-S-
Sara saw Joe while they were running together. Joe was good at running now. She remembered the first day they had run together. It seemed like it was a very long time ago. Joe must have worked out hard by himself to catch up with her. Sara enjoyed running with Joe.
Later that day, they went to see Sara’s grandmother. Sara thought her grandmother would like Joe. Joe was wearing a clean white shirt, and brown pants, and Sara was wearing a blue shirt and jeans. Sara thought they looked good together.
“I think you better not tell grandmother that you are leaving.”
“Ok, I won’t say that,” Joe smiled and answered. The sky was dark, but it helped the temperature to be cooler. Her grandmother greeted her as always, and she also greeted Joe as well. Sara thought her grandmother looked healthier than before.
“Who is this young man?” Mrs. Olverman asked.
“His name is Joe.”
“Hi, Mrs. Olverman.”
Her grandmother was interested in the guy her granddaughter brought. She bought Sara and Joe a juice and other snacks. Joe was good at talking with Mrs. Olverman, and that made Sara like Joe even more. They talked about her small garden in the yard, and Sara showed her pictures.
“That is really pretty. You did a good job.” Mrs. Olverman smiled at Joe. Sara also told her about their dance lesson in the basement, going hiking, bowling, running together, and also talked about Wendy Park. While she was talking, she realized that she and Joe did many things together.
“You look very happy. I really like that.” Mrs. Olverman gave a hug to Sara before they left.
“I love you grandma. I will come again.” She kissed her grandmother’s cheek.
I will probably have to come by myself next time. Sara thought.
When they got in the car, Joe asked,
“Do you want to go drive?”
“Sure, where?”
“Have you been to Columbus River?”
“Nope. Are we going there?”
“Yes.” Sara really liked the idea. It was like they were going on a trip alone. They talked about many things while they were on the road. Joe liked Sara’s prank story.
“So, when will be your first vacation from your job?” Sara asked Joe after her story.
“Oh, I am not sure yet.” Sara wished Joe was clearer.
“But you will have it at least once or twice a year, right?”
“Yeah, probably.” Sara was a little bit disappointed because she thought he would be more proactive about their relationship. Sara knew Joe really liked her, and so did she. She could not understand why he did not say much about their future.
“I’m sorry.” Joe apologized later.
“About what?”
“Just because.”
“That’s fine.” She did not want to ruin their time. I'm pretty sure that he will talk about it later. I trust him. Her phone vibrated. It was from her mother.
"Are you not answering it?"
"I can call back later."
The Columbus River was much bigger that Sara thought. It was very fresh around the river. Walking along the big river was a great experience to her. In spite of cloudy weather, there were still a lot of people that had come to the river. Her cell phone vibrated in her purse again, but she ignored it. She did not want to think about anything else. She leaned on Joe while they were walking. Joe took her to the restaurant near the river. It was a little bit expensive, but Joe did not care. Sara looked outside of the window. It was getting dark early that day, but there were still many people. Some people were fishing, some others started a bon fire, and many other people were doing their own thing. She thought that looking outside was watching an ending of a sentimental movie. The food was expensive, but it tasted really good. However, Joe did not finish his meal.
“Can I help you with packing?” Sara asked in the car when they were coming back from the river.
“It’s ok. I am not bringing much stuff.”
“Yeah right. You have plenty of money so you can buy everything new.”
“Whatever.”
“Well. Since you have plenty of money, you have to come see me often.” Sara realized she said that without thinking. She wondered how he would respond.
“Of course.” Sara really liked the answer this time. They held hands, and did not let go until they came home. It was already passed 10 pm.
"I will buy you something delicious tomorrow," Sara said to Joe before she let him go.
"Ok, sounds good." Joe said.
Sara came home, and Michelle was eating dinner and watching television.
"What did you do today?" Michelle asked.
"We visited grandma and went to the Columbus River."
"That sounds fun."
Sara sat next to Michelle. She felt tired but talking to Michelle was too much fun. Michelle told Sara about how much she liked her new work place. She was talking about the 'hot resident,' that she met that day. Sara was glad Michelle was happy. She told Michelle about how things were with Joe.
He said he would visit often, so he will do it. Sara comforted herself so that she would be alright after he left. She checked her phone, and there were three missed calls from her mother. She called back her mom. She did not answer at first, but soon she called back Sara and she told her carefully that Keith had tried to commit suicide.