letters to sam • sgc

v

Ma wanted her pie dish pack. She'd halted her baking frenzy until someone had gotten it from Sam. And of course, I was the middle man. Again.

I decided to stop by his house after my walk, not wanting to catch him on another 'bad day' and lose my motivation. I'd never known anyone who'd ever acted that harshly to a stranger if they weren't feeling the best. Maybe I just didn't know enough people.

Speaking of people, I felt my stomach plummet with dread as I reached the top of the hill. I could see his house at the bottom from where I was standing, and there was a cluster of women in his driveway.

As I drew closer, I realized they were the 'country club crazies'- as ma likes to call them, or the 'country club cunts'- as Sunny and I like to call them. They were older women all in their fifties and sixties, and married, but they loved to go after younger guys. It was freaky. Sometimes they'd chase them down alone, but usually they were in a group. Safety in numbers, I guess.

Sam was standing in the yard, a garden hose in his hand that was spraying water at the disheveled garden in front of the house. He was trying, at least. He didn't seem to be paying the much attention to the women, but he glanced over and spoke to them a few times. I could hear their overdone laughter from up here.

I wasn't sure if I should walk past his house or not; I didn't really want to interrupt them for a pie dish, but when I was starting to get near the driveway, I hear him call my name.

"Lola!"

I turn, startled, to see him beckoning me over. He looks much more excited to see me than usual, which was probably the most surprising part.

The women turn and stare at me like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe as I walk past them uneasily. It was fantastic to know that I could still be shunned by a group of girls outside of my age range and high school.

Sam's smiling at me, shutting off the hose. "Hey, I've got- I've got stuff inside for you-" he gestures behind him to the house.

I can't even nod.

I'm taken aback even more when he slides his arm around my shoulder, turning back to the women.

"Do you all know Lola?" He glances down at me. "She's so sweet, always bringing me my mail," he tells them with a dimpled smile, and I can feel my face heating up. I really didn't think that he remembered my name. Or meant anything he was saying. "Hate to have to say goodbye, ladies, but we've got some things to take care of. Lovely to meet you all."

I can feel their burning stares as we start walking up to the house. I offer a confused glance back at Sam, who's dropped his arm and is following behind me. "Just keep walking," he whispers, the fake smile having dropped back to his usual hostile glare. Oh, great.

He holds the door open for me, offering a final wave at the women as I walk tentatively inside, not having been in this house since I was little. Dad used to be close friends with the Pike's, and we'd used to have dinner together sometimes.

Sam is quick to close and lock the door, sighing with relief the second it's shut.

"I'm sorry," he says, running a hand down his face. "They just showed up. I couldn't make them leave."

"Did you try insulting their clothes?" I mutter, crossing my arms. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to instigate, but I'd just- unknowingly- helped him out, so he didn't really have grounds to be angry with me.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Listen, I- I didn't mean any of what I said personally. That was- I was just having a bit of a rough day. I'm sorry about that."