A Box of Kleenex

Jen had a penchant for making foolish choices. She had always been a dreamer...impulsive...a leap before you look kind of girl...especially when it came to matters of the heart. Without even a modicum of dignity, she'd thrown herself head first and naked into an impossible situation...and she'd known it right from the start. She didn't want to see things as they really were, not at all. She wanted to see things as she imagined they could be. It was immature...emotionally retarded...stupid...and of course, foolish. Her pensive view of love usually equated to a broken heart, and this time was no exception. Her phone had stopped ringing and her inbox was devoid of a single message. Would she ever learn? Jen reached for the box of Kleenex...empty. Why am I shedding tears over this anyway?...she wondered as she opened a new box. Until that moment...until she asked herself that question...she never really understood how hard it was to lose something that she never even had, both literally and figuratively.

Jen never had the man...never had the love. He never really wanted her. Maybe it was the idea of her that was attractive to him. In truth, his heart...his life belonged to someone else. He was a man torn by his past, and impotent to do anything about his future. Despite everything, though, Jen jumped and fell hard....a foolish leap of love as it turned out. In the end...it was she who shattered whatever bond they may have shared. Purposefully, abruptly, willfully, maliciously...she ended it. She knew in doing so, he would never forgive her...she made sure there was nothing left to repair. She spent days feeling sick about her decision, but she had to move on. Perhaps one day Jen would learn to look before leaping when her heart was on the line...or perhaps not...playing it safe was not in her nature, and besides, love was definitely worth it. Jen looked down at yet another empty box of Kleenex, and sighed.