Chapter Ten
Ben had left Lancaster what seemed like ages ago now. He had gone straight to the ranch that was now all his. This had been his first visit in years though, and he saw how run down the house had been.
He spent any free time he had at the farm house fixing it up. He had plans to be in this house soon, and hopefully Sara would be with him. There hadn’t been a day that passed that she wasn’t on his mind.
He woke up in the morning and thought of her. He pictured Sara as the woman who he was playing opposite in the movie. On screen it had been pure magic.
The Oscar was his almost before the movie was even in the can. The talk had been all about how Ben North had pulled off an amazing drama role. He had even seen one review, after the movie was out, that said, “If I didn’t know better I would swear Ben North used to be Amish.”
Tonight was the big of the event, and his nerves were up high. Even though he had almost been assured the win was his, he still wondered if he would win.
Ben wished that Sara could be by his side for the event. He wanted everyone to know who had truly inspired his performance. He knew how true it was.
During the filming he had pictured Sara and how he would feel being betrayed by her. His heart had felt like it was ripped apart while they were filming the scene of his breakdown. Not a tear had been left dry after he was done with the scene. It had taken the director several minutes before he could even call cut to the scene.
Ben thought at that moment that he deserved the Oscar. He hoped everyone else had the same experience when they had watched the movie.
He walked into the event, several cameras flashed in his eyes.
“Mr. North, do you think you’ll win tonight?” He heard a reporter call out to him.
“I’ll win if God is willing!” Ben smiled and moved on.
He hated all the glitz and glamor now, he had once loved it so much. Now he couldn’t wait for this to be over and be back in Texas. He wondered how the world would feel when they heard Ben North was retiring?
Ben would do that for her. He wanted to spend his time with her. So if she did come, he would spend his days with her.
“The Winner for Actor of the Year is, Ben North, for his work in Amish Love.” He heard announced and stood up automatically.
He got to the podium and cleared his throat. “I’d like to thank you all for this award. To the director and all the other people who helped me do so well in this role. The biggest thanks though goes to a woman who will never hear this speech, Sara Albright. She was my in to the Amish community, she taught me many things. She was my inspiration for this film, and thanks to her, I played a tremendous role.” He finished and the room exploded in applauds.
Ben left early, skipping the after party. He didn’t want any questions; he simply wanted to escape to Texas and work. He had sent a letter out yesterday to Sara. He wondered if she had received it yet.
**
Sara wondered every day what was up with Ben. She had now had to resort to having Sally and Henry go to market. Her tainting hadn’t rubbed off on them. She was trying to distance them from her as much as she could.
Sara had been pushing them out the door more and more lately. Telling them to go and mingle. She thought it was working out well, she had heard Henry talking about one of the young girls.
Soon he would be proposing to her. She could hope that she said yes, that would be one sibling out of the door.
Sally would take a bit longer. She was quite shy and wouldn’t talk to many of the young men who approached her. Maybe her grandpa would speed up the process, she could hope.
Today had been the second time she had sent them to the market together. She had no choice. She had tried to go and had found that all of the Amish let her know just how lucky she was, who her grandpa was. They suggested that she not show up at the market again, or she might not make it back. She could feel the anger coming from them, and was sure they saw it as justice from God. Sara had gone home quickly, shaken to the core by the whole thing.
The next market she had convinced Henry and Sally they should go by themselves. They had sold a bit of the food they had taken along. Sara hoped this was a good sign that they were more accepted.
“I hope they don’t turn against them too. Please God if you’ve ever done me a favor this would be the one I want the most.” She prayed allowed.
For what seemed like the hundredth time of the day she wondered what Ben was doing right now. She wondered how many girls he had bedded since he’d been back in LA.
As if a sign from God, she opened the mail box and found a letter from Ben. She held it to her heart for a second, and then quickly ripped the letter open.
My dearest Sara,
I hope this finds you well. I’ve thought about you every day since I’ve left. I don’t know how close you are to having the children out of the house, but please find these tickets for a bus trip to Texas. I went there when I first left Lancaster, and have since been fixing up my childhood home. I would love if you come to live with me here. I want to have you in my life and only you Sara. These tickets can be used whenever you are ready, I’ll be waiting! Just call me from Amarillo and I’ll come and pick you up right away.
All my love,
Ben