by Gail Haris
April 18
It’s been a year since Michael and I decided to separate. A lot can happen. I was at my lowest—but today, I feel at my highest. Here’s what happened:
I wore a straight, blonde wig that I had used for a 70s costume, big sunglasses, and for added detail, I drew on a mole. I had never been so nervous in all my life. I almost turned and walked back to the car. When you want something, though, you must go for it. My Olivia was within reach. They always like to go for a walk in the park. I watch them leave the house. I circled around to make sure they were alone. I park the car behind some trees a little distance from the park.
I jog back to the park, terrified I’d miss them. When I see them in the distance, I begin walking and looking around frantically. Melissa looks perfect of course. My resolve becomes even stronger in the moment I take in her perfectly styled hair, nice designer clothes—that are ironed, and she’s wearing makeup that makes her face appear flawless. How does she have the time and energy to look so amazing with young kids?
I’d never call myself an actress, but I have to brag and say I nailed my prepared speech. I gave real tears when I told her my puppy had gotten loose and was lost.
Of course Trent went crazy excited when he heard the word puppy. They said they hadn’t seen him but would help me keep an eye out. I pretended to see something by the bushes near the road and as predicted, sweet Trent took off toward the road… right when a car was turning onto it. Melissa screamed his name and chased after him.
Leaving me alone with the perfect opportunity.
I picked Olivia up as gently as possible and wrapped the blanket in the stroller around her. I heard the car honk and could hear Melissa scolding Trent, her voice full of worry and fear. He kept shouting back at her worried about the lost puppy. So worried about saving the missing puppy.
Once I had Olivia securely wrapped and in my arms—I ran. I ran as fast as I could. Of course, the jarring motions startled her. But I continued in a hard run. I’d almost made it through the tree line when I heard Melissa’s screams. I knew I didn’t have much time before she gathered her wits enough to call the police. I didn’t even strap the baby in the car seat. I held her in one arm and drove the car with the other. It was extremely unsafe, but I panicked and did not want to get caught.
Once I got outside city limits, I pulled over and strapped her in her seat. I had grabbed her favorite toy when I grabbed her so I handed it to her and it seemed to soothe her. After 20 mins of driving she dozed back off.
For the first hour of driving, my heart beat so fast in my chest that I wasn’t sure I’d survive it. I kept thinking that any minute, I’d see sirens in my rearview mirror. Any minute, we’d get pulled over. I needed to use the restroom, but I wouldn’t stop until I cleared the state line. At one point I had to pee so bad that I just pulled over, went around the side of the car, popped a squat and got back on the road. It was a miracle the baby slept so well. We were able to drive three hours before she woke up. I’d already packed baby food so I fed her and changed her diaper in the car. I drove another three hours before we stopped at a hotel. That’s where we are now.
I can’t believe it. I’m so excited, scared, anxious, overjoyed, and a bundle of emotions. I’m a mother! I finally have my baby girl! My Olivia. I’m Olivia’s mother!
I SIT THERE AND TRY to imagine all this. The part about Melissa’s screams gives me chills. I can’t imagine how she must’ve felt when she saw a stranger running off with her baby. The helplessness. She was trying to help her! And she had to save her son! The woman I knew that raised me would not have been so cruel. She stole her baby right out from under her nose. My mother would’ve never purposefully endangered the life of another child. Would she? Reading this from Cindy’s own account does make me more compassionate toward Melissa. I should’ve been more understanding toward her before. After all, it was her baby that was kidnapped. Melissa had her baby kidnapped under her nose while trying to prevent her son from being hit by a car. She lived her life never knowing what happened to me. She probably lived with fear of losing her other children since it happened so easily with me. Melissa has been a victim through all this. Regrettably, I could never see it that way.
My eyes begin to feel heavy. I set my alarm to wake me just in case I sleep hard. My last thought before falling to sleep is, I’m going to make sure to give Melissa an extra long hug at breakfast.
