Chapter One: For the Love of Jane

CHAPTER ONE

 

Jane S, 36. Divorced. Two kids. Fun and outgoing; loves long bike rides, old movies, and dogs. Seeks stable, successful man who shares…

“Damn it!”

Jane slammed her laptop in complete disgust with herself for even considering exploring this tacky method of finding a date. Born a conservative traditionalist, and no sign of drastic changes anytime soon, Jane held herself to the ‘good wife, good mother’ image. Of course, being divorced and a single mother made it painfully difficult to keep the world convinced  that her life was domestically pristine. After her best friend since childhood, Mia Baker, had demanded that she look into it, she gave in. Mia, a bleach blonde, high-maintenance, often outrageous drama queen, had recently discovered internet dating and decided to enlighten her ‘no dating, no men, no sex’ best friend to the wonders of cyberspace and the infinite amount of possibilities it presented.

“I cannot believe you even suggested that I do this, Mia. You know I hate the Internet and I hate dating. So, what in the hell makes you think I would want to do internet dating?”

She held the phone between her chin and shoulder as she cracked a couple eggs into a bowl and began to scramble them.

“Oh, lighten up! That site is highly recommended thank you very much and I’ll have you know that I have scored some top quality dates using it.”

Jane rolled her eyes as she poured the eggs into a skillet on the stove. Her shoulder-length, wavy brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail which had slid slightly to one side of her head during the night. She had soft, brown eyes and a charming smile. She Her anxiety levels could always be gauged by how chewed up her fingernails were, and she had ketchup stains spotting her oversized grey T-shirt that was sadly the sexiest piece of sleepwear she owned.

“You call that last guy… what was his name again? Eugene? You call him a quality date?"

“Well, he did pay for dinner, opened doors for me, he didn’t smell funky, and his face was nowhere to be found on ‘America’s Most Wanted’. I’m telling ya, I’m way ahead of the game on this one.”

“The man had a toenail collection, Mia. We should really work on your definition of quality.”

“Yeah, yeah. At least I’m trying. Jane, you're gorgeous. Intelligent. Witty. You could snag a man so easily if you'd just try. Besides, I think it's time you let go of... well... you know.”

"Well, actually... no. I don't know. Unlike you, I don't need a man attached to my hip. I'm not real great at the whole relationship dating game anyway. Besides, I have to think about the boys and I'm doing perfectly fine without a man in my life."

"I never said you had to marry the guy, Jane. You don't even have to really like him. Just have fun for a night and be done with it."

"Are you suggesting that I have some sort of one night stand?"

"No..maybe...ok fine. Yes, that's what I'm saying. "

"Wow... that's my cue that this conversation needs to end right now. I'll call ya tomorrow. Love ya."

Jane hung up and sat the phone on the counter as she spooned the slightly scorched eggs on to plates and sat them on the counter.

“Ben! Jeffrey! Your breakfast is ready! Please get down here and eat or you’re going to be late to school again.”

Two boys came thundering down the stairs into the kitchen. Jane put the eggs on the table and poured them both a glass of orange juice.

“Mom, can I go to Michael's house after practice today?” Ben asked in his most charming, convincing voice. He looked just like his father. He had soft, green eyes and sandy blond hair. Hardly looking like a freshman in high school, he had matured so much over the past few months. Jane had long dreaded the day when her baby boy looked down to talk to her, but it had happened anyway.

“No son, you need to work on your algebra homework. Your grade was low on your progress report and you need to raise it so you can keep playing soccer.”

“But Mom… I…”

“No, Ben. Maybe this weekend, okay?”

Ben sighed as he slowly shoveled eggs in his mouth.

“Jeffrey, did you finish your spelling words last night?”

“Yes, Mom.”

Jeffrey was Jane's second son. He was quiet and good in school. She called him her 'Little Einstein' because he loved math and science so much. He was always concerned

“Okay. You guys are going to miss the bus again. Give me a kiss and head outside.”

Ben stormed past Jane and out the front door. She leaned over and gave Jeffrey a kiss on the forehead and watched as they walked to the bus stop.

Ben was Jane’s first child with her ex- husband, Rodger. He had been her high school sweetheart. They had married shortly after graduating from college and began their life as a married couple. Only a year after they had been married, they welcomed Ben into the family. Rodger had always been very involved with his family, but when his father offered him a job with the family construction business, his focus shifted to his newfound career.

When Ben was little, Jane spent most of her time at home. Rodger's presence at home seemed to gradually decline. Slowly, their date nights were shoved aside because of big projects or meetings. Walks in the park and family outings were constantly cancelled. After a few months, their relationship was a shell of what it had been. Rodger was working late every night and some days, he didn’t come home until the early morning. Despite the state of their marriage, Jane remained dedicated to holding her family together. She came from a very conservative, traditional family and wanted to prove to her parents that she was a good wife and mother.

Rodger had become so immersed in his work that he had forgotten he had a family. It was Christmas Eve, eight years ago, that he left for good - leaving Jane, Ben, and his unborn son, Jeffrey, behind. Now her days were filled with soap operas, dirty dishes, casserole dinners, and daily reminders that she wasn't the woman she once aspired to be.