Sara

SARA

A SHORT STORY BY

Joe Meneley





         It was 6:30 in the morning, when Sara pulled open the shop doors. She usually didn’t open until 7:30, but since her dad’s death she started going in early. She didn’t like the mornings in the empty house.
         After opening the third door, she wiped a small bead of sweat from her forehead. The Florida humidity was high. Turning around, she almost walked into a white Chevrolet S-10 that had just pulled in.
         A tall muscular man in his mid twenties got out. Sara looked at him. He was wearing an Orlando Magic t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. His short hair made him look like he just got out of basic training. Getting out of the truck, he asked,
          “When will the mechanic be in?”
        Standing at the front of the truck in her blue button up shirt with Brown’s Automotive written above the pocket, Sara said sarcastically,
         “Next week, mind if I take a look at it?”
         Realizing she was the mechanic, he said,
          “No not at all.”
         Putting her hands near the front of the hood, Sara said,
“Pull the hood latch.”
He pulled the hood release, closed the door and came around to the front of the truck.
Pulling up the hood, Sara asked,
“What’s wrong with it?”
Noticing the puzzled look on his face, she rephrased her question.
“What’s it doing that it’s not supposed to be doing?”
He looked at the engine then at Sara and said,
“I was leaving work a few minutes ago, and it seemed like it wasn’t going to start. It acted like it was not getting any juice from the battery.”
Sara went into the shop to get a battery tester and a few tools. The shop is a three stall garage with two lifts and an alignment rack. To the left of the alignment rack is a small office. Behind the garage and office is a large storage area. Sara’s dad kept saying he was going to clean that out and make another stall, but with the day to day grind he never got around to it.
Putting the tools on a rolling table, Sara returned to the truck to test the battery. After checking out the battery, Sara said,
“Your battery is bad. You need a new one.”
Inviting him into the office, she continued,
“I have some in here. I can install one now or you can get one at a parts store and put it in yourself.”
In the office, he looked at the batteries on a rack near a television. After thinking, he said,
“I suppose I could get one of these, how much are they?”
Pulling a book off the shelf near the batteries, Sara stepped behind a long counter. As she thumbed through the book Sara said,
“The prices vary depending on what kind of warranty you want, any where from fifty to seventy five, plus half an hour labor.”
Without taking time to think, he said,
“Just to make sure I’m not stranded, put in one with a five year warranty.”
Sara picked one up off the shelf and went outside. After putting the battery in, she started the truck. Looking up she said,
“Let’s go inside and take care of the paper work.”
Sara went into the office through the shop. She walked behind the counter and turned on the computer. She didn’t even look up when the front door opened. She set the S-10’s keys on the counter. The truck’s owner sat on one of the two bar stools in front of the counter. He looked up at the television, it was off. There was a wing back chair in front of the window next to the door. At the other end of the L shaped counter were two more chairs.
Sara punched a few more keys on the computer and said,
“I need some information for the receipt, Name?”
“Ron Long.”
“Your address?”
Ron answered, “1210 Fox Lane #6”
Without looking up Sara continued,
“Phone?”
“789-6828,” Ron answered.
Sara punched a few more keys. After the computer made a few noises, it started to print. Pulling the page off the printer, she said,
“The final charge is $106.58. It’s all broken down battery, labor and tax.”
Sliding the paper to the other side of the counter she continued,
“I need you to sign here and here.”
Signing the receipt, he said,
“I’m sorry if I offended you when I asked when the mechanic would be in.”
“That’s okay I’m used to it. I’ve been working here as a mechanic since my freshman year in high school. I just thought you being a Tavares police officer your powers of observation would have been better.”
He handed her his credit card. Sara separated the two receipts and handed him one. He took his receipt and turned to leave. At the door, he asked,
“How did you know I was a Tavares police officer?”
Sara answered, “You had a work shirt draped over the passenger side of the seat.”
Reaching for the door handle, Ron turned and asked,
“What would you think about going out sometime?”
Without hesitation, Sara answered, “No!”
