Second Chances

Sara

After getting up, I took a shower. I had a slight headache and my mouth felt dry, but other than that, I was feeling okay. I was not thinking about Noah, but trying to stay positive and appreciate the small things in life. Like how I was proud of myself that I'd had enough sense that I stopped after the second glass of wine last night and went straight to bed. And that I slept. Maybe not as good as I'd wanted to, but at least I'd gotten a few hours of shut-eye.

I was also looking forward to seeing my best friend.

Of course, there were negative things as well, like I had to go to class and there was an extensive project due soon. I had work in the afternoon and I desperately needed to go food shopping and then the biggest one of all; what was Noah doing in Colorado Springs?

Years of therapy had told me not to dwell on the bad things. There was no sense in worrying unless you had something to worry about. In reality, it only worked occasionally, but I tried.

I listened to the news on the small tv in my bedroom as I wrapped my hair up into a messy bun and added some mascara to my too-light lashes. I was a bit surprised but happy to see that the dark circles under my eyes weren't as bad as I'd expected. After adding some blush to my cheeks, so I didn't look like a ghost, and a touch of my favorite perfume, I got dressed. I settled for a pair of jeans and a blue turtleneck, knowing the blue color brightened my blue eyes. Since it was winter and freezing, I pulled on my down jacket and slipped into my short brown boots. A big fluffy scarf and my leather gloves, and I was good to go.

There was no new snow yet, but it was only a matter of time. The snowstorms in Colorado could be debilitating. Most of us celebrated when we didn't have to shovel feet of snow just to get our cars out. Especially me since I didn't have a garage.

I shut the door behind me and walked the few steps down to the driveway where my car was parked. A few months ago, I traded in my father's old Mercury for a newer small SUV. I had felt guilty about it at the time, but it had been the right decision.

His car had been an older model sedan and driving it had made me feel like he was still around, but it wasn't as reliable as an SUV. After it had broken down for the third time in a few months, Eric told me it was time and he was right. As much as I didn't like to admit it in the beginning, it was great to have heated seats and steering wheel.

***

My best friend Sara was already in the auditorium when I walked in a half-hour later.

"Hey, Em," she greeted me as I sunk down in the seat next to her.

"Hey."

I peeled all my outerwear off and put it on the empty seat next to me. It was cold in the auditorium but not cold enough to warrant a down jacket. I settled for wrapping the scarf around my shoulders.

"Do you have time to grab lunch today?" Sara asked and focused her grey eyes on me once I stopped fidgeting.

"If you feel like coming to the coffee shop. I only have a half-hour."

"Sure. You know I like it there."

She did like it there. Sara would spend hours on her class assignments at the bar top in front of the large picture window in the small coffee shop where I worked downtown. I'd been there for the last two years and during that time, it had become one of her favorite places to hang out.

She enjoyed the bustle of people moving around while she did her work. I, on the other hand, could not concentrate on anything but making coffee and tea unless it was quiet, so I did most of my work at home or at the library.

My boss and the owner of the coffee shop, Andrew, was familiar with Sara as well and would give her free cups of coffee here and there. I was pretty sure he had a sweet spot for her.