After Midnight

by Lacy Hart

  “Hi there,” I said, slowing down a bit and then stopping as she took a step back in surprise.

  “Hi,” she said with some shock and bewilderment.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. “I was just out for a run and thought it might be you.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, smiling a bit at me. “I was startled a bit to see someone come up next to me. It’s not something that usually happens to me when I’m walking home.”

  “So, you live nearby then?” I asked her, realizing after I said it that I might be sounding a bit like a stalker at this point.

  “I do,” she said. “I’m a few blocks down and then over to Baldwin Court.”

  “That’s not too far from me,” I said to her as we started to walk along the sidewalk. “I’m over on Carson.”

  We walked a few more paces without saying anything, and only the sound of the bits of dirt grinding beneath our feet could be heard. I was having trouble coming up with something else to say and was getting ready to just break off and keep running. I didn’t want Sarah to feel any more uncomfortable around me than she might already be.

  “Do you run this way every morning?” Sarah asked, looking over at me and brushing a wisp of her hair away from her face.

  “I do… I mean I try to,” I corrected. “It’s been a few weeks since I have been out running, but I really wanted to get back into it. It makes me feel better for the rest of the day.”

  “I haven’t been running in a long time,” Sarah told me. “I used to love to go for a run in the mornings. It’s still quiet, the streets are pretty empty, and it does feel good.”

  “You should get back into it,” I told her.

  “It’s hard now, working the shift I do,” she told me as we crossed the street and then made the right towards Baldwin. “By the time I get off from work usually all I am thinking about is getting home and going to bed.”

  “I know, it can be tough to get into a routine when you don’t keep regular hours. I remember when…” I cut myself short, not wanting to get into my time in the military and getting bogged down in all it might dredge up.

  “When what?” Sarah asked me.

  “Never mind,” I told her. “I know finding time for exercise is not easy.”

  We came to a stop in front of a large home with an expansive lawn and long driveway.

  “This is me,” Sarah said casually, pointing to the house.

  “Wow,” I replied. “The owner must pay you really well at the diner.”

  Sarah smiled and laughed. “Not quite. It’s my brother’s house. I live with him and his family.”

  I felt awkward for saying what I had said and fumbled for words. “I’m sorry, that was kind of rude of me. I’m… I’m not very good at conversation sometimes.”

  “It’s fine,” Sarah said, looking into my face for the first time as we talked. “Thanks for the walk home. It was nice to have some company for a change.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said. I realized our conversation was coming to an end and Sarah was inching towards the driveway, waiting for me to make my exit. I didn’t want to leave, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say at this point either.

  “Have a good day,” I told her, turning to the right so I could begin my run back towards home.

  “You too,” she shouted to me as I moved away. I had gotten a few yards down the street, building up to a stronger run, when I turned behind me and saw Sarah watching me before she started moving down the driveway. I turned back to watch where I was going, took a deep breath, and picked myself up to a faster pace.

  I felt energized again, striding down the blocks, thinking about how nice it was to talk to someone else, even if I sounded awkward and didn’t have much to say. I reached Carson Court in no time at all and crossed into our driveway, putting my hands on my knees to catch my breath after sprinting much of the way. I looked up and saw Adam coming out the front door with his backpack, heading out for school.

  “Hey,” I said to him breathlessly, wiping some of the sweat I had worked up from sprinting the last part of the run.

  “I didn’t know you went out for runs this early,” Adam said to me, adjusting his backpack on his back.

  “I haven’t for a while,” I said to him, “and it shows with how worn out I am. I like running in the morning.”

  “I couldn’t run at this time of day,” Adam told me, glancing around and looking down at his phone.

  “Heading out to school?” I asked, realizing it was a dumb question and another sorry attempt at conversation.

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, shifting his feet and looking past me up the driveway.

  “Do you… do you need a ride?” I asked him. “I can get the Jeep and take you.”

  “No thanks,” he told me, looking from side to side again. “Jack and Preston from the basketball team usually pick me up in the mornings.”

  Just then, I heard a car come to a stop at the top of the driveway. I turned to look and saw an expensive-looking white sports car there. The passenger window rolled down, and a voice yelled out: “Wilson, come on!”

  “Gotta go, Dad,” Adam said as he moved past me. I turned around to watch him head up the driveway and climb into the back seat of the car. The window quickly rolled up, and the car sped off down the street.

  I made my way to the main house and walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Linda came in moments later, dressed impeccably in a navy-blue suit jacket and pants.

  “I’m surprised to see you here,” she said as she filled her travel mug with coffee.

