Sappy Modern Love Story
February 14, 2020 – Reston, Virginia, USA
The one good thing about getting on the train at the Reston station was that it was the end of the line. Jackson could always find an empty seat, even on busy mornings. If there were no delays, after a transfer and a bus ride, he would be at George Mason University in another ninety minutes. The Metro route first headed toward D.C. before a change in trains that took him southwest to the university. It was far from direct, but the Metro was his only option when his wife, McKensie, needed the car.
Sure, Jackson would have preferred living somewhere closer to school, but McKensie’s aunt was giving them a good deal on the rent for her Reston condo. It made financial sense for two newly married students and Jackson was determined to put up with the commute until he graduated.
The train reached a station and Jackson thought he recognized one of the new passengers. He smiled at the man, who gave him a blank stare in return. Jackson realized he must have confused the man with someone else and so he turned his head to look out the window. He had learned not to make too much eye contact while on the Metro or the other passengers got nervous and suspicious. Jackson concentrated on the familiar CLUNK CLUNK sound of the train on the tracks before putting on his earbuds and turning on his phone.
Music and podcasts made the trip feel faster, although one of Jackson’s earbuds had something wrong with it. Sometimes the volume would drop suddenly and Jackson had to tap on it to bring it back to life.
Valentine’s Day advertisements filled the billboards and store windows passed by the train. McKensie loved pink roses and chocolate-covered coconut. If it was totally up to him, he would take her home a dozen flowers and at least a dozen chocolates, but they had promised each other they were not going to add anything else to their credit card, including Valentine’s Day gifts. Their growing student loans were all the debt they could handle. Things would be better after graduation. Then he would get a real job and fill her vases with flowers. But for now, every dollar mattered.
Jackson reached his transfer stop and got on another train. He ended up standing, facing a florist’s ad, which hung above the window. He had $5 budgeted for a sandwich. Maybe he would skip lunch and buy $5 worth of pink roses. How many would that be? Probably only one or two if he was buying them on Valentine’s Day.
Back in the Reston condo, McKensie finished up the ride on her Peloton bike. Even though she did not consider herself a morning person, she had learned that if she could simply drag herself to the bike and start pedaling, it only took a few minutes to feel an energizing kick of adrenaline. Then she was glad to be awake.
As great as the Peloton made her feel, it had been an expensive indulgence. It was probably at the top of her list of regrets when she and Jackson took a hard look at their finances. It did not help that the bike’s touchscreen had broken when moving into the condo. She could still spin on her own, but it was way more fun to be pedaling with an online class or group.
After a quick shower, McKensie dressed for her morning shift at the supermarket. She had taken the job because it was so close to the condo and she did not mind her usual assignment in the produce section. As she unpacked boxes of fruit that morning, she paid special attention to the Valentine’s Day displays near the front of the store. She and Jackson had decided together about staying on a strict budget. While Valentine presents were outside the necessities, it would feel nice to get Jackson just a little something. It might only be a card to remind him that she thought of him all through her day.
By the time McKensie finished unpacking all the apples and citrus fruits, Jackson was sitting in his Systems Engineering class at George Mason. The class was filled with students in their third year of the program and Jackson had gotten to know most of them. He was sitting in front of two loudmouth guys who were constantly complaining about their lack of social lives.
“So, you doing anything for Valentine’s Day?” the first guy said to the second.
“What do you think? I’d need a girl first.”
“Like I’ve said a million times, we should have been business majors. Those guys have nothing better to do than talking up girls all day. I’m sick of only seeing homework problems.”
“There should be a requirement for more girls take engineering classes. Then they would have to study with us.”
“Even if that happened, I’m sure we’d get stuck with girls looking for guys with money. That’s how most of them are.”
“True fact. First you get the money, then you get the women.”
The conversation behind Jackson quieted down as the professor began the lecture on project management and timelines. Jackson could not concentrate. He kept returning to what his classmates had said. How had he been so lucky to find McKensie? She definitely did not love him for his money. She never complained about having less than her friends. She was genuinely happy whenever they were together. He lived for the moment when he returned home each day and heard her squeal with excitement, as if he had been gone for a year.
Her friends, his friends, and both sets of their parents had said they were too young to get married. But he simply could not wait to make the commitment. Maybe he was afraid of losing her, that she would wake up one day and realize she was too good for him. He needed to make promises to her and hear her make them to him.
As his class continued, Jackson became more and more convinced that McKensie deserved a lot more than a single Valentine flower. He needed to show her he loved her and that he realized how lucky he was.
He knew that she would appreciate a completely working Peloton bike. They had never solved the mystery of how the screen had broken during their move, but she obviously missed it. He had looked up the replacement cost: $350. Where was he going to get that kind of money without borrowing it and adding to their pile of debt?
He would have to sell something. But what did he own that was worth that much? He looked down at his smartphone. It was not brand new, but it still had some life in it. Surely it was worth a Peloton screen if he was willing to give it up. Not having a smartphone would definitely change his routine, but he could adjust. He would still have his laptop.
A half hour later, Jackson walked into a store near campus that advertised how they bought and sold used phones. He headed straight for a college-aged student standing behind the counter and wearing a flat-brimmed cap. Jackson held out his phone. “How much can I get for this?”
The phone broker looked over Jackson’s phone skeptically. “This ain’t worth much. Maybe 200 bucks.”
“No way. If you’re messing with me, I’ll just go somewhere else.”
“How much do you think it’s worth?”
“At least $400. And you’ve got to give me something to replace it.”
The phone broker scoffed. “You’re crazy.”
