SHOT IN THE DARK Chapter 7

7



         Dr. Quimby finished his examination.  “How have you been feeling lately?”

         “Good, no problems at all.  I’m bored staying home.”

         “That’s understandable.  How’s Sophie?”

         “She’s good.  She’s the one who will have to get used to my going back to work again.  I am going back aren’t I?”

         “Yes.  I know it’s later than my first prognosis, but I didn’t expect you to have as much trouble as you did.  Here’s your get out of jail free card.  If you have any trouble, just let me know.”  He handed her a work release letter.

         “Thank you.”  She took it and read that she was able to return to work, no restrictions, which was good.

         He followed her to the door.  “Just remember if you need anything at all, just call.  I know you don’t have a regular doctor.  I’ll be glad to be your doctor.”

         “I’ll keep that in mind.  Though I would have thought you’d be happy to get rid of me.  We have argued quite a bit over the past six weeks.”

         “You just had concerns.  That’s understandable.  You also aren’t used to having anyone do anything for you.  You must learn to rely on other people.”

         “I know, but it’s difficult.  I’m used to being pushed off in a corner, so to say, disappointment and rejection is the standard of my life.”

         “It doesn’t have to be.  Did Josiah bring you?”

         “Yes.  He insisted.  I’ve never had so much attention, wanted or unwanted, in my life.”

         “I’d say it would be just what the doctor ordered.  Only I didn’t order it.”

         “No, you didn’t, and I wouldn’t have welcomed the intrusion in my life if you had.”

         “As it is, you still don’t welcome it.  In the short time I’ve known you I find that the one thing you need most is a social life.  Being alone is fine occasionally.  We all need to be alone sometime, but not all the time, besides, in case you haven’t noticed, he’s single.”

         “Playing a matchmaker now, Dr. Quimby?”

         “Maybe.”

         “Don’t.  I like my single life.”

         “You need to get out and socialize.  Who knows what God has in store for you?”

         “What would God have to do with your being a matchmaker?”

         “Just be sure you don’t let God out of what He wants to do in your life as you pursue the solitary life.  It’s not normal let alone natural for a young beautiful young woman such as you to be alone.”

         “I have my reasons.”

         “I’m sure you do.  Well I won’t need to see you unless you intend to do something stupid again and enter the park at night.”

         “It won’t happen, I promise not to go near the park unless it’s broad daylight, no matter what.”

         “Good.  Some lessons are learned the hard way.”

         “The people at church will never let me live it down.”

         He saw her out and Josiah stood to his feet at their entrance.  “Ready to go?”

         “Yes.”  Sarah blushed as she saw his eagerness to help her.

         “You can go back to work?” Josiah said.

         “Yes.  I have my letter to give them tomorrow.”  Sarah turned back to Dr. Quimby.  “Thanks Doc, and thanks for letting me go back to work tomorrow.  I just hope I still have a job when I get there.”

         “Just remember what I said.”

         “I doubt I will forget it.  ’Bye.”

         Josiah led her out to his car.  “Are you hungry?”

         “No.  I just want to go home, thank you.”

         “Then home it shall be.”  He started the car and soon had her home.  “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

         “I thought I would work in my gardens this afternoon.  What about you?”

         “I have to get back to work.  I’ve played hooky long enough.”

         “I’m sorry.”

         “I’m not.  I was very happy to help you.  Now if you want to talk just give me a call, any time.  I mean that.”

         “I don’t know.”

         “Tell you what.  How about I take you out tonight to celebrate your going back to work?”

         “No, thanks anyway, and thanks for everything.  I really appreciate all you’ve done.”

         “And yet out of gratitude you won’t go out with me?”

         “Well all right.”

         “Good.  I’ll pick you up at seven.”

         Sarah went into the house and wondered what was happening.  She didn’t want to go out, and yet she wanted to go out with him.  He was after all very attractive, and single, as Dr. Quimby pointed out.

         She found herself in front of her open closet doors as she stared at the clothes and wondered what she would wear.  She also wondered where he would take her.

         She turned away from the closet, went outside with Sophie close by, and began to work at the weeds around her flowerbeds.  It was late when she stood to her feet a look of satisfaction on her face.

         When she looked at her watch, she realized she didn’t have a lot of time to get ready for her date with Josiah, a date, what a concept.  It had been a long time since she had been on a date.

         The idea of a date unnerved her a bit.  More than a bit if truth be known.  Her mind turned back to her college days.  She had been very happy to get away from home, away from all the bickering, and accusations, which had no foundation to them.

         They told her she wouldn’t last out the first semester, let alone the first year, and she would crawl back home with her tail between her legs.  Not only did that not happen, she had gotten high marks in all her classes.

         Her hardest subject had been math.  Any form of math wanted to make her run in the opposite direction, but she had made a commitment, and she was not going to prove her family right and run home at the first hint of trouble.  It was with that in mind she had answered an ad on the boards for help with her math.

         Her mind wandered to him.  He was a true math wizard.  Not only was he handsome, kind, considerate, and all those things a young, alone, low self-esteem woman craved.  He seemed genuinely interested in her.  It didn’t take long before she started dating him.