  “I just got back from a run,” I said to her as I gulped some of the water from the bottle.

  “I see,” she said with a smirk. “I’ve got to head out now,” she told me. “I have a meeting at nine that I need to prep for in the office. Don’t forget, you have Dr. Weber at 6 tonight, Caleb.”

  “Linda, I won’t forget,” I said in an exasperated tone.

  “I know you won’t forget,” she told me, patting me on the shoulder as she walked past me. “I just want you to actually show up there,” she said as she went down the hall towards the front door. “See you tonight!” she yelled to me as I heard the front door slam shut.

  I held the cold bottle of water up my forehead to help cool me down, took another sip, and then made my way out the back door and up towards my apartment. I polished off the water as I entered the apartment and made my way into the bedroom, collapsing on the bed.

  I wonder how sore I will be after today, I thought to myself. I already felt my muscles on fire and it was not even a long run, at least by my old standards.

  I had every intention of going right into the shower and letting the hot water work its magic on my muscles. But as I laid there on the bed, I suddenly felt comfortable and tired. I found myself wanting to go to sleep and felt better than I had in months. I closed my eyes and worked on relaxing, pushing the rough thoughts out, and concentrating on something else.

  Sarah’s face popped into my vision - the quick smile she gave, the freckles she wore – and it made me feel tranquil and gave me the good feelings that has been so elusive to me for so long.

  6

  Sarah

  The last thing I was expecting on my walk home from work was to run into my late-night diner guest again. He had only just left the diner at 3 AM, so to have him come across me while I was walking home just a few hours later completely caught me off guard. I was stunned to see him when he came up next to me as I walked, but I think I was more surprised in myself when I let him basically walk me home… well to the driveway of the house.

  I have been very protective of my privacy for years now and am reluctant to let anyone in even in the smallest ways, like walking me home. I’m wary of people in general, thanks to what happened to me in the past, but there was something about this gentleman that overcame that feeling. Even though he was not very talkative and appeared as if from nowhere twice in the span of just
a few hours, I didn’t feel worried or scared around him. If anything, his behavior and attitude made me curious about him.

  He was also quite easy on the eyes. While I noticed he was handsome when he was sitting at the diner, seeing him in just a t-shirt and running shorts gave me a more complete picture. He was in fantastic shape, without an ounce of fat on him, and he had clear muscle definition all over… so much so that I could make out his firm abs beneath his tight-fitting t-shirt. It made me wonder what he did for a living that allowed him to stay in such great shape. Perhaps he was a physical trainer of some sort or a professional athlete, but whatever he was, he looked great, even if he said he hadn’t been running for weeks.

  After our brief conversation on the walk home, when he left me at the top of my driveway, I allowed my eyes to follow him as he ran away. I could see the strong definition in his calves and thighs, and I even found myself peeking at his firm backside. It had been a while since I allowed myself to be physically attracted to someone, but I could feel in the pit of my stomach that familiar feeling of seeing a handsome man for the first time.

  I made my way down the driveway and into the house and saw Lizzie walking down the hallway to the kitchen to grab something to eat before she left for school. Denise was in the kitchen as well, pouring herself a cup of coffee and putting the finishing touches on the brown bag lunch she made for Lizzie for school.

  “Good morning,” Lizzie said to me in her usual chipper manner.

  “Good morning,” I said as I sat down at the table, glad to be off my feet for the first time in hours. I looked over at Denise, but she quickly turned away from me and went back to getting things ready so that she and Lizzie could leave for the day.

  “How was work?” Lizzie asked as she munched on a bagel.

  “Nothing exciting,” I said to her, somewhat honestly.

  “Who were you talking to at the end of the driveway?” Lizzie asked me. I froze, unsure of just how I should answer her.

  “What?” I asked her, taking my hair out of my ponytail and brushing it out with my fingers.

  “I saw you out the window before I came down,” she said, taking another bagel bite. “Some guy in running shorts.”

  Denise was suddenly paying attention to our conversation as well, peering over from the counter to see what I would say.

  “It was just someone who came into the diner last night,” I said, trying to remain calm. “He was running as I was walking home and we talked for a minute.”

  “You let some stranger follow you to the house?” Denise chimed in as she walked over and stuffed the brown bag into Lizzie’s backpack. “That doesn’t sound very smart.”

  “He wasn’t following me or stalking me,” I protested, but to be honest, I really didn’t know if he was or not. I didn’t get the usual red flags and bells going off in my head that I got when I meet certain guys at the diner that were trying to pick me up. “He was out for a run and saw me, so we talked. He said he lives over on Carson Court.”