They argued back and forth until Jackson had $350 in his hands and a flip phone that would allow him to only talk and text. The phone guy warned him there would be no refunds. Jackson walked straight to the library and pulled out his laptop. He ordered the Peloton flat screen and printed out a picture of it. He asked one of the librarians for an envelope and he slid the picture inside of it. Then he checked out a book for the train ride home.
Fifteen miles away in Reston, McKensie arrived at cosmetology school for a class on hair coloring. She took her usual spot in the instruction room behind two girls with platinum blonde hair and well-maintained tans.
“So did he call you, or what?” one of the blondes asked, turning to the other.
“On Valentine’s Day? For reals? I know he’s thinking that if he calls me today, he’ll get stuck taking me out or something. He’ll probably call me tomorrow and expect to come over to my apartment.”
“Guys are such pigs. They’re only after one thing. And they all think they’re players or something.”
“Either they want to live at home and have their moms take care of them or they think they should be able to see seven girls at a time.”
“I wish I could meet just one decent guy. Just once in my life.”
“Have guys always been this bad? How did we get stuck with the worst losers in history?”
“I used to like Valentine’s Day. Now I hate it.”
“Me too.”
After eavesdropping on the conversation in front of her, McKensie barely paid attention to the review on hair dye chemicals. Instead, she thought of the first time she met Jackson. Traffic school. She had been caught for speeding and when she stumbled into the Saturday morning class at the community center, there he was sitting in the back. The teacher had a sleepy, monotone voice, but Jackson kept her awake and laughing by pretending to drive around his desk.
He was a good one. He never complained that she got to drive the car to school while he had to ride the train. He said he wanted her to be safe and that was all he cared about. Whenever she heard his voice, she felt like she had enough and things were only going to get better.
McKensie suddenly felt sorry for the girls in front of her. Why did they not deserve what she had? She needed to show how grateful she was. She cringed when she thought of the Valentine’s card she planned for Jackson. He deserved so much more than that. She knew what he wanted and needed – wireless headphones for his train ride. He admired the ones that fit would fit over his ears and completely cancel out the sounds around him. He had lived with his broken earbuds for long enough.
McKensie used her phone to look up what the Bowers and Wilkins headphones cost. $400. Her heart sank. She knew they were expensive, but not that expensive. Where was she going to get $400? She could not simply add it to their credit card bill.
What about her Peloton bike? She loved it but she could always do other kinds of exercises in the mornings. If she did not want to leave the condo, there were a million exercise videos on the web that would guide her through an aerobic workout. The Peloton had a broken screen, but it was still worth plenty of money. All someone needed to do was buy a replacement screen and install it.
McKensie opened her phone and created an ad on Craigslist asking $500 for the Peloton, with the stipulation it had to be sold that day. Thirty minutes later, she had someone willing to pick it up in a matter of hours for $400. McKensie talked her up to $450.
The buyer was waiting outside the condo by the time McKensie drove home.
“You sure the only thing wrong with it is the screen?” the woman asked.
“Yeah, that’s all. Everything else is great.”
“Then why are you selling it? Why don’t you fix the screen?”
“I need the money. Today. It’s for my husband. For Valentine’s.”
The woman shrugged her shoulders like she did not really care. She handed McKensie the money and happily hauled off the bike.
McKensie did not wait around and second guess her decision. She hurried inside and ordered the headphones. They were scheduled to arrive several days later, but she printed out a picture of them and stuck it in an envelope.
When Jackson arrived home that night, McKensie heard him coming and raced for the door. They shared a long kiss before Jackson could put down his backpack.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” said McKensie.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” echoed Jackson.
“I know we talked about not spending a lot of money, but I just had to get you something,” said McKensie. “But I promise it won’t add to the credit card bill.”
Instead of being interested in McKensie’s gift, Jackson hurried to pull his envelope from his backpack. “I got you something too. And I figured out a way to pay for it.” Jackson eagerly held out the envelope.
“I’ve got one of those too,” cried McKensie. She scrambled over to their kitchen table where she had left the envelope containing the headphone picture. Then she held it out for Jackson.
“Your present isn’t really in this envelope,” said Jackson, gesturing toward his outstretched hand. “I ordered it and it’ll be here by the end of the week. So this is just a picture of what’s coming.”
McKensie laughed. “It’s the same with my envelope. I didn’t decide to order you anything until today. But I wanted you to know while it’s still Valentine’s.”
“Open mine first,” said Jackson.
“No, you open mine.”
They both giggled until Jackson said, “We’ll open them together.”
They exchanged the envelopes and waited for the other person to take the first look. “Okay, okay. On the count of three,” said McKensie.
With the envelopes opened, they both stopped giggling and stared at the printed pictures. After several quiet seconds, Jackson asked, “Do you like it?”
McKensie responded with, “Do you like yours?”
“Of course. I’ve been talking about these headphones for a year. It’s just that I sold my phone.”
“What? You sold your phone?”
“It doesn’t matter. I wanted to fix your bike. What do you think?”
McKensie laughed and then a tear leaked out of each of her eyes. “I love it. I love you. But I sold my bike to buy the headphones.”
“No! You sold your bike for me?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
Two tears rolled down Jackson’s cheeks too. Then he laughed. “So what are we supposed to do now? I don’t have my phone and you don’t have your bike.”
McKensie cried and laughed some more until she finally said, “They don’t matter. I guess nothing you can buy matters all that much. But still, I think we deserve to go out to dinner. I’ve got some money left over from my bike.”
“We don’t have reservations. It’s Friday night on Valentine’s Day. I don’t know if we’ll find a place with a table.”
“It’ll work out,” McKensie said, wiping her cheeks. “I know it’ll always work out.”
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