Sam
Sam knew she should be utterly exhausted. After the conversation with Junior the night before, she had close to no sleep at all. The movers arrived earlier than planned, and when they knocked on her door she was in the bathroom. She literally had been awake only three minutes. She had to scream out of her window for them to hear her, which caused her some embarrassment. Quickly, she finished what she was doing and got dressed so she could let them in.
Four strong, young men walked in and out of her bungalow carrying her belongings as she finally had the pleasure of her first cup of coffee for the day. She instructed them on exactly what she wanted to take with her as far as boxes and furniture were concerned. Since she changed her mind about selling the place she wasn’t taking everything as originally planned. She would have to buy more furniture for the bedroom when she got there, and just sleep on the couch for a day or two.
Later when the movers were gone and on their way to Connecticut with her things, Sam called Junior and left him a message. She knew he was at work, but she had told him she would let him know when she was leaving. He would probably call her back while she was driving. It would be a long drive, but a beautiful one. The weather was gorgeous and she was excited. They still had a lot to talk about and they both said they would take it slow, but she longed to be in his arms again.
She looked around the place before walking out. She had made few memories while in Florida, but the ones she did have were good ones. She could envision Tonya in the room with her as they talked many times, and remembered when Junior was there for a week. She smiled at how many wonderful times she had woken to the sound of the waves. She would truly miss that. As she closed and locked her door for the last time in what could be many months to come, she heard someone barking. She couldn’t help but grin as she turned her head in Sheeba’s direction. Unable to leave the loving and attentive furry dog she walked over for another goodbye.
“Hey girl!” Sam lovingly greeted her with rubs as she knelt. Sheeba greeted her with licks on her face and made her laugh. “I’m going to miss you, too. The next time you see me I’ll have a furry friend of my own with me and you will get to meet them.”
She loved on the dog for a few minutes and spoke to her neighbor before leaving. After wishing each other well, Sam got in her car, put in a CD, and backed out of her driveway.
“I’m on my way, God. I’m listening to You and thank You for all of this. Thank You for loving me.”
***
Junior
Junior was a blessed man and he knew it. There was no other explanation for it. The woman he had been deeply in love with was moving back to Torrington, and she confessed to him that she loved him, too. He never thought it would happen. When asked about Sheila, he was honest with Sam. He said she was an incredible woman, but she wasn’t who he wanted to be with and he would talk to her about it.
It was good to be back at work. Originally he was dreading it, but it helped to keep his mind busy. The night that he was to go to dinner with Sheila, he told Sam and comforted her, telling her he was going to tell Sheila he couldn’t continue with what had been building.
He thought it would be better to go ahead and take her out for dinner than to break it to her over the phone. Sometimes his best thinking wasn’t so great. It was a mistake he was happy to know he wouldn’t have to make again.
Over dinner, Sheila could tell something was on his mind. He tried to think how best to tell her, and decided not to beat around the bush. Sheila already knew about Sam, but not that they were going to see one another. As he looked at her, he took in her beauty and just as at the beach, he was stunned. She would always be beautiful and he hoped what he had to say wouldn’t ruin a chance at friendship since nothing more could happen between them.
“I have been struggling with the easiest way to talk to you, Sheila, but there isn’t an easy way. When we met, I was honest with you about Sam and you appreciated that, so I hope you will with this, too.”
He didn’t get to continue. She interrupted and asked, “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?” Her words were not menacing. They were soft and as he looked in her brown eyes he could tell she was hurt, yet hopeful. Looking at her as compassionately as he could, he answered with a nod.
“I thought I was ready to move on. I didn’t think there would be anything between her and me, but she is moving back here and we have talked. She has told me she wants to take it slow, but has finally accepted her feelings for me. I’m sorry Sheila. This wasn’t planned and if I had known…”
“I know. I understand and again, I appreciate you being up front and honest with me. It would be wrong of me to say to you that I wish it wasn’t true, but since I truly like you a lot, I wish you both the best. She must be an amazing woman and you deserve that. Do I wish it was me in her place? Yes, but it is what it is.”
Sheila didn’t stay long after that. He walked her out and told her he would take her home, but she declined. She called a cab and said maybe they could talk another time, but they both knew that possibility was slim. As he watched her leave in the cab he felt torn. He felt shame and guilt because he believed he had unintentionally hurt someone, but at the same time he was relieved, for more than one reason. The main one was going to be in his arms soon, but not soon enough.
