The Day Sara Lost Everything: Chapter 18

Sara had spent the last 3 hours staring out her window. She hadn’t given it much thought but the help must have moved her furniture back into her room literally as soon as they finished painting. Anthony had tried a few more attempts to help “get her comfortable with a physical relationship”. Eventually, once he realized she wanted no part of his attentions, he rolled over on her bed and went to sleep. Sara didn’t want to wake him up by getting off her bed, lest he think it would be beneficial to attempt to “make her comfortable” yet again. So she had spent the last few hours staring out her window.

The sky was just starting to turn into a dull shade of grey when her phone started to vibrate on the table. She couldn’t remember even having brought her phone with her to Anthony’s let alone setting it on vibrate and keeping it on her nightstand. She snatched it up quickly, trying desperately not to wake him up as she climbed out of bed and went into her bathroom.

Sara closed the lid to the toilet and sat down. She flipped open the phone and looked at the name before holding the phone up to her ear: John. She snapped the phone back shut as soon as the memories of the night with him invaded her brain.

Her memories were clouded thanks to effects she couldn’t put her finger on, but she knew she had been raped, and that this, was the cause of losing her boyfriend. The phone began to vibrate in her hands. For a moment, she thought he was calling back. It was just her phone letting her know she had a voice mail. She dialed *86 and then her password and held the phone up to her ear.

“You have one unheard message sent today at 6:47 pm. Beep,” went the teleprompted voice.
John’s voice rang out clear in the bathroom, “Sara, sweetie. I just swung by your place to see if you were ok. I haven’t heard from you in a few days. Don’t you know its impolite to sleep with someone and not call them back the next day? I don’t know where you’re at and your not answering your cell. I hope everything’s fine. Don’t worry honey, I’ll find you.”

John’s voice was sweet and full of concern through the entire voicemail and that was what made it all the more disturbing. She cried silently to herself for a few minutes, only letting the occasional sob escape her lips. Sara dried her tears, took one look in the mirror, and started to walk towards the bathroom door. She took an extra moment to compose herself and then walked out into her room. Anthony was sitting on the edge of her bed.

“Are you ok? Your eyes are red and they look pretty swollen,” asked Anthony with concern.

“Oh, I’m fine. I just had a nightmare about my past. Don’t worry,” Sara flashed him her million dollar smile and went to the mirror hanging from the door. She took the brush off her dresser and began running it through her hair. She pulled it up into a high, smooth pony tail. Try as she might, not all her hair was captured and small sprigs of it danced around her face.

Anthony was stunned. Here she was in overalls, a sweatshirt, and covered in paint. Her make-up had long since wore off and her hair was knotted up, and yet she was the most beautiful sight he had ever laid eyes on. He looked up into her face, expecting to see her dazzling green eyes. But they were dull, listless even. Almost as if the life had been sucked right out of her.

“Sara, is something bothering you that you’re not telling me about?”

She was caught off guard. No one had ever been able to tell when something was wrong. Ever. For as long as she could remember hiding her feelings had been as simple as saying nothing was wrong. This was going to be difficult.

“Its just that seeing my father today really upset me. I guess I’m just afraid he’ll figure out I’m here.” Sara hoped she wasn’t over stepping the boundaries that Betty had laid for her. But it would seem weird if she didn’t bring it up wouldn’t it?

“Oh my! How could I have forgotten! Sara, sweetie, that wasn’t your father. That was my old friend Jim Foster. He had come over to ask if I had seen his daughter on one of my strolls through town. She did seem to look like you, and had the same name, by her father’s description but don’t worry. I’ve known Jim all my life. Even if he saw you, which he didn’t, nothing would ever happen with him. I promise.”

Sara simply smiled weakly at the thought of her father seeing her here, “You have no idea,” she thought. “You have absolutely no idea.”