Mozart blared through the old record player into the living room, family room, and kitchen. Every room with the peeling, tan wall paper heard the same music every day. The old, wooden box could play music just as loud as any new advanced boom boxes of the 21st century. Harold, the 78-year-old grandpa of two, snoozed in his bed reminiscing about life. His wife passed away about four years ago. He was just always lonely. His kids lived in different states, and his grandchildren were too busy with college and starting their new lives.

After laying awake in bed for about an hour, Harold grunted as he struggled to get out of bed. Today, he was going to go fish, just as he did every other day of his life. Even with the painful arthritis, Harold manages to go fishing everyday.

He stares at himself in the mirror. What has he become? Once the most handsome, he withered away to nothing. His Oral-B toothbrush stood in the crusty yellow cup. The cup had black mold or something growing on it. Harold didn’t know what. He grabbed it, brushed his teeth, and rinsed his mouth out with the specially prescribed mouthwash he received for his sensitive gums.

Harold limped to his garage to pack up his fishing gear like he did every Wednesday. He packed his fishing tackle, lures, leers, rods, poles, etc. He ate his oatmeal with raisins and strawberry jam. He got dressed. His daily outfit consisted of his brown Kmart khaki pants and some striped shirt. Harold always wore stripes. He collected his keys and slowly walked out, making sure he locked his door; Harold trusts no one.

As he got into his car, something beautiful caught his eye. Something Harold liked more than fishing: Jenny. Harold’s 45-year-old neighbor with a husband and two kids, made Harold’s heart skip a beat every time he saw her. The way her hips swayed when she walked, her pearl white smile, her non-aging face, her luscious brown wavy hair, her hour-glass body, her everything made Harold fall in love with her.

“Jenny!” yelled little old Harold. With a concerned look on her face, Jenny yelled, “Hey, Harold!” back. She knew that every time he talked to her, it would end with Harold flirting and Jenny’s husband getting extremely angry. Jenny didn’t mind Harold’s flirting, but she hated dealing with her husband’s anger.

“You’re looking good today, Jenny!” said Harold in his creepy old man voice, as he approached her. Jenny, making sure her husband wasn’t looking, said to Harold, “Don’t you have to get to the lake early to catch the best fish?”

Harold always felt as if Jenny was trying to get rid of him, but he never understood why. He loved her, and that’s all he knew. “I really need to be getting to work,” said Jenny, “but I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Harold.”

Harold got into his car and started his 45-minute drive to the pond. He stopped at his wife’s grave and said a quick hi and told her about all his Jenny stories. He laughed because his wife understood him better than anyone. Back on his way to the lake, the only thought running through Harold’s head: the next time he would see his precious Jenny.