To Cross this Line

In the beginning, there was a wedding.

It was ironic, of course, for the ending of every ‘perfect’ love story was the start of this one. But you would find out that this love story was not meant to be.
***
It had been a perfect summer’s day when Amanda Winters was wedded to Jeremy Scott.

The wedding had gone off without a hitch, both parties’ parents delighted with the turn of events. Finally, they were wedded and nobody could do anything about it, especially not Amanda.

None of the friends and families gathered for the occasion knew what the in-laws had been hiding the fact that Amanda Winters had appeared to have gone mad the day before, insisting that they call off the wedding. Her parents put the blame on pre-wedding jitters, said that of course the wedding could go on, and his parents accepted it.

Why were their parents so eager that they marry, you may enquire?

Amanda Winters had been the village’s most beautiful girl, dark hair with a slim figure and sweet smile, it was said that anyone who married her would have the most luck in the entire world, for they would have the most beautiful children in the whole town. There was one small problem though. Amanda’s large, dark blue eyes were always cold and intimidating, almost as they could peer into your soul.

This was no problem to Jeremy Scott. He did not mind that she could see within him. In fact, he had rather liked it. Jeremy had fallen for Amanda almost immediately after laying eyes on her four summers ago and had vowed that he would marry her, doing whatever it took to make it so.

He had not taken into account that she would not want to.
***
Three more summers passed and aside from Amanda Winters’ curious outburst, the couple lived a quiet existence on the outskirts of the village.

Jeremy had been contented. He worked long hours being the sole banker of the small village and relished weekends for those were the only time he had with his wife, though those were mostly spent in silence since Amanda had seemed to prefer it.

He didn’t mind. Jeremy never minded when it came to his wife, knowing that Amanda Winters could be every bit as cold as her name suggested. Thus, he had long decided that if she was unwilling to let him cross the imaginary line that separated her from him, even if he had started to tire of the rumours around the village since three summers had been a rather long time for a couple to still be barren (and he knew that the village would be absolutely shocked if they knew that the couple did not even share a bed), he would wait for her.

Amanda had seen that from Jeremy’s heart, she’d seen it the moment she had met him on the eve of their wedding. She did not know why he was so devoted to a girl whom he hardly even knew but what she did know as that this marriage would not result in happiness and had resisted it in every way possible and yet...it had not been enough.

Still, she could not bring herself to breach the gap between them. That path would result in children, children who Amanda was not certain if she wanted, which was strange. It set her apart from the other women in her village; all the women wanted children and all the women had opened their hearts to the men they married.

But Amanda had not and it was frightening her how she did not fit in. It had never really bothered her before, even with the worried looks her parents casted her and the baffled glances of the villagers that she had to endure. But now, things were different. She needed to change if she did not want Jeremy’s kindness to turn into resentment.

She did not have anyone to share this worry with. But she did have an excellent view of the village from her room’s window for her to ponder these questions by.

So Amanda sat and waited by the window, always waiting and always wishing for her heart to finally open.

But Amanda Winters never specified who she wanted to open her heart.
***
Jeremy had been at work when a young man arrived in the village.

He had not met the man but had rumours from the townspeople about how odd the man was, with his strange accent and casual way of dressing. Jeremy Scott did not pay much attention to those whispered words, knowing that part of living in such a small village was living with nasty rumours, which were mostly untrue. After all, this was the same way they had treated Amanda.

Determined that the man get fairer treatment, he went to the house where the young man lived, introduced himself and invited him to dinner to help him settle in.

The young man had been pleasantly surprised and agreed, though with a little caution. “Are you sure that it wouldn’t disturb your family?”

Why, the villagers had been right to some extent. He had a strange accent, one that even Jeremy could not place. “There is only my wife, Amanda, and I and I am certain that she would not mind.”

Relieved, the young man smiled and introduced himself as Ian Peterson, worked in his family’s business which was woodcraft and had moved into the village so that he may have a new market.

Jeremy Scott had left the young man feeling very pleased that he, unlike the rest of the narrowed minded villagers, had bothered to learn more about the young man. He resolved to inform Amanda to make an extra person’s serving and then promptly forgot about it.
***
Amanda had been looking out of her window when a young man suddenly appeared on the path to her house. She did not pay much attention to him, for she did not spend much time in the village and not known that he was considered an oddity much like her, and went downstairs, knowing that Jeremy would be home soon.

All of a sudden, there was a knock on her door.

Wondering who it could possibly be, she opened the door and found the young man standing outside. None of the other villagers had bothered coming by her house so she did not understand why the young man was here.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. (He had not imagined that Jeremy’s wife would be so intimidating.) Nervously, he asked, “Is this Jeremy Scott’s house? I’m Ian Peterson, new to this village and Jeremy...ah...invited me for dinner.”

Jeremy must have done so without informing her, Amanda realised. Mustering up a small smile, she let him in and wondered how she was going to conjure up another dish.

She did not have to worry about this for Jeremy had sent a village boy to inform her that he had to work extremely late that night and for his guest and Amanda to begin dinner without him.

Amanda relayed the news to Ian Peterson and instead of leaving hastily to avoid being alone with her, since she could already tell that he felt her strangeness, Ian surprised her. He smiled and stayed.

And thus began the opening of Amanda Winters’ heart.
***
Jeremy knew what was happening.

Every time he called Amanda’s name, she had turned and her eyes would dull when she saw that it was only Jeremy. She was still as quiet as before though much more restless, as though anticipating Jeremy’s departure for work. And when he returned, she seemed to be buzzing with positive energy but by the time it was dinner, she would be quiet and restless again.

He knew. But he did not believe.

And so, one day, he decided that he would test her, to see if there had been something inappropriate happening.

Jeremy pretended to have left for work but instead, hid behind one of the larger shrubs in their garden and waited. He hid there for a long period of time and then finally, just when he had decided that he had been too paranoid, Ian Peterson appeared.

Stunned, Jeremy could only sit and watch as Amanda Winters burst out of their house with more happiness that he had ever seen. She smiled widely at Ian Peterson, embracing him warmly and speaking quickly and lowly in her melodious voice. Ian listened and laughed.
They continued speaking outside for a few moments, engrossed in each other before they went inside. Feeling slightly numb, Jeremy stood up and followed them, a few paces’ behind and witnessed them sharing a kiss.

Jeremy burnt with rage. He felt like barging into the house, his house, and catching the lovers in their act but then he caught a glance of Amanda’s dark blue eyes.

They were no longer cold. Instead, they were warm and full of love.

Seeing this, he left.
***
Jeremy Scott could not figure out what he had done wrong. He had been so patient and kind towards Amanda and yet, it was not he that she had chosen in the end.

It was not he.

Grimacing into his brew, he laid his head on the bar table and did not awake.
***
Jeremy Scott was found and pronounced dead by the village doctor the next morning.
***
It was said that Amanda Winters had caused the death of her husband although the doctor claimed that he had simply drank himself to death, and so, she had been rightfully chased out of the village for fear that she would curse the rest of the villagers.

She left, quietly, in the dead of the night. Amanda knew what she had done and had regretted it almost immediately after finding out what had happened. In an indirect manner, she knew that she had caused her husband’s death and thus, kept away from Ian Peterson from that day.

Even now, as an old lady, she dares not open her heart to another.

I know this, for Amanda Winters is me.