Ron was startled that she didn’t even stop to think about. Looking for the right words, Ron asked, “why not?”
With an impatient tone Sara said,
“I’m just not ready for a relationship right now.”
Thinking the conversation was over, Sara went into the shop. Ron went out the front door. Walking towards his truck, he stopped,
“What have you got to lose?”
Sara turned away from the two cars in the shop wanting her attention. Looking at Ron, she answered,
“It’s just not a good time. The last relationship I was in was with a guy who asked me to marry him one day, and then the next week he was between the sheets with a friend of mine. He was also a mechanic. I thought I found Mr. Right until six months ago.”
Walking closer to Ron, she continued,
“What’s even worse is he had the balls to tell me she didn’t mean anything. Like that was supposed to make it all better.”
Sara looked angry. Ron was startled. He said he was sorry and left. On his drive home, Ron thought about Sara all the way. The more he thought about her, the more his attraction got stronger. In her baggy blue jeans and dark blue shirt, it was hard to tell much about her figure. What Ron liked was her independent style.
The drive home seemed shorter then usual. Ron attributed that to the fact that he was busy thinking about Sara. Pulling into his spot at his apartment, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He liked that she seemed strong and confident. He was hoping he would get to know her better.
After Ron left, Sara turned her attention to a Ford Bronco in the left stall. It belonged to an accountant friend of her dad’s. He bought it for his son. Remembering how much she liked having a car at sixteen, she decided to get to work on it.
Thinking about the accountant, got her thinking about her dad. She started to grin as she remembered something he used to say,
“Always be honest with your customers. Treat them with respect and they will come back, maybe they will recommend you to their friends.”
Pulling apart the brakes, Sara started thinking about Ron. She felt bad that she was so short with him. She smiled, thinking about how attractive he is. Wondering if she would get hurt again, she tried to put him out of her mind. Out loud, in a quiet tone, she said, “He did seem nice.”
Grabbing the brake parts, Sara went back to thinking about her customers. Most of them know she’s been working there since she was nine or ten. Between grammar school and high school she worked as a helper. The summer before she entered high school, she started becoming more independent with some of the jobs around the shop.
When most girls were thinking about proms and cheerleading, Sara was learning how to rebuild engines and transmissions. She learned a lot from her dad. She also went to different schools during the summer to learn about some of the new technologies in cars.
Sara always thought she and her dad would run Brown’s Automotive until she was in her forties, then he had a heart attack and died. Sara was thinking about her dad when her cousin Linda came walking up.
          Linda has been the unofficial secretary at Brown’s for the last fifteen years. Sara’s dad suggested she help out when she wanted to go back to work after her youngest son entered school. She didn’t need the money; her husband brings home a nice paycheck from a bank. She has stayed on after her kids graduated. At forty two Linda has gotten used to being around Brown’s garage. She likes making her own hours, but knows Sara and her dad depend on her. She’s aware that Sara depends on her even more now that she’s alone.
Linda stopped at the garage door. Looking at Sara, she said,
“Good morning, looks like it’s going to be another hot day. I have some doughnuts if you want to take a break.”
Sara set down her tools and said,
“Sure, I could use a break.”
Sara followed Linda into the office. She wiped some sweat from her brow, and walked to the bathroom to wash her hands.
Linda walked behind the counter, sliding the box of doughnuts toward Sara, she said, “I had one on the way in those two are yours.”
Linda looked at the receipt on the shelf and said,
“I see you had a customer this morning.”
Pulling out the blueberry doughnut, Sara answered,
“Yeah I sold a battery.”
Finishing her doughnut, Sara got up to go back into the shop. Debating in her mind if she should mention that he asked her out, Sara stopped at the door and said, “Before he left he asked me out.”
In a curious tone Linda said, “Did you say yes?”
“No.”
Linda asked,
“Why not it’s been seven months since Mike’s affair? Move on.”
Opening the door to the shop, Sara said,
“It’s been six months and I have moved on. I’m just not ready for another self centered bozo in my life.”
