A competition piece (under 600 words).


Zoey, my love…

 

I first noticed her at work, she was only sixteen, I instantly fell in love. She was petit with long brown hair and had a wild edge to her. She sat on the bar (a bold move but her pretty smile made time stand still), whilst the restaurant manager, Nigel, held court. 

Her name was Zoey, and she was the newest member of staff. She was our new waitress. An extremely quick learner and hard worker. Her brother worked in the kitchen. I had to break up their fighting every now and then, Zoey had a difficult upbringing and was scintillatingly feisty. 

 

I was nineteen and studying at university. I worked at the restaurant every weekend; it gave me some money for a few student nights out during the week. I loved university but I couldn’t wait to get home and see Zoey at work. 

 

Not only was there an age difference, but there was also my girlfriend, Louise. I had been with Louise for over a year, and we loved each other but I was a terrible boyfriend. I was young and stupid; I focused on myself rather than giving her my all. Louise was my first long term girlfriend, so it was all new to me. 

 

During the next few months, Zoey and I got closer and closer. I would pick her up and drop her off from work to save her a taxi ride. I would manipulate the rota so she got the hours she needed and so we could work together. I couldn’t help myself, the excitement I had every time I saw her was like being shot out of a cannon. My heart went into overdrive, and I fell in love. She was so sexy, too sexy, it drove me insane. My immaturity couldn’t compete with the social expectations. 

 

I was her supervisor and broke the management code. I kissed her at a party. It was wrong but I didn’t care. My manager told me the next day to be careful.

Not long after she moved to Manchester with her best friend's family, and we lost contact. In her early twenties she made contact with me and made it clear she wanted a relationship. Looking back, she should’ve known better, she knew I was in a relationship, but she didn’t care. The problem never went away, I was still in love with her, but it couldn’t happen; I had just got married and became a father. The torment this caused me was something no man could cope with. When my marriage broke down a few years later, I contacted her, but she had just got married and was pregnant. It just wasn’t meant to be.

 

I longed for Zoey for years, the distance between us prevented an affair. The further apart, the more perfect she got. 

 

Now in her late thirties, Zoey made contact and informed me she had just got divorced. I was still married to Izzy, we’d been through a lot, and we gave it another go, when we both thought all had been lost.

 

It was never going to happen between Zoey and I.

I don’t know if it was love or lust, but I for years it screwed me up. It affected my marriage, my metal heath and my attitude.

I’ve now blocked her on Facebook. I don’t fancy her anymore, maybe it was just lust. It had been a relationship that spanned over three decades, but in reality, it never got started. I will always have the thought of “What if?”

 

It all feels so futile. It’s a shame.

 

Goodbye my darling Zoey.

 

The End