Forward By the Author

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Chapter Three

Sarah smiled to herself as she unlocked the side entrance in the alley. She couldn’t believe how things had turned out. She had celebrated by having dinner at the Mexican Restaurant across the street from the library, then going to the Post Office to check her box. On the way back to her room in the basement of the library she stopped at Dairy Queen for a Peanut Buster Parfait. She hadn’t allowed herself one of those since she was ten.

When she arrived back in her room, she placed the four letters on her little table. She wanted to be comfortable when she read through them. They all held some weight for her future. She was almost giddy with the anticipation. She changed into her pajamas, and brushed out her hair before putting it up in a ponytail for the night.

She crawled up onto her travel mattress and propped her pillow behind her between her back and the wall. She opened her ice cream, and took a bite. Sarah loved the combination of the sweetness of fudge and vanilla ice cream mixed with the saltiness of the peanuts. She licked the back of her spoon and set the container aside.

The first envelope had been from Ashland University. They had one of the best K-12 teacher’s programs in the state. Sarah took a deep breath and opened the envelope. She scanned the beginning, where of course she was accepted, and read through the rest quickly. Yes! They were offering a full ride. As long as she would continue in Cross Country, she was set. She could hardly wait to open the others.

The other three colleges were out of state, and they were all the more attractive for that reason alone. One after the other offered Sarah either most or all of the money she would need to go to college for free. Now she just needed to decide which would be the best choice. Maybe she would talk with her guidance counselor in the morning. She folded the letters and put them under her pillow. She sat in silent contemplation and enjoyed the rest of her ice cream. She was sure to sleep soundly tonight.

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Almost a week later to the day Sarah found herself poring over the letters, trying to make up her mind. The guidance counselor had been helpful in showing each of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, but had reminded Sarah the ultimate decision must be hers. She would be the one to live and study on campus. What a difficult decision!

Sarah had finally decided to eliminate Ashland, just because it was too close to home. After seeing her Mother the other day, and having all those old feelings rush to the surface, she decided it would be best to start over in another state.

The smaller school in Tennessee she had applied to seemed to offer everything she wanted. Plus, the school was close to the Smoky Mountains, and Sarah had always dreamed of spending time there. When she had called the admittance office, they had been very friendly, and even offered to pay for her to visit before making a final decision. Two weeks from now she would be flying down for a weekend tour.

Mrs. Lepley had been so nice about everything. She knew Sarah’s need, and had given her the time off with her blessings. Since she owned very few things, Sarah had decided to take a run to Goodwill and try to expand her wardrobe. She had come away with two new casual dresses, a pair of dress slacks, and four nice, but casual shirts. She would pack them all in her small carry-on bag. She didn’t know what kind of events the weekend would hold and she wanted to be prepared.


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The time flew by, and Sarah had her things ready to go. Mrs. Lepley would be driving her to the airport, and they had agreed to meet on the library steps. It was early on Saturday, and the library didn’t open until 11 AM.

They had pleasant conversation in the car, talking about Sarah’s excitement, and her plans for the weekend. She had been given a general itinerary, but not much detail. Just before dropping Sarah off, Mrs. Lepley pulled into short term parking and asked if she could pray with her. Sarah didn’t mind since she was in a great mood, so she consented.

“Dear Lord, please be with Sarah this weekend. This is a big step for her. It’s a life-changing decision. Please show her if this would be Your will for her life. Please lead her to a good friend, someone she can confide in. I pray you would protect her in every situation and bring her back to me safe. I care a great deal for her, Lord, but You care even more. Help her to see that. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity that lies ahead, and thank you for hearing our prayers. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Sarah had kept her eyes open to watch Mrs. Lepley pray. Her face held an expression of love and concern, but also of great peace. Like she was talking a problem over with an old friend. There seemed to be an earnestness to her words, and a sense that God was really listening and could do what He was asked. It made Sarah feel good, loved. She couldn’t remember ever hearing anyone pray for her before.

Sarah shook off the feeling, and reigned in her thoughts before the prayer ended. She gave Mrs. Lepley a hug goodbye only after promising to be good and take plenty of notes so she wouldn’t forget anything. She grabbed her bag from the back seat and went to check in at the gate.