  “What’s his name?” Denise asked, trying to get information now.

  It was then I realized I had no idea what his name was.

  “I… I don’t know his name,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed. “We just met at the diner. I don’t get the names of everyone that comes and talks to me.” I knew that last statement was said with some intensity and was defensive, but I felt like I was being interrogated now by Denise.

  “But you have no problem bringing strangers back to the house, is that it?” Denise said in an accusing tone.

  James came walking into the kitchen just as things were getting heated.

  “What’s going on?” James said, knowing there was some tension in the room.

  “Your sister is bringing strange men back to the house is what,” Denise spat out.

  I stood up from the table. “That’s not true,” I said in my defense. “I was talking to someone at the top of the driveway. He had walked with me a little bit. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “No one said you did,” James interjected.

  “I said she did,” Denise added, now standing in front of me, next to James. “I don’t like the idea of you bringing someone we don’t know to the house, especially with a young girl here. I won’t abide by it.”

  “That’s not what I did, and I would never do anything that would hurt or endanger Lizzie. You know I’m not like that James,” I said turning to my brother.

  “Is this going to turn into an episode like you had in the past?” Denise yelled. “Because if it is, you can start looking for another place to live!”

  I stood in stunned silence. I looked at Denise, trying to control my rage, and then looked back at James, hoping he would say something to stand up for me. When he didn’t answer right away, I could feel my heart sink.

  “Maybe I should do that anyway,” I said to Denise, moving quickly past her and heading up the stairs to my room.

  I could hear James and Denise arguing through the floor, with Lizzie jumping in every now and then. While their argument was muffled, their voices were clearly raised. A moment later I could hear the front door slam, shaking the walls even up to my room.

  I was just finishing putting my plaid lounge pants and t-shirt on so I could get to bed and try to sleep when there was a soft knock on my door. I quietly said, “come in,” and James entered the room.

  I sat down on my bed and looked up at him. James came over and sat down next to me on the bed.

  “Sarah, what the hell happened?”

  “Nothing happened James,” I said looking at him. “A customer from last night ran into me as I was walking home. He was out for a run and just walked with me for a bit until I got to the house. He then left, and I came in. Denise is making it into something it isn’t. I didn’t bring anyone home or anything like that.”

  “Do you know this guy?” James asked me.

  “I just met him last night. I didn’t even really meet him. It’s just someone local who came in. Why does that matter? I’m not twelve-years-old, James; I’m twenty-six. If I want to talk to somebody, it shouldn’t be a problem, and I shouldn’t get interrogated about it. I did nothing wrong.”

  “I know, but Denise is all bent out of shape over it.”

  “Well, she’s just looking for an excuse to get rid of me. Maybe she’s right; I think I might have worn out my welcome here. If I’m just going to be the source of arguments for you two and she is going to make life uncomfortable for me, I might be better off going somewhere else.”

  I turned and looked at James, and I could see he was feeling embarrassed about what had happened.

  “I would never ask you to leave, Sarah. You know that. I think having you here has been good for Lizzie. We just have to try to figure this all out and make it work.”

  “It’s not easy to do that if she keeps bringing up the past. What happened to me years ago was not my fault. I don’t know why she thinks it is, or why Mom and Dad think it is, or why anyone thinks it’s some kind of reflection on them instead of on me.”

  I got up from the bed and sat in my desk chair. I could feel myself getting worked up again and tears starting to form.

  “No one thinks that Sarah,” James said to me.

  “Stop, James,” I told him angrily. “Denise, Mom, Dad… they all think that it is an embarrassing mark on them because some guy posted pictures of me online. I can’t change what happened, and I’m the one who must live with it. Having it thrown in my face constantly like that doesn’t make it better, or any easier to move past.”

  My face felt hot, and I had a lump in my throat and in my stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was to rehash all this again with James. He knew how much this episode had hurt me, destroyed my confidence and my relationship with my parents. When it had initially happened, and my parents were mortified to hear from friends and then see online pictures of me in various stages of undress that were taken without my knowledge, I didn’t think things could ever be worse. Then, when
my parents in all their religious zeal and fervor, decided that it was best if I didn’t come live with them when I wanted to leave college, I had nowhere to turn except to James. I called him late at night, in tears and distress, asking if I could come stay with him. James never hesitated, coming to the college in the middle of the night to pick me up and bring me to his home. Even though we may not have had the best brother-sister relationship to that point, he came through for me when I needed him most.