The next morning, I go downstairs for breakfast. No one acknowledges what happened last night. I wonder if Landon talked to Melissa, but everyone seems normal. He watches me with a concerned look in his eyes. However, he merely asks me how I am, leaving it at that. Before I leave for school, I do wrap Melissa in a strong hug. I don’t say anything, I just hug her.
I text Noah good morning and ask how his night went. He never mentions anything about Melissa calling Andrea in any of his texts. He doesn’t say anything about it at school, either. However, I know he knows she did and probably knows what she said. I can see the worry in his eyes when I pass him in the hall. Then in class he looks at me with caution and concern. I decide since he isn’t bringing it up, then neither will I. No good can come from discussing it. What’s done is done, and it’s not like Melissa’s feelings toward Andrea are a secret. It’s not going to change anytime soon, either.
I DON’T SEE NOAH AS I’m walking out of the school. Landon and Rachel are standing by the steps, so I stop next to Landon. It’s the big Homecoming game tonight. This is an event not only for the school, but the entire town it seems. Rachel and Landon fill me in that everyone, literally everyone, goes to the game so everyone dresses their best when they know they’re going to be seen.
“Most women use the bleachers as their big runway moment.”
“Runway?” My eyebrows pinch together.
Landon stares at me wide-eyed. “Fashion runway. You’ll see.” He chuckles. “You’ll see.”
Rachel slides a little closer to me and Landon. “Is y’alls brother coming?”
Landon rolls his eyes. “I’m done. It’s time to go home.”
Rachel grabs his arm. “C’mon. Tell me. Will he be at the game?”
“You’ll be cheering so what does it matter? Not like you can sit with him.” Rachel pouts her lips. “Yes, Rach. You know he always comes back for Homecoming.” Landon turns to me. “It’s a reminder of how great he once was.”
“And still is,” Rachel hurries to say. “Nobody has yet to beat his score.”
“Oh yes, Madame President from the Trent Randall fan club Chapter One. You should write his biography. Tales from a lovesick fool.”
Rachel flips Landon off and we all laugh.
Trent did come back for Homecoming, and he brought a girl from college with him. Her name is Maggie Tyson, and she’s extremely beautiful. She looks like she was Photoshopped, and my heart hurts for Rachel. I know she’ll see them at the game. I desperately wished Maggie was hideous, or at least of average beauty so it wouldn’t be such a hard blow for Rachel.
Denise suggests wearing something cute but warm for the game. She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Tomorrow night you’ll wear that super hot dress. Luke will probably devour you before you even make it to the dance.”
Denise’s date, Clint, and Luke arrive at about the same time. Luke is beautiful. I normally wouldn’t describe a guy as beautiful, but he is. He has short, sandy blonde hair, bright blue eyes with a hint of green, a tan, bright white, beautiful smile, and strong, masculine facial features, and he’s clearly a football player. He’s wearing jeans that are not fitted but hug his legs in all the right places. The black button up dress shirt he has on stretches over his broad chest and arms.
He greets me with a warm hug, and his voice is strong and deep. “Sarah! Pleasure to finally meet you.”
He smells divine. I’m completely smitten with him. He does that half hug thing that guys do with Trent. Everyone else gets a nod or handshake for a greeting. Landon comes downstairs to join us.
“Land
on, is Rachel not going to stop by before going to the game?” Melissa looks around.
Landon gives Trent the side eye, but then he smiles at Melissa. “She’s there. She had to be there early since she’s cheering.”
“Well I wanted some photos of all you kids together.”
Landon groans. “Mom, we still have the dance tomorrow. We can take photos then.”
A sad looks passes over Melissa’s face. “You can never take too many photos, son. Every moment is precious.”
Landon nods and stands next to me. Melissa takes a few photos of all of us before we leave. Landon gives Luke a snarl and then tells us he’ll meet us at the game. I wonder what Landon’s obvious issue is with Luke as we walk out to the car. I make a mental note to ask him about it tonight after the game.
When Luke and I are settled in the backseat of Trent’s SUV, he whispers in my ear, “You look amazing.”
I’m only wearing jeans and a cute sweater, but I give him a shy smile. “So do you.” He winks at me and takes my hand in his.
