"Hey Sam, long time no see." The hostess said hugging Sam. "How are you
doing? I heard about the shooting. Are you alright?" She asked glancing down at
Sam's cane.
"Hey Mary, I'm good. Going to physical therapy. I'll be back on the job soon. I'd
like you to meet my friend Riley."
"Hello Riley," Mary greeted politely. She checked the other woman out noting
how close she stood to Sam. I wonder just how close friends they are?
Mary led them over to a small table.
"How about one of the booths?" Sam asked. Mary glanced over at Riley to see
her reaction. She appeared clueless. Sam only asked for a booth when she
brought a hot date.
"Sure Sam, if you're positive that's what you want?" Mary glanced over at Riley
again; she just didn't seem Sam's type. She usually didn't go for the quiet shy
types.
Sam grinned. "Oh yeah, I'm sure."
Riley wasn't sure what was going on. It felt like she was missing half the
conversation.
Mary led them to a small booth. Sam slid in first then moved over next to Riley
once she sat down. Their thighs pressed together under the table. Sam's arm
rested on the back of the booth above Riley's shoulders. It was very cozy.
"Bring you a bottle of the house wine?" Mary asked.
Sam turned to Riley. "Is that okay with you?"
"You go ahead Sam; I'm on backup call tonight so I'll have to pass." As she
spoke, Riley unconsciously laid her hand on Sam's arm.
"We'll pass Mary. Bring us both an ice tea please." She glanced over at Riley to
see if that met her approval. Riley nodded her thanks.
All the tension from the condo seemed to have dissipated. They laughed and
talked easily during dinner. Sam told stories of her experiences as a police
officer and of growing up with Jess and Frank. The plates were cleared away
and they sat having coffee.
"So you've met my sister and brother. What about you do you have any
siblings?" Sam asked.
"No I'm an only child." Riley said looking sad.
"That must have been lonely growing up. Even with all we fought, I love my
sister and brother like crazy. Our folks always accused us of prematurely aging
them with our antics. Guess your folks never accused you of that huh?" Sam
laughed.
Sam sobered when she noticed Riley's stricken look.
"What's wrong?" she asked concerned.
Riley was fighting to control her emotions. She swallowed hard before turning to
face Sam.
"My folks died when I was a kid, my aunt and uncle raised me."
"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Sam felt terrible that she'd brought up such a painful subject.
"It's Okay. There's no way you could've known." Riley assured. "I don't get a chance to talk about them much. I still miss them terribly."
Sam's heart went out to Riley, she could feel the pain radiating off of her.
She was never sure later what prompted her to ask. She met Riley's eyes. "Tell
me about them."
Riley looked hesitant for a moment but saw the honest interest in Sam's eyes.
Her aunt and uncle never wanted her to talk about her folks. She hoarded her
memories of them; it was all she had left. She found herself wanting to share
something so precious to her with Sam.
"My dad grew up in LA. My grandfather was a lawyer. He met my Mom in high
school. They were high school sweethearts and married not long after
graduation. My grandfather wanted my Dad to follow in his older brother's
footsteps and become a surgeon. My Dad refused, he had always dreamed of
owning his own garage to repair and restore classic cars. They moved to San
Diego and my Dad worked at a local Ford dealer, restoring cars at night and on
weekends. He made a name for himself and finally convinced my grandfather to
help him buy his own shop. It was a booming success. He had people bringing
classic cars to him from all over California to repair and restore. My Mom worked
as the receptionist and bookkeeper for the garage. They'd been trying for years
to have a child and had pretty much given up; then when my Mom was thirty,
she got pregnant with me. It was a hard pregnancy and the doctors told her she
would never have any more children. My Mom always told me she didn't care;
she had me and that I was a special gift from God." Riley got a little choked up
and stopped to drink some of her coffee. She looked at the table not making eye
contact with Sam.
Sam put her finger under Riley's chin bringing her head up until their eyes met.
"They obviously loved you very much."
Riley smiled even as several tears leaked out. She took a deep breath before
continuing.
"I was very close to both my folks but I was a real daddy's girl. I went
everywhere with him. He always said 'Any where I go my girl can go' I even went
to the barbershop with him. My mom had a real fit one time when I convinced
him to let the barber cut my hair real short. We used to work on cars and go to
all the ball games together. I was a real tomboy back then." Riley's voice trailed
off it was obvious her emotions were getting the best of her.
"Tell me the rest." Sam quietly encouraged.
"When I was 10 I begged my folks for weeks to let me spend the night at my
friend's house. It was so cool. There were six siblings spaced two years apart.
I'd never been exposed to anything like that before. They finally gave in and let
me spend the night. They decided to drive up the coast for a romantic dinner
and some time together. Coming back it was very foggy. A semi-truck hit a car
and over turned. It caused a multiple car pile up on I-5." Riley's voice started to
hitch as the tears poured down her face. Sam had to struggle to understand her.
"My folks were killed instantly when a second semi couldn't stop and ran over
their car."
Sam gathered the now sobbing Riley in her arms. Several people in the
restaurant glanced over to see what was wrong but quickly turned back to their
meals when Sam glared at them.
Riley savored the comfort of Sam's arms as she struggled to get her emotions
under control. She looked up and happened to catch a glimpse of another patron
watching them. She stiffened slightly suddenly remembering they are in the
middle of a restaurant. She could hear her aunt's scolding voice. 'You're making
a spectacle of yourself in public Riley'.
She reluctantly pulled away from Sam. Her face flushed with crying and
embarrassment. She couldn't meet her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. Here I am pouring out my life story and making a spectacle of
myself. I didn't mean to embarrass you." She kept her eyes firmly on the table
not wanting to see the disapproving light in Sam's eyes. "I'm sorry." She
whispered.
"Riley look at me." Sam waited. Riley still wouldn't look up. She gently lifted her chin looking into sad violet eyes. Riley was amazed by what she saw in Sam's
eyes all the caring and compassion. It made her start to choke up again.
"I'm glad you told me. I'm not embarrassed by honest emotion. You lost
something very precious to you when your folks died. Never be embarrassed by
what you felt for them."
Riley couldn't believe it. Sam wasn't angry with her for crying in public. Riley
could still vividly remember one of her first experience with her aunt and uncle.
They'd gone out to a fancy restaurant not long after the funeral. Riley had seen a