what he saw. Blond hair in waves, not too tidy, clean shaven, a vision of boyish charm. Brown smouldering eyes that girls die for, so he’d been told.  He gave himself a mischievous grin and splashed some Old Spice on his neck.

His student accommodation was spartan but he knew he would miss it on his break this weekend.  A small but comfortable room on campus.  It was quite tidy at the moment. No mess.  He liked minimal décor and no clutter.  The only indication this belonged to a student was a bookshelf crammed with works on marine biology and oceanography, above which a woollen scarf in blue and old gold was draped casually.

Foremost in his thoughts was this upcoming trip to his cousin’s house in Amity, which would be a well-earned pause from academic study.  Jack had invited him over and told him he could bring a plus one.  When Tom mentioned it to his girlfriend Jennifer, however, she gave a look of such contempt,

“Why on Earth would you want to go to that dump?” she laughed, “It’s full of either pensioners or tedious holiday makers.  It’s a waiting room for the morgue! Nothing to do all day – just listening to people talk about fishing  …and how their guesthouses are doing badly …and sitting around on a beach. No thanks!”

Tom was surprised to experience a feeling of relief when she told him she didn’t think it was her scene and that he could go himself if he liked.  Truth be told he’d already suspected she might say no and this suspicion had now been confirmed, but to allow him the freedom to go alone sent through him a thrill of excitement. It was as if his kidnapper had set him free for a short while.  Jennifer and his cousin Jack didn’t exactly see eye to eye in any case. Jack was his family after all and there was an obvious clash of personality the last time they had met at that wedding in Rhode Island.  Least said the better.  Jennifer could be very opinionated and possessed the ability to annoy people, which she had sharpened into a formidable skill.

Yes, he was pretty thrilled at the prospect of the trip and he was already making plans.  In his anticipation of Jennifer’s reaction, he had already asked Chrissie out on a date this very evening. Jennifer had accepted the excuse he’d made in order to avoid having to meet. Some vague final last-minute research to do.  Although the semester had all but ended, he’d managed to persuade Jennifer that some work needed finishing on his thesis so he wouldn’t have to worry about it all through the summer.

So he’d be going back to Amity. His old stomping ground.  It would be interesting for sure as he hadn’t been back since his early twenties.  He hadn’t seen Jack for quite a while either.

Tom had fond memories of life there before his parents retired. They moved to Greenwich about the same time he’d gone to Trinity College, which was only half an hour away in Hartford.  He would always be an islander of course having been born there.  From time to time he did miss what Jennifer had referred to as the ‘morgue waiting room’. Maybe that’s why he took against her comment so much.  A part of him felt at home with that life style so that particular comment was especially hurtful, although it was true he didn’t perhaps quite fit in fully anymore. He had moved on, he thought.  Island life probably wasn’t for him in the end, although he still had a heartfelt sensation at the thought of visiting. Those were happy times after all.

Well, here he was in Hartford anyway, studying oceanography and kind of missing out on some aspects of life stuck in a loveless long-term relationship with a girl he thought was only in love with the thought of being in love.

Chrissie was an unexpected breath of fresh air in his life.

Tom often needed to do quiet studying somewhere without being distracted. A change of scene in order to concentrate.  Somewhere he could just read books and drink coffee without interruption. His preference of late was a forty-minute walk from the college through Bushnell Park and Downtown where there was a diner called the “Chicken Coop”.  Not only did they make the best fried chicken he’d ever tried, it was distant enough to guarantee peace and quiet from acquaintances and the usual bustle of students.

There had been some distraction recently, however. The Chicken Coop was where he had met Chrissie.  She worked as a waitress there in the evenings. 

She was mid-twenties Tom guessed, she was also a student.  Like him she looked slightly older than most. He therefore assumed that like him she got on just okay socially, but tended to be a loner.  That was the feeling he’d got.

She had lengthy straight dark blonde hair and amazing eyes. He couldn’t decide what colour they actually were…  blue or green? – very intense anyway.  The colour appeared to transform depending on the light.

He was yet to find out what she was actually studying – she did say once but he’d forgotten.  All being well he’d find out more this evening, and with any luck the weekend too.  After several increasingly familiar encounters as waitress and customer, he had asked whether she’d like to do something together one evening when she was off work. To his wonder she had immediately said yes to that.

He suspected Chrissie would love Jack’s house on Old Mill Road by the beach, and he knew of course some of the quieter haunts where he could take her and get to know her.  He was sure she would be up for that.  He had a recollection she’d said she was nothing in particular this coming weekend anyhow.

Jack had said the Henkels were staying too, but they were in the guest bedroom with the single beds, so that could be interesting!  He didn’t know the Henkels that well either, but at least this meant Jack and his wife would be distracted with other guests to look after.

…and Jennifer?  Tom’s mind wandered back to her.

He had fallen out of love with her, that was the plain truth of it.  It was all her fault too.  She had increasingly become colder over these past months.  She lived in some kind of self-deluded world where her perception of his and her future together didn’t seem to take account of any feelings he might have.  Tom was powerless and incapable of discussing anything remotely connected to his own aspirations.  Her biggest fault as far as Tom was concerned was her assumption that just because her family was wealthy then it was acceptable to treat Tom with disregard.  It was like he was some kind of trophy.  Maybe he was weak? Perhaps. Then again, he was going to do something about it now.  Jennifer had been his girlfriend for over a year but this is the moment when he finally does something about the situation.  Jennifer was intimidating it was true, but this last month had been too much. 

The final straw with Jennifer was when she started talking about having a family with him, deciding where they would live and suggesting various dead-end jobs he could do while they lived off Daddy’s money.  When he suggested he might go on to study oceanography further, and this may result in research work that involved travel she’d snapped at him, “Why do you need to study the sea? There is absolutely no point! There’s nothing in it, of any interest anyway.”

That’s it then. He’d decided for sure. When he saw Chrissie this evening, he would ask her to come on the trip to Amity this weekend.  If she said “Yes” he would telephone Jennifer and tell her they were through.  Even if Chrissie said she couldn’t he might do that anyway!

It was time to take the plunge, in a manner of speaking.

“Plenty more fish in the sea!”  he said to himself in the mirror.

“…what’s the worst that can happen?”

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Written for @theDailyJaws (Twitter) #NaNoWriMo short story challenge 2020, which I thoroughly enjoyed!