When we arrive at the football field, we find the bleachers are packed. Luckily, Trent knows someone who waves for us to join them at the top. I’m really excited for the game since Noah is playing. I read the program they gave us at the gate entrance with everyone’s numbers so I scan the field for #24. I can’t help but notice Eric is #31 since he’s listed close to Noah’s name. I find him on the field as well. I won’t deny that I thoroughly enjoy seeing Eric get tackled.
I scan the cheerleaders to look for Rachel. I spot her and wave. She shakes her poms poms in the air. Emily does an amazing backflip and I cheer loudly for her. I spot Karlie front and center. I squint harder at her and notice, along with her excessive makeup and glitter, she has #24 painted on her cheek. I frown and narrow my eyes at her. Then I scan the field for our mutual favorite player.
My eyes follow Noah as he plays hard. I get lost in the game and begin cheering openly for him.
“Quite the football fan. You’ll have to come to some of my games. I’d love to have someone so enthusiastic cheering me on.”
I blush at Luke. “I’d love to come to a game. What’s your number?” My eyes go wide. “I mean-” I let out an embarrassed laugh. “Your jersey number. So, I’ll know who to cheer the loudest for.” Not much better.
He gives my knee a little bump with his. “My jersey number is eight.”
The game only has a few minutes left when Trent surprises me by telling the group he wants to introduce me to someone. He tells them if we’re not back by the end of the game, we’ll meet them back at the car.
“Who is it we’re meeting?” I’m practically running to keep up with his long strides as he leads me toward the locker rooms.
He smiles. “One of the players.”
I gasp. “What?” Could it be Noah? Even if not him, I might still get a chance to see him. I can’t stop the smile that stretches my face. “Why?”
He stops and turns to me. “Sarah, I know this is hard for you. I love my—our—parents, but they go about some things the wrong way. Like this. Noah didn’t have anything to do with what happened. If y’all get along, why not let him help make this transition a little easier?” He shrugs again. “I saw how excited you were with our team winning. It wasn’t because of your school spirit. I figured that you’d want to get a chance to congratulate him.”
I throw my arms around him and force the tears to stay at bay. “Thank you so much,” I whisper into his neck.
He holds me and pats my back. “That’s what brothers are for, right?”
We hear the buzzer, and the crowd goes wild. He pulls me over to the gym entrance, where we see the mob of red jerseys heading our way. I’m bouncing up and down as I spot Noah, dirty and sweaty carrying his helmet. He looks momentarily stunned to find me there with Trent. I wave, and he continues toward us.
“Good game.”
He gives a light laugh but still looks uneasily at Trent. But Trent surprises us when he holds his hand out. “Good game, man.”
Noah shifts his helmet to his other hand and shakes his hand.
“You were great!” I blush at my outburst. I smile and in a more controlled voice tell Noah, “I’m so proud of you.”
He looks a little embarrassed and waves my compliment off. “Nah, but thank you.” We have a moment of smiling at each other, when suddenly Noah frowns. “Where’s Luke?”
Trent answers, “They’re back at the bleachers, or maybe the car by now. You’ll see him at the dance. He’s escorting Sarah.” As Trent finishes the sentence like no big deal, I think he’s oblivious to how everyone seems to snarl about Luke.
He nods his head and clenches his jaw. “So I heard. I gotta go shower, but thanks again guys.”
As he passes me, he whispers, “You look very pretty, Liv.”
We walk back to the car to find the rest of our group with some new additions standing around laughing. Luke turns toward me and casually throws his arm across my shoulders. He easily guides me farther into the group. Trent wraps both of his arms around Maggie’s waist. I glance over to Rachel to see her slap Landon on the chest and nod toward the other end of the parking lot.
Landon announces to the group, “See you guys later. We’re heading out.”
“Wanna hang out at the house?” Trent calls out to Landon.
Landon looks back at Rachel and then to Trent. “Nah, I think we might catch a late movie. See ya.” He takes Rachel’s hand and they walk away, turning into dark shadows in the scarcely lit parking lot.