Linda set the receipt back on the shelf and followed Sara into the shop, stopping next to the bronco, she said, “Just because the horse kicked you twice doesn’t mean it will kick you again.”
Sara replied, “Knowing my luck he will be a jackass!”
Getting back to work on the bronco, Sara said,
“Let’s drop the subject okay.”
The rest of Sara’s day was busy. She did the brakes and oil change on the bronco, did a couple of other oil changes, fixed an air conditioner, and replaced a bad computer in a car.
Linda picked them up some lunch from Wendy’s. During lunch they talked about Ron. Sara described him, said he was cute and admitted she was interested. She was also afraid of being hurt again.
The afternoon went by fast. It was after six when she started to close. Sara wondered if she would see Ron again or if she scared him off. Getting into her 68’ Chevrolet truck, she was ready for a relaxing evening at home. As she started the truck, her thoughts went back to her dad.
She smiled as she remembered all the time they spent restoring the truck. She enjoyed working on the truck with her dad. Putting it into gear, she grinned remembering the look on his face when he started it after they put the new engine and transmission in. Pulling out onto Alfred Street, she took off for home. Still thinking about her dad, she didn’t realize she was speeding.
Looking in the mirror, Sara saw the flashing blue light. She pulled off to the side, hoping he was going to a call. Unfortunately, he pulled in behind her. The officer walked up to her window. Turning to face her, he said,
“I was ready to give you a ticket for the way you were turning the public roads into a race track until I ran your plate and realized it was you.”
Recognizing the voice, Sara turned to see Ron. 
“Hi, I didn’t realize I was going so fast. Sorry!”
Ron looked at her. In a serious tone he said,
“You would be better to slow down. It’s safer and the next officer might not be so nice.”
Without giving Sara a chance to say anything, he turned and left. Sara breathed a sigh of relief, and then her feelings turned to disappointment. She realized she must have scared him off. He was so serious. She wondered why he was so unfriendly. Just when she was thinking about taking a chance, she scared him off.
She pulled back onto the road and finished her drive home. Thinking about the shop, her dad and dinner helped her get Ron off her mind. Pulling into the driveway, Sara’s thoughts drifted to her parents. Her mom died ten years ago. For several years, Sara felt guilty about her moms’ death. Her mom was returning from Tampa when she was hit by a drunk driver. Sara blamed herself because she was supposed to go with her but didn’t want to. She considered if she went the timing might have been different and the accident wouldn’t have happened.
For Sara, it was hard getting used to living in the big house by herself. At the same time it was home. Her parents built the house when she was two. It is a three bedroom two bath single story large block home with a two car garage. The house and garage are at a right angle with a symmetrically curved driveway. There is an unstained bench swing on a large porch.
There is a small entryway right inside the front door. Between the entry and the living room is a hallway leading to the three bedrooms. Furniture in the living room is kind of sparse. There is a small blue floral love seat on one wall. There are two recliners are another wall. A large bookcase and entertainment center is on the opposite wall. To the left of the entryway is a large kitchen. Between the kitchen and living room is a dinning room with a large antique table.   
Sara went inside. Being tired, hungry, hot and sweaty, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get something to eat or take a shower first. She put a chicken breast in the oven. She set a small can of green beans and a box of minute rice on the counter, and went to take a shower.
In the bathroom Sara stopped in front of the mirror. She wondered what Ron saw in her. She was a mess. She had grease, sweat and dirt on her face, neck and arms. Her short brown hair was a tangled mess. She followed the mirror down her body. Her breasts are small and sag a little. Below a small spare tire at her waist she is wide at the hips. Her thighs and calves are muscular. At twenty four, she didn’t consider herself beautiful.
Sara looked away from the mirror and opened the shower door. She showered, put on a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top and went out to finish cooking. Sara enjoyed her dinner, while watching television. After doing dishes, she relaxed the rest of the evening.
The next two weeks seemed to go by at an even pace. Ron never stopped by. Sara was busy at the shop and forgot all about him. Once in a while she would think about him and wonder, what if. After realizing she needs something besides brown’s garage in her life, she wished she would have been nicer to him.
