The Reasons I Hate Gregory Jenkins

That scoundrel was walking by the front of my house and whistling like he didn’t have a care in the world. He’s so pompous and greedy and I hate him. He’s so selfish and mean, so dirty and thieving. He fooled the rest of town by giving apples to the poor young children, but he could not fool me. In all my sixteen years he has teased me, kicked me, thrown me in mud and did all this with his devious smile. I hated Gregory Jenkins with all my soul.

As he reached the end of my father’s property he slowed and glanced back at my house. He looked up and saw me, I ducked quickly behind my bedroom curtain, and he smiled his ugly smile. His smooth tan skin, bright green eyes and full-toothed smile did not fool me. He was the devil reincarnate. He walked over to the flowers that had grown over my fence and plucked the most beautiful one he could find, it was pure white and in full bloom. He put it behind his ear and walked away whistling to him self.

My mother began to call me from the kitchen, she told me to bring the laundry in from outside. I crept down the stairs and into the front hall, I peeked out my door and around the corner; Gregory was nowhere in sight. I walked out of the house and towards the clothesline. There was the laundry perfectly white and clean. I began folding it and putting it into a basket when all of a sudden I spotted what appeared to be a dark red spot on my petticoat. But as I took it down and thoroughly examined it I found a dark red flower pined there. I picked it up and sniffed in its deep wonderful sent.

I sneezed; I was allergic to the flower. From behind me came loud heart stopping laughter, to everyone it town it was the sound of angel wings but I knew better, it was the devil himself, Gregory Jenkins.

“Why, don’t you like my flower Claire,” he asked, between his laughter.

“GREOGORY WILL YOU LEAVE ME ALONE! I don’t need you here making my life any harder,” I screamed at him.

He smile fell a little but remained in tact. “Then I shall leave you Claire, for I have matters of my own to attend to,” he replied and walked away to the front of my house. I peeked around the corner just in time to see him disappear into my front door. I quickly returned to the laundry and folded the rest, picked up the basket and hurried inside.

He was upstairs talking to my father and my mother kept me busy in the kitchen cleaning the good china. I was wondering what the scoundrel was up to when I herd the door closing to my fathers study upstairs. I excused my self from the kitchen by putting the china back into its cabinet in the living room. There I stayed so I could hear the conversations.

The stairs creaked and down came Gregory; his smile grew when he saw me, and came down the steps and stood in the doorway. I walked over to the buffet table stood facing him. He looked at me with a strange glint in his eyes. It occurred to me his eyes looked like they were wet but why should he be almost crying. He walked up to me his smooth gliding walk that had yet fooled me to this day. He leaned in and kissed me on the lips and touched my cheek with his hand.

I pushed him away. That retched man, how dare he kiss me. My lips where now stained with his evil. I turned around and saw the bowl of peaches sitting on the table next to mother’s vase. I took a peach and swung around hurling it at him. He caught it with his swift hands and before I knew it he was kneeling on the floor in front of me.

“OH CLAIRE! Why do you hate me? Am I really so horrible that after my kiss you wish to mar me with this peach. When all I want from you is your hand in marriage,” He said, the single tear running down his cheek.

From in his pocket he pulled out a silver ring with a diamond heart in its center, he also had the white flower he had plucked from my garden this morning. I gasped, how could this boy I had learned to hate my whole childhood have turned into such a wonderful man without my eyes seeing it? I brushed the tear from his cheek and let my hand rest there for a moment before I replied.

“Gregory how could I not despises you when around every corner you where there to make my day into its own little nightmare. The way you teased me, how was I supposed to love you,” I asked.

“Dear Claire. I was a foolish boy, now will you give me a chance to start over and be my real self,” He replied.

“In deed I will,” I replied giving him my first heartfelt smile.

“Oh Claire Would you do me the honor of being my wife,” he asked. I could not speak only nod my head and raise my hand as he placed on my finger the beautiful ring.