         It also didn’t take long to find out what kind of man he truly was.  He was full of charm to the point where he could talk her into almost anything.  On their last date when he wanted more from her than she was willing to give, she found out what kind of person he really was, and felt cheap and used.

         From that point on she had struggled alone with her math until a math partner was assigned to her.  She had misgivings about the arrangement, but she needed to prove something to herself, and that was that she could make it in college.  The result was that she got better grades in math than she ever received in elementary or high school.  The one on one arrangement worked very well for her.

         Here she was again depending on someone she barely knew.  He had been the perfect gentleman.  He had kept his word on every occasion, but she was no longer a young naïve woman.  She had kept her guard up from the first time he walked into her hospital room, and was afraid to lower her guard even for a casual date to celebrate, or so he said.  She didn’t trust anyone for good reason.  It would take more than a handsome face, and rugged good looks to sway her again.

         She went in, ran her bath while she chose a black print scarf dress with a close fitting bodice and spaghetti straps, for her date.  She had just finished with her makeup when she heard the doorbell.

         She grabbed her purse and opened the door for him.  His appreciative glance was worth the extra care she had taken to get ready.

         “Wow!  I feel privileged.  Are you sure you’re the same Sarah Whitaker I left here a few hours ago?”

         “The one and only.”  She basked in his praise, and felt something she had never known before.  Maybe Dr. Quimby was right.  “So where are you taking me?”

         “Not where I had planned.  You’re too beautiful for a casual setting.  A beautiful woman deserves a beautiful setting.  I know just the place.”  He led her to the car and saw her safely buckled before he headed to a part of town she didn’t frequent very often.

         She looked at the bungalow style restaurant surrounded by flowers wherever her eye took her.  “It doesn’t look like a restaurant.”

         “It’s not supposed to.  That’s what gives it its charm.”  His hand was on her back as he led her into the light airy interior of the restaurant.

         “Welcome to The Gardens.  Do you have a preference?” the female receptionist said.

         “The terrace please,” Josiah said.

         The woman, dressed in a flower print floor-length halter dress, led them to the terrace with tables woven between trees and flowerbeds.

         Amazement and awe showed on her face by the beauty of the garden restaurant.  “I didn’t know this was here.”

         “I knew you would like this.  I couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate.  Later we’ll go down by the lake where they have a live band and dancing.”

         “There’s a lake too?”

         “Right through those trees is the way down.”

         “I never knew this existed.  It’s perfect.”

         “That’s usually the reaction we get when people visit here for the first time,” the woman said.

         Sarah turned to her before she sat.  “I can understand why.  You’ve managed to create the illusion of seclusion in a very beautiful setting.”

         “Thank you.  Here are your menus.  Would you like something to drink?”

         “No, but a large iced tea would be wonderful,” Sarah said.

         “And you, sir?”

         “I’ll have a fruit cocktail.”

         “I’ll have your waitress bring your drinks.  Enjoy your meal.”

         Sarah watched her weave her way back into the restaurant.  “Thank you.  It’s lovely.”

         “Take a look at the menu it’s as unique as the garden setting.”

         Sarah opened it to find a smorgasbord of fresh fruit and vegetable salads from around the world.  “Wow.  No fried or baked anything.”

         “Well almost.  They do some cooking and baking.  Their bread is fresh made daily all day, some of the salads come with either pasta or rice, served with different kinds of fish and meat, and some of their desserts are baked, but all have fresh garden ingredients.”

         The waitress returned with their drinks.  “Have you had a chance to look over the menu?”

         “Not yet we’re just starting to look,” Josiah said.

         “Just let me know when you’re ready to order.”

         “We will,” Josiah said.

         “It all looks so good.  I don’t know where to begin.”

         “I think I’m going to have the steak salad with fresh fruit on a bed of spinach leaves, sprinkled with crumbled cheese, and served with a fresh fruit dressing.”

         “That sounds delicious.  Okay, make it two.”  She sipped her tea as he motioned for the waitress and gave her their orders.

         While they waited for their food, he sat back in his chair and stared at her with a smile on his face.

         She grinned.  “What?”

         “I think I’d like to get to know the lady behind the mask.”

         “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

         “You’ve been stubborn about your care from the moment you arrived at the hospital.  You almost died a couple times.  Every time Dr. Quimby suggested something, you argued.  Every time I wanted to help, you argued.  So who are you Sarah Whitaker?”

         “Well you said yourself.  I’m stubborn, and I look after myself.  I’m not used to somebody calling the shots in my life.  Dr. Quimby put me on a diet that I don’t think I’m going to be able to follow when I get back to work.  In fact, I know it.  I was eating five times a day in the hospital counting the mid morning and mid afternoon snacks he prescribed.”

         “It helped you make a faster recovery.”

         “I can’t keep up that kind of regimen in my diet, certainly not after I go back to work.  I’ll be lucky to have time for my regular lunch.”

         “There’s more to it than just your diet.  You’re afraid of people.  I had to prove I wasn’t out to hurt you when I first showed up, and found out you had a dog in serious need of attention, as much as you do, by the way.”