It was Friday night, Sara closed the garage doors. It had been a long week; she was ready for a weekend. Pulling out onto Alfred Street, Sara remembered she had to get a few things at the store. After a quick dinner at a fast food restaurant, she went to the grocery store. Being close to the dinner hour, the store was almost empty. It didn’t take long to get her groceries and check out. Going towards the door, Sara saw Ron. She stammered, trying to find something to say. After an uncomfortable silence, Ron said, “Hello.”
“Hi, how are you?” Sara said.
Leaning on his cart, Ron said, “Oh I’m doing okay except for a little jet lag.”
With a puzzled look, Sara said, “Jet lag?”
“Yes I’ve been in Indiana visiting my parents the last week and a half.” Ron said.
There was a silence where neither of them knew what to say. They were standing in the way of people coming and going. Ron broke the awkward silence, when he asked, “If we move slowly, and I promise to not have any affairs, can we go out sometime?”
Grinning like a teenager being asked out for the first time, Sara said, “Sure.”
Ron got her number and went in the store. Sara left. Two steps outside the store a lady asked her,
“Do you know him?”
Sara answered “Not yet, but I think I’m going to get to know him. Why?” 
The lady asked,
“Do you know what everyone in town calls him?”
With a surprised look, Sarah answered, “No!”
The lady answered,
“Red light Ron, because he likes to give people tickets for running red lights.”
Sara said, “Oh.”
Walking towards her truck, she smiled.
Later that night after dinner and dishes, Ron called. They talked late into the night. He told her about his trip, and about his parents. Sara talked about her dad, and the garage. They talked about their likes and dislikes. They talked about their childhoods. Towards the end of the conversation, Ron asked her out to dinner and mini golf in Orlando.
The following day Sara had mixed feelings. On the one hand she was anxious to get to know Ron. On the other hand she was afraid of being hurt again. On Saturdays Browns automotive is open eight to one. The day was busy, but it seemed to go slow. Sara knew it was because she was anxious about tonight. She had not been on a date in a year. As soon as she closed, she went home to shower and change. She had trouble picking something to wear. She didn’t want to look too casual and she didn’t want to look too over dressed. She kept thinking Ron said casual, but she didn’t want to look like a bum.
After changing her shirt four times and her pants twice, she settled on a nice cotton green and white button up shirt and a pair of light green slacks. Ron’s green Miami Dolphins t-shirt and grey shorts made Sara feel over dressed. As they left, Sara ignored their differences in fashion and concentrated on having a good time.
They had dinner at a nice restaurant in Orlando. They stayed longer then most patrons. The waitress kept forgetting about them. They were so busy talking they didn’t mind. After dinner they played a round of mini golf under a full moon.
The forty mile drive back to Tavares was full of conversation. They talked about their past and future dreams. They were deep in conversation when, Ron pulled his truck into Sara’s driveway.
They sat on the bench swing until after two. Ron put an arm around Sara, leaning towards her, he kissed her. She responded with passion. Putting her arms around him, they kissed again. There was even more passion in the second kiss. After a third kiss, Ron opened his eyes and said,
“Maybe I should go.”
Puzzled, Sara asked, “Why.”
Ron moved in the swing. He pulled his arm from around Sarah. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, leaning back, he said,
“You wanted to take it slow and we are both kind of tired.”
Squeezing his hand, Sara asked,
“Will you call me tomorrow?”
Ron answered,
“Yes. I don’t go to work until six. Let’s get together and do something.”
A couple of kisses later, Ron went home. Sara was tired and went straight to bed. A little after eight, Sarah’s phone woke her up. It was Ron. After a friendly hello, he asked,
“Did I wake you?”
In a half asleep voice, Sara said, “No.”
With a tone of excitement, Ron said,
“What do you think about going to the beach? If we leave early, we can be back on time for me to get a nap before work.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“I’ll take a quick shower and be over to pick you up.” Ron said.
Sara answered, “I’ll be ready.”
