I once knew a girl named Jenny

Brad had one hour to wait until the prostitute was supposed to arrive. He had caught an early flight into the city for the yearly marketing convention he attended. He decided to use some of that time to take a shower. After he left the shower he looked at himself in the mirror while deciding what to wear. He had the clothes he had worn when entering the hotel room, but he felt almost silly putting them back on just to remove them again shortly. The hotel had provided him with a gray bathrobe with their logo emblazoned on the front. He considered his options before decide to don the bathrobe. He settled down on the bed and turned on the televison. The knock at the door came during the middle of the evening news.

"Breaking news," he said to the news anchor. "Brad welcomed to the city by lady of the night."

He frowned briefly. "No, Brad enlists support of working woman to advance campaign agenda."

"Brad set to join together with local working woman to stimulate economic growth, penis." Better, he thought.

Another knock at the door interrupted his thought process. He turned the television off and went to let her inside. He opened the door to reveal an attractive blonde figure standing outside.

"Hello, I'm... Bruce. Please, come in," he said while leaning against the door."

She stood there momentarily before stepping inside.

"I'm Elsa. I understand you're interested in the services I provide."

"Yes I am. Should I pay you now?"

"Just leave the money on the table," she said as she took off her jacket and looked around the room. Under the jacket she was wearing a short black dress that drew his attention towards her cleavage. She bore a striking resemblance to a girl he known in college. Her name was Jenny and she had been in several of his classes. He had last seen her a few years ago in an English class he had taken during his junior year. He had spent a lot of time fantasizing about her in that class instead of listening to the lectures. He had been used to seeing her around campus, but had never seen her during his senior year. There had been times over the years where he thought he had seen her, but it had always been someone who looked similar.

"There's this girl I used to know years ago. You reminded me of her when I saw you. I'd like you to pretend to be her if that's possible."

"You listed role play among the things you were looking for when you spoke to the agency on the phone. You can call me anything you'd like."

"Her name was Jenny. I haven't seen her in years, but she left an impression on me."

"Then for the next hour I'll be Jenny. Can I use the bathroom? I need to freshen up."

As she went to the bathroom he sat on the bed. In previous years when he had seen people that looked like Jenny there was always something different about them. Elsa was the closest he had ever seen. He began to feel as if he would be able to ignore the circumstances and fully accept that she was Jenny.

"Who was I to you?" she asked as she exited the bathroom.

"You were someone I knew in college. I liked you. I liked you a lot actually. I just never got the nerve to ask you out. I had steeled myself to ask you out during my senior year, but you disappeared sometime before the start of fall semester. I never saw you again."

She stood there looking at him before replying. "I liked you too. I kept hoping you would ask me out, but you never did."

As she said those words he thought back to when he had found out that they had been true. After graduating he had talked to a former friend of hers. She hadn't known what had happened to Jenny, but she did mention that Jenny used to have feelings for him.

"I wanted to ask you every time I saw you, but I never knew the right words to say."

"I'm here now. The words aren't important, it's what we feel now that matters. We're both here and this time I can be the one to say that I want you."

He smiled as the words came out of her mouth. Everything else that had led up to this night could be forgotten. His desire to find the right words seemed irrelevant as she stood there. He placed his hands around her waist and pulled her down on the bed. She was with him now and there were no more words that needed to be said.

"Oh, Jenny," he said softly after he watched her leave the room. "I thought about you for so long. None of the other girls I met could ever compare to you. I was unable to forget you after I never saw you again."

Her scent lingered in the room. It was a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon that reminded him of years past and the of the days he had spent sitting in class behind a girl named Jenny. Those days no longer seemed as significant as they once had. He picked up his phone and dialed a number he hadn't expected to call on his trip.

"Elizabeth, I'm leaving the conference early. I want to work this out. I want us to work. I've had time to think things over and I'm going to catch the first flight back home. I hope that I can see you tonight."

He hung up the phone and looked out the window. He saw the prostitute walking out of the parking lot. She was walking slowly and took the time to turn around and look up to the window of his hotel room. He closed the shades and began to pack his clothes.