The Sky and the Stars - Tom and Sarah Kazansky

-11-

Returning to Washington turned out to be exactly what she needed. She moved back in with her parents as planned and back to her office at work and got right back to it, going through all the data she had collected, so she was constantly reminded of her time at Top Gun and the people she'd met there - a certain Tom Kazansky -  but the distance proved good. Yes, she had made the right decision. 

She fell back into a routine, familiar but new at the same time with the experience and insight she had gained from her time in California - she was certainly grateful for the time she had spent there, for what she had learned, and, of course, for the people she had met.

Again, a certain Tom Kazansky...

The next eight months consisted of a few phone calls between the busy two. Unfortunately, they missed each other more than they actually spoke,  but the effort was there, and so was their connection. Despite the distance and separation they now faced, nothing could sever the connection they had formed during their short time together. 

"Sarah," her mother, said the first time it happened. Tom had made the first move, calling her. She hadn't been available at the time, but the call had gone to voice mail so she was left with a message from  him.

Sarah, hi, it's me - Tom! 

She smiled upon hearing his soft voice again, even if it was through the voice mail machine.

"Who's Tom?" her mom asked immediately.

"A friend from California."

"Oh - you didn't mention him."

No, some of those things she preferred to keep close to her heart. "Mom, I can't hear his message-" She rewound the message to the beginning and hit play once again. 

Sarah, hi, it's me - Tom! How are you? I'm well, just thought I would check in and see how you were doing. Sorry I missed you, talk soon, bye. 

"Call him back!" her mom cried while she was still processing his words, his brief but sweet message. "Call him - now!"

"Mom!" she cried, but she did do just that. Her heart hammered in her chest with each ring on the other line.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

A wave of disappointment hit her when it went to voice mail, but of course she would leave him a message back. Besides, his work was unpredictable, and that meant that he could be anywhere in the world right now, nowhere close to the phone.  

"Tom, hi, it's Sarah. I got your message - I'm so sorry I missed your call, and missed you. So nice to hear from you. Miss you, bye! Oh, wait! I'm well too! Thanks - bye!" She finished off with an awkward chuckle and hung up. 

And so it went that way for weeks, missed calls and voice mail messages their only source of communication, until one afternoon. 

"Coleman residence," Sarah answered the phone. 

"Hello Coleman residence," came his voice.  "I'm looking for Sarah Coleman."

She spluttered with laughter into the receiver.  "Tom! It's you!"

He laughed too. "It's me."

"We finally caught one another."

"Yes, finally! I'm so glad."

"Me too."

She felt like a teenager again, walking away with the phone as far as the cord would allow her, knowing full well her parents were in the other room, claiming not to be listening to her side of the conversation. In fact, she felt giddy like she was a teenager all over again too.