They were on the road by nine. They talked and sang with the radio all the way there. Being a hot summer weekend day, There was a lot of traffic and Daytona was crowded. They enjoyed their day at the beach. They had lunch at the pier. Arriving back in Tavares by three, Ron dropped Sara off and went home.
Between Ron working midnights and Sara running Brown’s garage, their relationship was slow to develop. With Ron’s schedule, his days off would change often. On his days off they would spend as much time together as they could. One weekend towards the end of summer, Sara planned to make dinner for Ron.
She needed a few things at the store. Sara stopped on her way home from the garage. Going down an aisle near the meat case, she saw Ron. He was talking to a cute red head with big breasts. Sara started to get jealous. She stood a few feet from them watching. Ron’s back was to her. Ron gave her a friendly hug, and then Sara exploded. Turning around, she left without buying anything.
When Ron arrived Sara was sitting in the living room reading a book. She waited to answer the door. Opening the door, she looked at him and turned away. She turned back, in an angry tone she said,
“I wasn’t expecting you.”
Looking puzzled, Ron answered,
“What do you mean? We…”
Ron stopped. Realizing Sara was upset, he asked,
“What’s the matter?”
“I thought maybe you would be over at your red headed girlfriend’s tonight!” Sara said.
“What do you mean?” Ron said in a puzzled tone.
Getting angry, Sarah answered,
“I saw you at the store with that girl and you looked like you were getting close!”
“I can explain.” Ron said, pleading.
“Yeah sure I’ve heard it all. Next thing you are going to tell me she is your sister.”
Sara turned around. Walking into the living room, she tried not to look at Ron. Sara thought about telling him to leave, and then she thought she should at least hear his excuse. She sat in one of the recliners looking at the floor. She was waiting for Ron to say something. After a long silence, Sara said, “Well tell me about her. Who is she? What’s going on?
Ron was starting to get mad. He said,
“She is an ex-girlfriend. I haven’t seen her in two or three years. We just talked like old friends. If you saw us in the store, you should have come over. I would have introduced you. We were talking about you.”
Getting angry Ron thought a second and said, “Maybe if you are going to get this jealous every time I talk to some girl, I should just go.”
Looking up from the floor, Sara screamed, “Maybe you should go!”
Without saying a word, Ron left.
Sara reclined in her chair. She looked at the ceiling and started to cry. She looked at the closed door and at the table where she set her book. In anger she tipped over the table. The book, a glass of ice water and a lamp went tumbling to the floor.
Sara had trouble sleeping that night. She was awake all night thinking about Ron, the fight and how wrong she was. After getting to sleep after 4:00, Sara wasn’t ready to get up with the alarm. The first hour at the shop was slow. Sara was anxious; she wanted to talk to Linda about the fight.
When Linda arrived, Sara was in the shop lowering a truck on the lift. She was in the middle of changing the oil.
“Hello. You look tired.” Linda said.
“Ron and I got into a fight. I didn’t sleep at all last night.
Moving to the front of the truck to add the new oil, Sara said,
“Give me a couple of minutes and I will tell you all about it.”
Sara finished the oil change, went into the office and told Linda all about it. Linda listened, then thought for a short second and asked,
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Call him. Wait for him to call me. I just don’t know.”
Sara started looking over some work orders that were laid neatly on the counter. She was reading one, when Linda said,
“I think you should call him.”
Looking up from the paper, Sara replied,
“I probably should, but not now. He might be asleep.”
Sara took the work order and went out into the parking lot. She spent the rest of the day working from car to car trying to stay busy. As the end of the day was approaching Sara thought a lot about calling Ron? An hour before closing she set her tools down and went in to call Ron. He agreed to stop by the garage on his way to work.
Sara was putting away some tools and getting ready to close, when Ron pulled in. Getting out of his truck, he met her at the entrance to the shop. Sara put her arms around him and said,
“I really am sorry about the way I acted.”
Ron hugged her, but his hug was less enthusiastic. Stepping back, he asked,
“Are you going to act this way every time I talk to a girl?” 