A week later, when he finally made it through another Monday at work he checked his phone and saw he had missed a call from Sam. Listening to the voicemail he grinned at hearing her voice and knowing she was on her way. Instead of calling her back, he texted her to call him when she could stop somewhere and talk. He didn’t want her to be distracted while driving. He stopped by Domino’s on his way home and ordered his favorite steak and cheese thick crust pizza. When he pulled into the parking spot of his apartment complex his phone began vibrating. He knew it had to be Sam, but he was wrong.
“Hey Junior. Is it okay that I call?”
It was Sheila, and even though he hoped they could be friends and loved the sound of her voice, he wasn’t sure it was okay for them to be talking again so soon.
“Hey, umm…yeah it’s okay. You just caught me getting home from work. I literally just parked and I’m on my way into the apartment. How you doing?”
“I’m okay. I have to admit I was nervous about calling, but I wanted to tell you something.”
“Okay, I’m all ears,” he told her, turning the ignition off and sliding down in his seat. Obviously, he would have to wait on diving into the pizza that smelled so incredibly good.
“Well, I have to be honest first and let you know that I have been thinking about you and I miss you, but the main reason I am calling is because I have thought about everything from our date.”
He wasn’t sure where she was going with it, but urged her on. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“I’m sorry if I was rude when I left the way I did. I was truly hoping that we could have more than friendship. To be honest, I like you a lot more than I thought and I don’t want to throw away the chance of having you as a friend. I really mean that. I also meant what I told you that night. You deserve this, and she must be awesome if you want to be with her. I wish you both the best and I want us to be friends. I know we can’t go out and it might be a long time before I can see you at all, but we can at least be friends on Facebook and talk occasionally. At least, I would like that. If you want to, that is.”
He was shocked and speechless for a moment. He wasn’t sure what to say. Her words hit him unexpectedly but they made a deep impact on him. He was glad she called and said what she needed to get off her chest and told her so.
“Thank you, I’m glad you called. Honestly, I felt like a jerk that night. I mean I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but I felt bad because I know you left hurting and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I want to be friends. I would love that.”
He imagined the smile on her face when she replied, “Thank you.” They agreed to talk again soon and when they finished, he didn’t feel much like the jerk he thought he was a week before. He grabbed his pizza as his mouth salivated and went inside his apartment. He desired the food he held in his hand, but as he thought about Sam, he needed to hear her voice even more.
***
Sam
Sam checked into a Best Western after driving for eight straight hours. She wanted to make good time on her trip and felt she had. It had grown dark and she was tired, hungry, and badly needed a shower. She had enjoyed the drive so far. She had always enjoyed driving on the highway during the warm seasons. Even though it was beginning to grow slightly cooler it was still nice enough to enjoy having the windows down. She had her stereo blasting and relished the wind blowing into the car. She could see beautiful country and areas she had never been before. While on the road she stopped at a small store for some gas and something to drink. Inside she browsed long enough to stretch her legs and back and saw some of the coolest homemade items, things a person would never find at a Walmart or any other department store. One item was a ceramic figurine of kittens snuggling with their mother in a basket. She looked at the price on it and couldn’t believe it was so cheap. She bought it, thinking it would look great in her new den or wherever she felt like putting it. Possibly in the bathroom on a small table in one of the corners. She also saw heavy homemade quilts like her grandmother used to make, which brought back happy memories. She grabbed two of those as well.
She had gotten Junior’s text and couldn’t wait to talk to him. Before getting back in the car she called to let him know she was safe and sound and would be stopping somewhere for the night. She didn’t feel energetic enough to drive the entire way alone. He agreed it would be best.
“You have no idea how much I am missing you,” he groaned, making her laugh.
“I think I have a pretty good idea. It’s been just as long for me as it has you.”
“True. How much longer do you have to drive tomorrow?”
“If the traffic isn’t too bad and I don’t stop but a few times, probably about ten hours, give or take an hour or so.”
“Okay, be careful. There’s a lot of idiots out there on the road that shouldn’t be driving at all.”
“I’ll be as careful as possible. How was your day?”
He told her how things had been at work and how much he was obsessing about seeing her. She laughed and said she felt the same but reminded him about the whole going slow idea, and he agreed, again. When she was back on the highway she couldn’t stop grinning, but wondered just how slow either of them would be able to go. It had been a long time coming and she couldn’t wait to be in his arms again, but they had to be careful. Or at least that was what her head was telling her.
One very important topic she would definitely talk with him about was church and living for Jesus. She knew he believed and wanted to let him know exactly how important it was to her that she was with a man who lived for Jesus. She would love Junior either way. She knew God was directing her back to be with him, but it would make things easier if he followed Jesus. She would certainly pray hard about it and for him. She would also pray for the two of them together. She had to believe it was the right thing for them both.