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Chapter Twenty Four

The week flew by for Sarah. She was busy at the Library working daily after school, and planning to get ready for the move to Tennessee in a few short months. Time seemed to be running out for everything. In just a couple weeks it would be exam time, and then graduation practice.

She was still amazed at the wonderful place in which she now lived. The Lepleys were so generous. Her apartment was completely separate from their house, so if they wanted to visit, they had to knock on the door in the back. Sarah was more than satisfied. She had dinner with them on Tuesday night after work, and turned down invitations for the other evenings. She didn’t want to make a nuisance of herself.

Last Monday Mrs. Lepley had taken her to the grocery store, and Sarah bought her first load of groceries ever. It was exciting to come home and be able to fill the pantry shelves with the little she had purchased. She would definitely need some help in the kitchen, since her only experience had been making mac and cheese and chicken nuggets when she was a child. Since then she hadn’t cooked at all.

It was Friday night, and she sat on one of the couches in her living room, watching HGTV. There were so many shows she had never seen, and she could waste many hours if she wasn’t careful. Sarah loved being able to stretch out on the couch, or the floor, or her bed, or snuggle in one of the comfy chairs. Just the fact that she had a place to call her own that wasn’t dark and hidden like a cave was such a blessing.

The rumbling of Sarah’s stomach signaled it was time for dinner. She extracted herself from the couch, turned the TV off and headed to the kitchen. Though she didn’t cook many things, she did know how to open a jar of spaghetti sauce and follow the directions on the pack of spaghetti to boil the noodles. And since she decided to add more fruits and veggies to her diet she would make a small salad as well.

While waiting for the pasta to boil, Sara leaned against the counter and looked around. She silently thanked God once again for this place, the people he had brought into her life, and the hope she now had that even things with her Mother may one day turn out alright. As she gathered the salad things, her thoughts drifted to Tyler. What was his family like? What things did his Mom make for dinner? Were they loud at the table, each trying to talk at once to share their day? Or was dinner a quiet affair where everyone ate in silence?

Tyler. Her date with him was tomorrow. Tomorrow! She set the salad things on the counter quickly, and put her hands to her cheeks. What should she wear? What would they be doing? Why had she said yes?

Sarah had never been on a date before. As if sensing her inner turmoil, the pasta water boiled over and hissed against the burner. Sarah jumped, surprised by the sound, and quickly turned down the heat. As she mopped up the bit of water on the stove top, she came to a decision. She would ask for help.

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The cool evening air felt good on Sarah’s flushed cheeks as she walked the short distance to the front of the house. The Lepleys were home, she knew, because they had invited her to dinner yet again. Her own dinner tasted fine, though the pasta had been a bit chewy. It had not been enjoyable because her thoughts had jumped from the time she had spent with Tyler at the college, to snippets of their conversation on the plane, to what the “date” might entail the next day.

After hurrying through her small amount of dishes, she now found herself pausing just to the left of the Lepley’s front door. Should she ring the bell? She felt silly. What would she say? Yes, Mrs. Lepley was a sweet woman, but she’d been married for at least thirty years. What advice could she possibly give? And yet Sarah found herself here on their front porch, wanting to ask questions.

Sarah leaned back against the siding, and quickly leaned forward again at the sound of the bell. She had accidentally pushed it with her back. Well, no reconsidering now. Mrs. Lepley was already in the entry way waving at her and smiling.

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The smell of roast beef hit Sarah’s nose as she was ushered inside. Mrs. Lepley gave her a quick hug and led her into the dining room.

“Did you change your mind about dinner dear?” She asked with a smile. “We haven't started yet, and you know you’re always welcome. Mr. Lepley and I are happy to have you.”

Sarah hadn’t thought they might not be finished with their own dinner. She had thoughtlessly rushed through hers.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you hadn’t started. I have already eaten. I’ll just come back another time. I’m sorry I interrupted your evening. Have a pleasant night.” She started to leave the room to let herself out.

“Now you just wait right there, young lady.” Mr. Lepley said. “You sit yourself down and keep an old couple company. I haven’t heard anything about your trip, or how you like living here, so I’m gonna need you to fill me in. Mrs. Lepley, though she likes to talk, doesn’t always give an old man the details he wants to hear. I like to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.”

He had stood from his chair as he spoke, and pulled a seat out for Sarah. She sat, reluctantly, and tried to smile. She didn’t like being the center of attention, but she would do as he asked. They had done so much for her, she couldn’t refuse.

After the blessing, Mr. Lepley turned his eyes to Sarah and told her, “Begin anywhere you like. Tell me how the college was, how your flight was, if anything interesting happened. Heard you even took in a church service while you were there.” He winked and she knew he meant he wanted to know about Tyler.

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Sarah was full from a large slice of blueberry pie, and from the advice she had received from the Lepleys. They were so gracious. They hadn’t thought her at all foolish. Mr. Lepley had excused himself to the kitchen, and she and Mrs. Lepley had spoken in private.

She knew how to behave now, how to dress. It was of the utmost importance that she act like a lady. She had no problems keeping herself modest. She was to be herself, and behave in a way that honored the Lord. After finishing her pie, and praying with Mrs. Lepley, Sarah had returned to the solitude of her apartment.

She picked up her Bible from her dresser and flopped down onto her bed. She lay for a few moments with her eyes closed, thinking. She sat up again, and realized she hadn’t called Tyler yet. She jumped off the bed and retrieved her phone from her purse. Dialing carefully, she punched in the numbers scrawled on the paper in her hand.

It only took one ring before he answered. “Hello, this is Tyler can I help you?”

Suddenly Sarah’s throat was dry and she couldn’t remember what she wanted to say. She cleared her throat and forced out a greeting. “Hi Tyler. This is Sarah. I have been busy, and I forgot to call. Sorry.”

“Sarah! Wow, I was wondering if you changed your mind about tomorrow.” His voice sounded relived to hear from her, and that boosted Sarah’s confidence.

“No, actually. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.” Her cheeks flamed, although there was no one around to notice.

“Well,” Tyler began, “I was hoping so. I’ll pick you up at four o’clock, ok? Where should I meet you?”

“Oh, well, you can come to my place to get me.” Sarah told him her address and then asked a few questions to get an idea of what they would be doing, so she would know how to dress. “Remember, come to the door around the back of the house. Knock loud.” Sarah laughed nervously as Tyler promised he wouldn’t forget. They hung up, and Sarah stared at the phone for a few minutes.

Even thinking about spending the afternoon with Tyler made her nervous. She decided a long, hot shower was what she needed to calm her nerves. That, and a bowl of ice cream.

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