Sara looked him in the eye, “I promise I’ll work on it. With my past, don’t you think I deserve to be a little weird in that way?”
Ron gave Sara a big hug. There was a long silence, then he said,
“Okay I guess you deserve to be a little weird considering your past, but can you work on it. I mean a little communication would have saved us both a lot of frustration; if you would have just come over and talked to us.”
Ron stopped. He felt like he was preaching. After a short silence, Sara said,
“I promise I will work on it, but please be patient with me.”
“Okay.”
Their conversation was postponed because Ron had to get to work. Before he left they agreed to go out on his next evening off. Sara was happy that they seemed to patch things up.
On Ron’s next day off he was up at noon. Knowing he was off that evening, he wanted enough sleep to make it through the day and be able to sleep that night. Waking up a little groggy, Ron slowly went to shave and shower. He relaxed at his apartment until Sara closed the shop. At a little before seven he pulled into Sarah’s driveway. Sara heard his truck and came out to meet him. They hugged and kissed.
Sara locked the door and they were on their way. They had dinner at Red Lobster in Orlando. After dinner they went dancing at a country western nightclub. At 11:30 they decided to start the drive to Tavares.
On the drive home Sara snuggled close to Ron. The hum of the road was making her sleepy. Still in the lights of Orlando, Sara fell asleep. Pulling into Sara’s driveway, Ron nudged her awake and said,     
        “We’re home.”
         A little groggy, Sara sat up, “Do you want to come in for a bit?”
         “Sure.”
         Ron turned off the truck. As they walked towards the porch, Ron put an arm around Sara and said,
         “I probably shouldn’t stay long you look tired.”
         “Oh I’m fine it was the purr of the engine is what had me nodding off.”
         Inside, they got comfortable on the couch. After sitting close for a while, Sara lied down with her head in Ron’s lap. Ron started rubbing and massaging her back and shoulders. Interrupting his massage, Ron reached for the remote. Switching the channel to sportscenter, he went back to rubbing her back.
         Sara rolled over, looking up she said,
        “You have nice hands. You really give good massages.”
        They kissed once then again two more times passionately. She rolled over and he continued rubbing her. As he continued massaging her back, Sara started nodding off. Realizing how sleepy she was getting, Sara rolled over, looking up at Ron she asked,
        “What do you think about staying the night?”
         After a long passionate kiss, Ron said, “yes.”
         Wrapping her arms around him; they kissed again. Sara got up. Taking Ron’s hand, leading him into the bedroom, she said,
“Let’s go into the bedroom and you can continue your massage.”
In the bedroom Sara helped Ron take off his shirt. With the help of the lamp on the bedside table, she could see his muscular chest and stomach. Reaching for his belt, she unhooked the buckle. Ron helped as they took his pants off. Standing in his boxers, Ron reached for the bottom of Sara’s shirt. She helped pull her shirt over her head.
After a long hug and several passionate kisses, they sat on the foot of the bed. Ron leaned back to undo her bra. After undoing the clasp, she pulled it off and threw it on the floor. Ron leaned back to get a better look at Sara’s breasts. They moved closer to kiss again. Breaking the embrace, Sara moved on her back. Putting her thumbs in the elastic of her slacks, she raised her knees and took her pants off. Sliding them below a pair of tan colored boxers, she threw her pants on the floor. Ron saw the boxers and looked surprised. In the tone of a question, he said,
“Boxers?”
“It was a bet.”
She rolled over on her stomach. Ron continued his massage. While he was rubbing her shoulders, he asked,
“What kind of a bet?”
Looking for the right words, Sara answered,
“About four years ago I made a bet with a boyfriend. The loser had to wear the winner’s style of underwear for a week. I lost. As a joke, he bought a couple of packs. I kind of liked them; so I continued wearing them.”
Sara rolled over. Ron leaned in for a kiss. A couple more passionate kisses later and Ron was back to massaging Sara’s back and shoulders. There was a long silence. Sara started to wonder what Ron was thinking. She asked,
“Does my choice of underwear bother you?”
