Page 34 of A Constant Love
“Never,” I reassured her. “Whether we are in Kansas or Boston…or anywhere in between…you’ll still be my girl.”
Chapter 21 – Tyler
After falling asleep early that night, the following morning, Sam did something that would shock us all to our very core.
We were all standing in the kitchen discussing our plans for the day.
“Well, your brothers and I were going to go into town to Margie’s Diner and grab some breakfast. You two want us to bring you back something?” John Flemming asked in his usual gruff voice.
Without missing a single beat, Sam said, “Actually, I was thinking maybe we could go with you guys.”
“Into town?” Her father and brothers all asked in unison.
Ever since Sam left Armstrong, even when she would come home for family visits, she never ventured far from the house.
After what James did to her in high school, the whole town practically turned on her and crowned her the town whore. They ran her out of Armstrong, and she never went back.
Until now.
“Yeah. This trip home is all about me facing some demons. I think this should be one of them. I mean it’s breakfast…how bad can it be?” Her smile was subtle, but still there.
“Okay, Sammie, let’s go get some breakfast,” her dad said with a smile.
There were too many of us to pile into John’s pick-up truck, so Sam and I drove separately in my rental.
I held her hand as we followed the truck. “I’m proud of you for doing this, Kansas.”
All I got was a nod and a weak smile.
“So, are you going to tell me what happened with that therapist that sent you running out here?” I’d avoided asking the question since I arrived, but it was time.
“First of all, she’s a bitch,” she began.
I chuckled, but she went on.
“I won’t lie…my first couple sessions didn’t exactly go well.”
“Why’s that? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have to give me details. Just give me the gist of what you talked about.”
“No. I’m saying we talked about literally nothing. I sat there for the whole hour and quipped about the weather.”
“Sam,” I groaned.
“I know, I know. Not my finest hour. But when I went in on Friday, I started to tell her about James, and she yelled at me!”
“She yelled?” I questioned.
“Yes! She scolded me like I was her damn child. She told me that I would never be able to move on with my life until I found closure. I said I had found closure, and she called bullshit…and proceeded to list all the reasons I hadn’t.” Her head turned to look out the window.
“Well, something she said must have worked because you’re here…in Armstrong…heading into town to eat breakfast.”
Her shoulders shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. She didn’t have to be so mean about it though.”
I laughed to myself, but at the end of the day, I didn’t care what it was that got her taking steps forward in her life. I was just glad she was beginning to make some progress.