Jen walked past the garden every day on her way home from work. It was the second most important part of her day, first being getting her morning coffee from Starbucks on the way to work. She never had enough time in the mornings to stop by the garden, but on her way home, this was the time where she would relax after a long workday and take in all the garden has to offer. She can't believe that after all these years, this Central Park garden right in the middle of New York City would bring her so much relaxation and calming thoughts. Never would she imagine that coming to this garden would take her back to her 16-year-old self. That same girl who fell for Jimmy Ryan in this same exact garden 20 years before.
Jimmy Ryan was a 16-year-old ‘bad boy' from the other side of the tracks. Growing up in a middle cla** family in Queens where his parents were always working, Jimmy always seemed to get into trouble. His feelings for Jen Walker were something he cherished. Jen Walker was from the other side of the tracks, a wealthy neighborhood on the upper east side of Manhattan. Jen was everything he ever wanted; funny, pretty, and kind. Jen slowly walked through the garden smelling the flowers and watching the birds chirp by. Walkers would pa** by with their smiling puppies as Jen would get the okay by the owner to pet them. As she decided to take her last smell of the flowers, she heard the roll of the thunder and the rain started pouring. As she scrambled to find her umbrella, the memory of Jimmy Ryan came flashing back into her mind.
It was an autumn Saturday night in 1995, Jen and Jimmy just left their junior prom together at the high school they both attended. They were supposed to head straight to the post prom event, but Jimmy had other plans. He grabbed Jen's hand and they ran to central park. Right over to a secret garden area that Jen had never seen before. It was beautiful; lovely smelling flowers of all kind and a calming waterfall. They sat down on the bench and talked for hours. Jimmy wanted to know everything about Jen, and Jen wanted to know everything about Jimmy. They talked about their hopes and dreams that night and promised that those hopes and dreams would include each other.
Jimmy slowly got up and picked a rose for Jen and promised her that he would always lover her. Then the thunder rolled and the rain came pouring down. In that moment, Jimmy took Jen by the hand and kissed her. Jen's very first kissed with the first guy she'd ever loved. Everything was perfect in that exact moment. She thought her life with Jimmy would go on forever. They promised that they would travel the world together and eventually come back to NYC to settle down and get married. But they were just two kids dreaming a whole different world on a garden bench in Central Park.