| Sunrise She promised herself that she would not let this go to far. She didn’t want to end up like her mother, cold and bitter over a failed relationship. She convinced herself it would just be a date. There wasn’t anyone else she could ask that would accept an invitation to the Chinese Opera. Sam was different than most men. She kept telling herself that was a facade he put on every time he courted a potential girlfriend, though Josh told her it wasn’t. She wanted him, more than she would admit. But she didn’t want to end up like her mother. She wouldn’t end up like her mother. Sam was acting like her father when she arrived to pick him up. He profusely apologized for the extra work he had been loaded with. When he admitted who was responsible, her anger boiled over. She didn’t need her father’s help to save herself from her mother’s fate. She wasn’t going to let it go too far. She would go out on this date, just to prove it. It was there when her logic began to fail, as her date ended up being coffee with her father and Sam. Except that Sam was such a perfectionist that he refused to leave until his work was perfect. It was that moment she knew that things would never work out like she wanted them to. She tried to prevent it, by saying he was like her father. He responded like she wanted him to. She left him there in his office to have dessert with her father, and told herself that would be the end of her ‘relationship’ with Sam Seaborn. It was one o’clock that night when a knock sounded on her door. She knew who it was going to be, and she knew she shouldn’t open it. But she did anyway. It was him, with a bouquet of flowers he had to have bought for their non-date. She accepted them and let him in, though a voice in her head told her she shouldn’t. She smiled as he began to stutter out an apology, and swooned as his blue eyes become fixated upon hers. “I can’t let this happen, Skipper. I planned it out so this wouldn’t happen.” She forced the words out and tore her eyes away from his, now looking at her trembling fingers. He gently lifted her face to his level. “Do you like Steinbeck?” She tried not to be thrown off by the question. “He‘s my favorite.” She declared reluctantly, as her eyes wandered to his lips. His mouth formed a smile. “The best laid plans of mice and men do oft go astray.” She leaned in and kissed him. The next morning, she woke up beside him. That night was their beginning. Things moved quickly from that point on, at a rate that both frightened and thrilled her. Sam was everything she had ever wanted in a man. He was sweet and romantic and passionate. He didn’t give in when he thought he was right. Sometimes she felt their arguments were the best part of their relationship. It made them honest and open with each other, something her parents never had. Her mother had always let her father’s work come first, and he had never thought about the effect it would have on her. Sam knew how her parents divorce hurt her, and always went the extra mile to prove how much she meant to him. The only time he didn’t, the one time she should have given in....she couldn’t think about it. Not now. The hardest thing was keeping their relationship hidden. She knew her father wouldn’t approve and would find a way to keep Sam away from her. They were careful. Her father and mother knew she had a boyfriend, but thought he had a job that made him travel an exorbitant amount. They were always careful in public, and most nights chose to stay home. Sam didn’t tell Josh, for fear he would slip in front of Leo. One March night, she and Sam managed to slip out to a fancy restaurant. It was there that he had pulled out a simple silver ring and asked her to move in with him. She was overwhelmed by the gesture, and accepted immediately. He had already worked out a way to tell her father. She was moving in with her boyfriend because she spent most of her time there anyways. She was changing her mailing address to a PO box so they could keep their anonymity. In retrospect, she thinks she should have told someone. But everything was so perfect. She didn’t want to think about it ending. *** She looks back on that day as she sits in the hard plastic chair, twirling the silver ring she wears on her finger. She thinks about everything that has happened in the past week, and how she would give anything to take it back. And for the first time since that night, she thought about life without him. |