Hearts Of Glass #AdultFiction

Chapter 34

FRIDAY - JUNE 25, 1976

Sam sat on the bus, his fingers moved absently across his guitar strings, as he stared out the window. They were headed to Spokane to do a show there tonight. He sat alone, as he had been doing a lot, lately.

When they got to a hotel, he would shut himself in his room, coming out when it was time to leave for the show. After the shows, he would go back to his room, not wanting to go to the parties afterward.

There were damages to some of the rooms, but it was usually limited to the phone. After hearing the busy signal all the time, it sometimes got pitched across the room. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Except Sarah. He needed to hear her voice so bad, he ached, the pain bounced around inside him.

He had thought, for sure, that once she received the photo album, they could at least have talked. But since the one time when he had gotten through on the phone, only to hear Sarah was with Pete, her phone was off the hook again.

He had made up his mind that he was going to see her. He had checked into flights and had found one for Saturday night after the show in Portland.

Gisette sat down in the seat beside him, starting to talk before he had a chance to tell her to leave.

"I hear that you're going to see Sarah. You'll be back in time for the show in Reno on Monday?"

"Yeah, that's why I picked that day. No shows on Sunday. Is that ok with you?" Sam said sharply.

"Sam, I'm on your side, I want you and Sarah back together. Look, I know I made her life miserable when she was here, and I told you that I'm sorry for that. And I can't help it if I got a pregnancy scare when you two were just getting your act together again. Georgie told me why she left. You should have told her, Sam."

"I fucking know that now! At the time, I thought I was protecting her."

"Well, maybe she will understand when you see her and talk to her." Gisette said as she got up to leave. "I really do wish you luck. I hope she comes back to you. Your performance last night wasn't as good as it usually is."

***

Sarah was eating dinner with her parents when they heard the doorbell ring. She put down her fork and sat still, trying to calm the crazy flip flops her heart was doing.

Her father got up from the table muttering. "This has got to stop. Every damn time the phone rings or someone's at the door, I have to see that look on your face, Sarah. If it doesn't end soon, I swear to God, we're moving!"

He came back to the table, visibly shaken. "Jane, that was Delly. Your mom called her, just as Delly was leaving the house, she can't get through on our phone. She's feeling a little strange and she wants to go to the emergency room."

He caught his wife as she started to run from the kitchen. "Baby, she'll be ok. She called an ambulance before she called here. Delly heard the sirens when she was talking to her, so the ambulance is there. We'll meet them at the hospital."

Jane looked down at Sarah. "We could be there awhile." She was worried about Sarah staying by herself. "I have to put the phone back on the hook, Sarah. If anything happens, I'll need to call you. Will you be ok?"

Sarah nodded in agreement. "I'll wait here. Call me, I'll answer the phone." She saw her mother's worried look. "Everything will be okay. Call me when you find anything out."

Sarah sat at the kitchen table, by the phone. Her mother had called twice now, once when they got there and an hour later, to say that they were taking Sarah's grandmother down for tests. The last call had been an hour ago, and she was waiting to hear how the tests had come out.