Chapter Thirty-Four
Sarah
CHURCH BELLS RANG as church let out for the afternoon. As the congregation poured into golden streams of sun, Mother Elsie clutched Sarah’s arm on one side and Joel’s on the other. They were all unusually quiet, thinking of different things. Sarah thought about Grandpa Rob. After posting bail, he had to await his trial in the upcoming months. Grandpa Rob had become quiet, a polar opposite to his entire being, especially now that he was without his red sports car made by sweat and American blood. He, accompanied by Helena, had apologized profusely at the Dominguez house, but like expected, they simply shut the door in his face, promising forgiveness eventually. Rob promised to attend church for the next few weeks because he felt so rotten of a person. Joan Richards wanted to tag along too.
And in the confines of the church, Joel couldn’t exactly slug the old man who’d taken away his best friend. Yet Grandpa Rob never showed up.
“Joel, are you coming with us to the Steakshop?” asked Helena from behind them.
Mother Elsie tightened her grip on the young man, blinking at him. Joel smiled. “If you’ll have me, but my mom and sister…”
“They can come too,” Karli called out from her position by Zach.
“Well, I don’t know…”
“At least invite them,” said Scott.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
Joel, Sarah, and Mother Elsie sifted through the exiting churchgoers, on the lookout for Chloe and Juliet. Five minutes later, the two appeared. Juliet pulled the group into a hug and said, “Now, why are you waiting on us?”
“Want to come to lunch?”
“Sure. That sounds fine.”
“With the Towsons.”
Juliet cocked her head. “The Towsons?”
“Yeah.”
“As in, Sarah Towson’s Towsons?”
“We don’t have to go.”
“You must really be interested in this girl.”
Misty Temprend had not called him. Instead he’d been left in the dark, in the sadness of Manny’s mortality, and the approaching crunching dead-end of his parents’ relationship.
“You know what?” said Juliet. She wrapped an arm around both children. “Let’s go. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”
So they went.
THIS LUNCH WAS very interesting, from the casual banter between Joel and Sarah to the almost tenseness reflected by Helena and Scott’s knowledge of Sofia. However, Mother Elsie’s presence was much appreciated, as the old woman was not afraid to play both mediator and psychologist to all around.
After they finished their steaks and paid the bill, the group went into the fresh summer sunshine. The waves tickled the inlet and their spirits, so much so that Scott daringly wrapped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders after Joel moved just a few feet closer to Sarah every minute. Scott was protective like most fathers would be, and Joel played the part of respectful young man.
“I just want to thank you for including us,” Juliet began as Chloe smiled beside her. “You guys were very nice to do so.”
“Oh, come on, Juliet,” said Mother Elsie, who pointed her long wood cane in the woman’s direction. “You know how hard we’re playing matchmakers here.”
Joel turned red as Sarah covered her face with her hands. Scott tensed beside his daughter. Helena laughed. Chloe and Zach stared at each other in mutual respect for how embarrassed their siblings were.
“So, I was thinking, we’re going to have an end-of-the-summer soiree at the house. Would you like to come, Juliet?” Helena asked, before taking a sidelong glance beside her to where her daughter still stood, mortified.
“Sure, sure. That would be fun, right?” Juliet nudged her son. “We’ll definitely make it. Thanks for inviting us.”
“Of course.”
The two groups made their ways to different cars, but Sarah and Joel waited behind them for a moment, just so they could whisper at the same time, “Oh my gosh.”
“This is what happens when you have churchgoing relatives. They’re so worked-up about matchmaking and whatever, like we’re in some kind of Jane Austen book,” Joel said, shaking his head.
“You read Jane Austen?”
“What guy hasn’t heard of the horrors of that type of romance?”
“Oh, wow. Just wow.”
“I know you were into English, but I was into passing calculus.”
“You were in honors classes.”
“Yes, but I felt like such a peasant sitting behind you in calc.”
“Come on.”
“Your dad is staring so hard right now,” Joel whispered as he followed her. They took the path between two cars parked on the crunchy gravel.
Sarah shrugged. “He has his reservations. When you have a little girl, I’m sure you’ll understand.”
“Oh, Sarah Towson. Always planning for the future. What if I only have boys? What if you’re stuck with a bunch of girls?”
“Remember, I don’t want kids? At the very least, I’m not sure if I do.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
“Nah.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“I think yes.”
Sarah shook her head as they approached their last point of intersection. Quickly, Joel reached over and side-hugged her, before rushing after his mom to her blue Honda. “Bye!”
“Okay, bye,” Sarah said through the whistle emitted through Mother Elsie’s rouge lips.
As she strapped into the car, she felt the hot stares from her family and adopted grandma. Eventually, she burst. “What?”
Karli was popping gum already and cocked a primed eyebrow.
“Oh, nothing,” everyone said in unison, though in reality, this was everything to them. Sarah was smitten, and this was the first time they’d been able to see this with the girl who once was always too good for everybody else.