Ron thought a minute then answered,
“No. It’s just different.”
After some more passionate kisses and some erotic touching, they made love. Enjoying the first time together they snuggled close and fell asleep.
Ron woke up to an empty bed. The morning light gave him his first look at the room. The room was bare except a dresser and the king sized bed. The curtains were a nice tan color. There were no pictures on the walls. The walls and ceiling looked to be in need of a coat of paint. Looking towards the door, he heard jazz music coming from the living room. He got up and went to find Sara.
She was reclining in one of the recliners reading a book. Hearing Ron come out she put the book down and said,
“I was going to make breakfast, but I didn’t know when you were getting up.”
Ron took Sara’s hand. They went out and had breakfast. After breakfast, they sat on the front porch swing. In the motion of the swing, Sara said,
“I went out with a guy once who liked to play a game he called eleven questions. We just ask each other questions to get to know each other. You want to try it?”
“Sure.”
After a short silence, Sara said
“I’ll go first. How come you were so business like when you stopped me for speeding? You could have asked me out.
Before Ron answered, he got up.
“Let’s go in, it’s getting warm. I could use some air conditioning”
As they walked in, Ron said,
“I could get in trouble for asking someone out during a stop. Plus after you turned me down, I didn’t think I had a chance.”
Sara grinned like she was embarrassed.
I guess it was my mixed feelings. I was afraid of being hurt; yet I kind of wanted to get to know you.”
Sara put a Buddy Rich CD on the stereo. Ron sat on the couch; he leaned against the arm and back. Sara sat next to him leaning on his chest. After getting comfortable, Ron said,
“Last night while rubbing you, I noticed you had hairy legs. Was that because of a bet also?”
After a small grin Sara said,
“No, after Mike had his affair, I was angry. I promised myself to avoid men forever. I decided to quit shaving. I was going to shave before you had a chance to notice, but I forgot. Does it bother you?”
“Yes, er no um I don’t know. I guess it’s not normal so I don’t know.”
“Come on tell me the truth. Does it bother you that I have hairy legs and under arms?”
“I don’t know, let me think about it.”
“Do you want me to shave?”
“No. Not if you are comfortable.”
Sara leaned in and kissed Ron on the cheek. She felt comfortable.
        Getting up, Sara went down the hallway towards the bedrooms. Ron changed the CD on the stereo. He leaned back to listen to the music. He didn’t notice Sara come out. She changed from her sweats to a pair of shorts. Ron watched her sit in the recliner and grinned. Looking at her shorts and the seven month crop of brownish blond hair, he said,
“Trying to shock me?”
Sara replied, “You said if I was comfortable. I am comfortable.”
Looking from her wide hips to her bare feet, Ron said, “I dare you go out to dinner like that.” 
Being the kind of person to accept a dare as long as it’s not too dangerous, Sara said,
“Sure.”
They had a nice evening out and then returned to Sara’s. Between Ron working twelve hour midnight shifts with rotating days off, and Sara working hard at the garage they had to work hard to find time together. For a while he was spending every weekend at Sara’s. After they had known each other seven months, Ron moved into Sara’s house. They redecorated the house to make it their own. They redid the landscaping in the front and back yard. Sara met Ron’s friends and Ron got to know Linda and her family.
They had a nice thanksgiving. With luck of the calendar, Ron had the day off. They made some new traditions for Christmas. As the New Year came around, their love was growing. They spent the weekend of Valentines Day in Key West.
It was April; they had been together for eleven months. They were having a barbecue with a house full of friends and family. After eating and cleaning up, Ron went into the bedroom. Coming out, Ron interrupted the many different conversation, saying,
“I have an announcement to make!”
Walking over to Sara, who looked surprised, Ron went to one knee. Pulling a small box out of his shorts pocket, he said,
“Sara, I love you. Will you marry me?”
With a big smile, she gave Ron a big hug and said, “Yes.”
They spent the next couple of months planning the wedding. They set the date for May 15th of the following year. They knew they had a lot of time. They would have fun looking at flowers, dresses and tuxedos.