         “I’m fine, and I do appreciate what you did for Sophie.  I was in the hospital way longer than I expected.”

         “He was worried about you.  So was I.  When you went into that coma, and doc was trying to find what caused it, we both thought we were going to lose you.”

         “Yeah, who would have thought one of the medications he had me on or sulfur from those bullets would have almost killed me.”

         “It was a surprise to him as well.  Because you haven’t been sick except for childhood illnesses, he had nothing to go on.  You were blind to him.  He had everything tested, well you know the rest of the story.”

         “Yes, and I’m grateful.”

         The waitress brought their food, which looked better than it did in the picture.  “This looks really good,” she said.

         “If you need anything just let me know.  Enjoy your meal.”

         “We will, thank you,” Josiah said.

         “Dr. Quimby told me you were single.  I accused him of matchmaking.”

         “He’s playing matchmaker?  Doc Quimby?”

         “Yes, he said as much today.”

         “He wants to see you happy.  So do I as a matter of fact.”

         “You know, this is a beautiful garden restaurant.  No doubt you chose it because of the many flowers I have around my house, but.”

         “But you’re not ready for any kind of social life.  Is that what you’re trying to say?”

         “I don’t have time for a social life.”

         “Or you don’t want to make time for one.  What are you afraid of Sarah Whitaker?”

         “I’m not afraid of anything.”

         “You know what I know about you?”

         She looked up at him, suspicion in every fiber of her body.  “No what?”

         “I know you’re a very orderly person.  Everything in your house has an order to it.  Your flower gardens have an order to it.  It takes a lot of time to do what you did.  You don’t have a random flower or mismatched plate anywhere in your orderly world.”

         “And if I don’t?  What does that prove?”

         “You either have a lot of time on your hands, or you are trying to keep busy to prove you don’t have time for anything else in your life.”

         She looked down at her food, shoved it around her plate for a couple minutes, ate some, and looked up at him.  “I don’t have time for a social life.”

         “What are you afraid of?”

         She looked him in the face.  “You’ve been good to Sophie.  You took care of my house while I was in the hospital.  You came into my life from nowhere.  I don’t know anything about you, but Doc says you’re on the level.  I knew I had to trust you because I needed someone to take care of Sophie.”

         “But you don’t want anyone to take care of you.”

         She finished the last of her salad before she looked at him again.  “You asked me to come out and celebrate my return to work tomorrow.  I don’t know you.  I don’t know your intentions.  I only agreed to say thank you.”

         He was quiet for a long while as he studied her.  “There was a time in my life when you would have had good reason to be afraid of me, but not anymore.  Tonight I only want to put a smile on your face and see you happy.”

         The waitress arrived at their table.  “How is everything?”

         Josiah looked up at her.  “Very good, thank you.”

         “Are you finished?  Would you like dessert?”

         “What about it?” Josiah said.

         “Nothing for me, thank you.  It was very good,” Sarah said.

         “I hope you will stay for the dancing.  We have a wonderful band all the way from Jamaica this week.”

         “That’s the plan,” Josiah said.

         “You will enjoy it,” their waitress said.

         She took their plates and he turned to her.  “Shall we?”

         “I’d like that.”

         “I’m glad.”  He held her chair and escorted her through the trees and flowers down the flower-bordered walkway to the beach.  There under a canopy was the band she had heard in the background while they ate.  The music set a rhythm pounding through her blood, and she found herself pulled in by the lively music.

         He drew her onto the sand that doubled as the dance floor, and soon found it better to dance without her shoes than with them.

         “So tell me Sarah Whitaker, what are you afraid of?”

         She looked into his face and laughed.  “I’m not afraid of anything.”

         He pulled her against his chest as they danced a slower dance.  Her pulses raced, and she told herself she was mad to be as happy as she was.  He looked down at her, and their eyes spoke as one as he gently touched her lips.  It had been a light kiss, but it felt like it singed her soul.  He looked down at her before he again held her close and drifted along with the music.

         “I will find out who you are Sarah Whitaker.”

         She smiled, though he didn’t see it.  She didn’t mind, though she was afraid of what he would find, but for the moment, it didn’t matter.  The moon over the lake made a perfect setting for a night of easy romance.

         All too soon, it was time to leave.  He followed her up the steps to the house.  “Can I see you again?”

         She looked up at him and saw the moon behind him.  “I think I’d like that.  I’ve really had a wonderful time.”

         “I’m glad.  I’ll call you tomorrow.”

         “I don’t get home until after six.”

         “As long as it’s not after that if you plan to take the shortcut through the park.”

         “I won’t even go near it if the streetlights are on.  I promise.”

         “Good.”  He took her hands in his and looked down into her eyes.

         She looked up into his and watched as his face closed in on hers and his lips scorched her own.  He looked into her eyes.  “I had better say good night.  I’ll give you a call and find out how your first day back went.”

         “Yes.”  She watched him go down the steps and get into his car.  He hesitated only a moment before he backed out.  Then she went inside to Sophie.