Once seated on the plane, Sarah began to relax a bit. She had been looking forward to this trip for two weeks. Her whole future was ahead of her. A future she alone would decide. The seat next to her was empty, and Sarah was thankful not to have to make small talk with a stranger, especially not a strange man. Across the aisle was a young man who looked about her age. He was sitting with a man who seemed to be his father. They were engaged in deep conversation. Sarah didn’t mean to, but she found herself staring, wondering what her own father may be doing, and what it would have been like to make this trip with him.

The young man looked up, as if feeling her eyes on him, and smiled. He was good looking. Blond with dark brown eyes and a kind face. And he had a dimple in his left cheek. Sarah blushed and turned toward the window. She had been very careful throughout her school years to let the guys know she was not interested. She had never given them much thought, much less ever been on a date. The last thing she needed was for this guy to think she was flirting.

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Although Ohio was not far from Tennessee, the airline didn’t have a direct flight from Cleveland. Sarah would have a three hour layover in Cincinnati. It was a busy airport, and after debarking Sarah realized she was hungry. She looked around for the food vendors and noticed they were pretty much everywhere.

She stopped just before leaving the gate, and asked an airport employee where her next plane would be boarding. She had plenty of time to get there, seeing as how it was only the next gate over. She stood in line at the closest pizza place, then chose a seat close to the windows so she could watch the planes taking off and landing while she ate.

Sarah sighed with contentment. Her dream was finally starting to take shape. This weekend held so much promise. She could hardly wait to see what the dorms were like. She had her choice of a single or shared room, because of the terms in her scholarship. She thought she would wait to see what dorm life was like for the other girls before making a decision.

She also couldn’t wait to meet the professors and coaches. She was sure college life wouldn’t be anything like high school. Since she was already used to living on her own, Sarah was sure she could handle both school and practice. She may even find a part-time job in the library so she would have money to save up for a car.

She finished the last bite of her pizza, leaving the crust on her paper plate. She threw her bag over her shoulder and walked to the garbage. After tossing her trash, she went back to her seat.

There were so many planes here. She stared at one preparing to take off, and could just make out the heads of people through the small windows. She wondered where they were going, and who they were traveling with. Again thoughts of her Father came to mind. Just as quickly as they surfaced, Sarah shrugged them away again.

Her Father didn’t care about her. Sarah looked down at her lap as she considered her past. Her Father hadn’t even given her a thought when he left. He just was gone. Sarah had been too young to know what was happening, and didn’t remember a thing about him, but her Mother had always said her Father was a selfish bum who didn’t care about either of them.

Knowing her Mother’s penchant for lying, Sarah had always held out hope that her Father did care, that he had tried to contact her but that her Mother had maybe hidden the letters. Now she would never know. She had her own P.O. Box, and her Father had no idea what the address was. Would she ever see him again? Sarah noticed the sky was darkening, and felt the same feeling wash over her. Thinking about her Dad always made her feel this way.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the young man from across the aisle on the flight there. He was sitting right next to her, looking at her and smiling that kind, attractive, dimpled smile. Sarah tried her best not to notice.

“Hi, I’m Tyler Williams. I saw you sitting across the aisle from me and my Dad on the last flight.” He smiled again and looked directly at Sarah. He seemed genuinely friendly, and didn’t look like he was trying to hide anything. His posture was relaxed, as were his hands that were draped over his crossed leg.

“Listen, I’m not trying to be nosy or forward or anything, but if you’re traveling alone, my Dad and I would be honored if you would join us until the plane takes off. We wouldn’t feel right seeing a young lady such as yourself left alone in an airport. There are all kinds of weirdos out here you know.”

Sarah looked up in surprise. She didn’t know anything about this guy. Why should he care what happened to her? The men in her life to this point had used her for what they wanted then left. Why should she think this guy was any different? She didn’t want to be rude, but she didn’t want them to think she would owe them anything for their kindness either.

Sarah put out her hand, and shook Tyler’s. “My name is Sarah James. Thanks for the offer, but I don’t need your protection. I don’t know anything about you, and I’d rather stay right here if you don’t mind. Now, if you want to sit here and chat I would be more than happy to do so, but I will not be moving from this spot except to board the plane.”

What was she doing?!? The words had crossed her lips before she had a chance to think about them. Why had she said he could sit and chat? Sarah had always only trusted herself. She had never had a long conversation with a stranger. She avoided them, actually. She even kept her eyes down when walking so she would not attract undue attention. She must be losing her mind. Maybe there had been something in her pizza.

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