Winnifred sat upon the long, wooden dock as she watched the calm waters swaying along to the subtle wind. Ripples arose and then crashed onto her bare feet as they wallowed in the fresh waters. Her white lab coat rested on the surface next to her, all wadded up, along with the perfect pearls that usually clung around her neck. She hated the feeling of them, they felt like a collar; one her husband used to hang onto so tightly. But today, she felt free. Of course, their separation wasn’t ideal, him being incarcerated and what not, but despite that fact, Winnie realized that if his infidelity never came to light, she probably never would have left him. She would’ve been trapped in a loveless marriage and for what? Why should one sacrifice their happiness and surrender to the darkness that binded them together. They were both unhappy, though still held an amountable level of respect to stay together. ( Well, that was what she thought. ) A part of her was hurt, her ego severly ruined when she realized she had become a cliché. Her husband was having an affair with someone twenty years younger than her, no doubt prettier than her and made him laugh. Not only that, but they had a child together and it made Winnie feel like their family, the one that they raised, met nothing. Of course that wasn’t the case, but she didn’t voice her concerns to anyone. She just plastered a smile upon her face and continued on. She didn’t hate the woman, Nicholas was never hers to begin with and she didn’t want to further the cliché of hating another woman because “she stole his man”. Shaking her thoughts of any trace of the man, Winnie let nature sing to her as she watched a passing boat. She didn’t have to weigh down her mind with him anymore. ( She was… dare she use the word so candidly – free? ) The rays of the sun soaked down on her, warming her skin and the vet knew she would miss this. This was her first summer in Hickory Creek since she moved about nine months ago. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Winnie’s gaze ascended to the sky as she felt another presence arrive. Maybe it was a fisherman coming to complain, or maybe even a friend? Either way, friend or foe, she didn’t turn around to acknowledge them. “You know, when you sneak up on people like that, it feels a lot like you’re going to push me in.” A small smirk curved the corner of her lips upwards, offering her companion comfort that it was only a joke as she finally turned around.
With furrowed brows, Benj once again spent the next five minutes tuning his guitar. The chords his fingers were strumming didn’t sound quite right and it bothered him more than it should have. Most days, he found solace in sitting alone at the park, surrounded by dense trees and the occasional passerby making quick eye contact and a nod to silently say hello. Today was different and he had no idea why, but it bothered him relentlessly. He was looking forward to spending time with his favorite possession, but he felt far too irritated and impatient to continue catering to the sound of the acoustic instrument in his hands. “Fuck,” Benj mumbled, strumming once more and being met with an unpleasant noise. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he gently laid his guitar back in it’s case and closed it with a quick snap of the clasp. Placing the strap over his right shoulder, Benj stood up from the wooden table he occupied, leaving the park and wandering to wherever his feet would take him. Inspiration for his music seemed to have diminished recently, as most of his songs had angry undertones. True, he found out of his ex-fiances infidelity a year ago, but the bitterness was still there as if it had happened a day ago. Most people tended to brush off the cheating of their lovers, but Benj had a specialty in holding grudges. He was never good at vulnerability and after the shit he was put through a year ago, he had no desire to show his true self to anyone ever again. His undesirable thoughts must of occupied his mind for far too long as his dark brown eyes gazed out into the waters in front of him. Part of him wish he had stumbled to the bar instead, but maybe this new centenary would be the inspiration he needed. Continuing to walk down to dock, he noticed the outline of a body sitting at the very end. It was too difficult to tell from behind who exactly occupied the dock, but in all honesty it didn’t matter to him. Maybe a bit of small talk would be good for him; he could use the interruption anyways. Before he could give a greeting to warn the person of his presence, he was beat to it as their voice spoke up. “That wasn’t my intention,” Benj replied as he returned a small smile, “but now that you have the idea in maybe I will.” Setting his guitar down, he took a seat a few feet away from her. He wasn’t exactly one to wait for an invitation and hoped his boldness wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable. “ Watch out for the fishermen’s boats, they aren’t exactly known for their excellent sailor skills out here.”
