Love At First Sight
by Frank Ince
Equal winner first prize short story open section.
I loved you from the first moment I saw you. Old Joe the dispatch clerk came right out and said I was mad, reckoned love at first sight was nonsence, but what would he know about love anyway, being a bachelor all his life has numbed his brains.
The gate keeper’s another nut case, and his comments about you being 20 years older than me and showing your age was not appreciated. As if age counts for anything. I came very close to wiping the smirk off his ugly dial, and would have done if he hadn’t been so bloody ancient himself. The only love he knows is the number of frothies he can put away during happy hour each day.
It was my own brother who infuriated me most though. He didn’t actually come right out and say you were ugly, but he inferred as much. I could have shacked him one too, but then I figures he was the last one to talk about beauty, he’s no oil painting himself, and as far as love is concerned, well you have to experience it before you can talk about it.
When you think about it, who actually sits down and analyses these things? I’ve heard it said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and you were beautiful to me, the most beautiful thing I’d ever laid eyes on, and looks aren’t everything anyhow. I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ll love you tomorrow, and anyone who doesn’t like that, well that’s their business not mine.
Apart from good looks you were strong where I was weak which to me amounted to a good balancer of things. Partnerships are built on strengths and weaknesses, and I was certain that as a couple we could take on any challenge. In fact I still remember that first day when we drove into the depot to collect the day’s deliveries. Everyone craned their necks to get a look at you, but no one was game to say anything bad about you, they knew they would have me to deal with if they did.
Gee, how they changed their minds when we were first back with all the parcels delivered. I felt so proud that together we had taken on the best of them and beaten them all. Even that miserable old sod at the gate had to smile when he checked our delivery dockets and saw we had completed our rounds successfully.
When I walked up to the pay counter I was beside myself with happiness, I thought I would burst with pride, I was just so proud of you, so proud in fact that I have decided to spend some of our earnings on getting the rust taken out of your front mudguard for you, and with a coat of paint on your bonnet I reckon you’ll be the best looking truck in the company.