Towards the end of the summer Ron got an invite to a bachelor party. A friend of his was getting married in September. Stopping by the garage, Ron was thinking about not going. Walking up behind Sara, Ron said,
“Hello. What are we doing about dinner?”
Sara answered, “I thought we’d order some pizza; so you can get to your party.”
Ron’s looked changed to disappointment he replied,
“Oh I forgot about that. I’ll just call him and tell him I can’t make it.”
Sara wiped her hands on a rag then wiped sweat from her brow. With a puzzled look she said,
“You sounded so excited about going when you told me about it last weekend. You were anxious to see some old friends. Are you sure?”
Ron kissed her on the cheek, and said,
“I don’t know, maybe I’m tired. I’ll go home and get some sleep and we’ll talk about it when you get home.”
Ron kissed her again. After a hug, Sara went back to work and Ron went home. Ron took a short nap and thought a lot about going.
When Sara got home, they ordered a pizza. Sara took a shower and Ron went to pick up the pizza. As they sat down to eat, Ron said,
“I’ve decided to go.”
Sara set a slice of pizza down on her plate and said, “Okay, but do me two favors. When the stripper jumps out of the cake, look but don’t touch. Second, see if you can get out of there early. I like to have you home with me.”
“I can do that.” Ron said between bites of pizza.
Ron took a shower, changed and left. The drive down highway 441 seemed slow. He was anxious to see some old friends that he had not seen in a while. The traffic through Apopka went slower. It was bumper to bumper from one end to the other. Passing Highway 436, Traffic started moving along. Traffic into Orlando was flowing faster.
Stopping at a red light at Colonial road, Ron took a minute to check a map and get his bearings. Colonial is a large six lane through Orlando, crossing Colonial Ron knew he was almost there.
The party was a lot of fun. An up and coming comedian did a routine about husbands, wives and marriage. At 10:00 two strippers dressed like Orlando police officers came in. After they did their act, Ron said goodbye and left.
Getting back on highway 441, Ron was anxious to get back home with Sarah. Approaching Colonial, the light just turned green. Ron hit the gas. Going into the intersection he looked both ways, but it was too late. A blue Chevrolet Silverado came down Colonial doing seventy, he slammed into Ron’s door, sending the smaller truck eighty feet down the road rolling three times. When the truck stopped moving, Ron sat lifeless. Even with his seat belt on he did not survive the crash.
At 11:30 a knock at the door woke Sara up. She set down the foot rest of the recliner and slowly stumbled to her feet. Getting to the door, she mumbled something about forgetting your key. Opening the door, she was shocked to see Ron’s boss, and the Tavares Police chief.
Ron’s boss, Lieutenant Davis, looked down at Sara. He said,
“I have some bad news.”
Sara started shaking. She screamed “No!” over and over. She looked at the police chief and said,
“What happened?”
In a solemn sympathetic tone, he answered,
“There was an accident.”
“How bad? Take me to him.” Sara said with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Chief Edwards put an arm around Sara. Almost in a whisper he said, “I’m sorry it was a bad accident. He didn’t make it.”
Sarah leaned on the older man’s chest. She started crying. The two officers came in and closed the door. Sara wiped her eyes. Still crying, she screamed, “It’s not fair! It’s not fair!”
Chief Edwards pulled out a chair. Sara sat down. Going to one knee he asked, “Is there someone we can call?”
Sarah picked up the phone. She called Linda. Before she knew who answered, Sarah started screaming,
“It’s not right! Ron’s dead! Sarah dropped the phone and went into the living room. She went to her knees in front of the sofa and buried her face in the cushions.
Lieutenant Davis explained the accident to Linda. She hung up the phone and sped over to Sara’s. Sara packed a couple of suitcases and stayed a week at Linda’s. During that time the garage was closed. It was the first time the garage had ever been closed for a week.
In the next several months Linda and her husband did a lot to help Sara heal. Staying busy at the garage helped her a lot also. Slowly she got over being sad all the time.