Luke whispers into my ear, “What about you? What are your plans tonight?”
I shrug and smile, honestly not sure.
“Well, you could invite me over, and we hang out with your brother. I mean, Trent already invited me over, but I’d feel more welcomed if you did. It would be more like you wanted to hang out with me, rather than Trent.” He gives me a shy smile.
I look up at him and bite my bottom lip. “What’s wrong with being invited by Trent?”
He removes his arm from my shoulder and shoves his hands into his pockets. It’s not well lit in the parking lot, but I think he’s blushing. “It’s always better to have a pretty girl invite you over rather than a big, hairy guy.”
I laugh. “Trent’s not hairy.”
He gives a low chuckle and then smiles sweetly at me. “I guess he isn’t that hairy. But he is big. And you are pretty. So most of it was true.”
I hope he can’t see me blushing as I squeak out, “Luke, would you like to come hang out at the house with me and my big, not-so-hairy brother Trent?”
“Wow, thanks for the invitation. I’d love to but I have plans.”
I scoff and smack his arm. He grabs my hand. “I’m kidding! Please forgive me. I couldn’t resist. Hey, let me make it up to you. I’ll buy us a pizza.”
“Pizza? Where’d that come from?”
“I’m hungry. Figured you might be too, so it’s a win win. And everybody likes pizza.”
Trent walks over to us with his arms still around Maggie. “I’m hungry too. I didn’t catch all that conversation but I did hear Luke’s buying pizza. Let’s go.”
Once we’ve all climbed into the SUV, Luke calls and places an order for five pizzas for pick up. By the time we get across town to pick up the pizzas, they’re ready. The hairs on my arm stand up when I see the name. Tony’s. This is where Cindy had worked. Luke waves his hand in front of my face. “Hey. Where’d you go?”
I smile and shake my head. “Lost in thought.”
“Don’t tell me you’re already planning out to ditch me?”
I smile. “Not yet.”
He grins and my heart skips a beat. “Alright then. Let’s take these pizzas and see if I can keep you interested in me.”
“The pizzas will definitely help.”
Laughing, he grabs the pizza and I follow him out.
When we finally pull into the driveway back home, I realize why he ordered five. Two other cars are already there. We go
inside to find a few more of their friends sitting in the den. We eat pizza and watch movies until one in the morning. Landon still hadn’t come home. I’m too tired to sit up for him. I send him a text to make sure he’s okay before going to sleep. He replied instantly that he’s been doing the same thing we’re doing…except at Rachel’s house.
After lunch the next day, Denise and I go to the salon for hair and make-up. In the past, I’d always done my own hair and make-up for events. It’s nice to get pampered for a change.
Denise is sitting in the salon chair next to me and we’re both being laid back to get our eyebrows waxed. She’s very particular how she wants them waxed.
“I want to keep them slightly thick. Just the strays on the bottom and maybe a little off on the ends. But keep my arch. I need an arch.” Then in a hushed tone I hear her say, “And don’t forget the middle.” She points between her eyebrows. I smile to myself. She’s so self-conscious. I don’t think I was that insecure in junior high. Yet, she has nothing to be insecure over. She’s Denise Randall. Beautiful, stylish, intelligent, and has everything she could want in life.
I relax as I feel the paper being pressed firmly to the wax. Riiiiiiip. Ow! I flinch but hold back a yelp.
“Isabelle told me that her brother really likes you.”
“Who’s Isabelle?”
She huffs and groans. “Luke’s little sister! Duh!”
I feel the rip and screech. “Luke!”
She giggles. “Yes! Luke Jamerson is into you!”
I raise up and stare at her. “He barely knows me. Are you sure?”
If Isabelle is anything like Denise, she’s probably overreacting. Denise raises up as well. We face each other and try to stifle giggles at our red blotches around our eyebrows.
We are led to chairs in front of large mirrors. We take our seats and they begin brushing our hair. I look at Denise’s reflection in the mirror as she answers me.
“Isabelle and I were chatting on the phone and she said Luke has never acted this way. He’s so pumped for your date tonight.”