Golden Bird

Sara giggled. "You, Mr. Wilson, are a letch ...but...I like it," she said as she reached over to pull him closer.

Later, much later, David drove Sara back to her parent's home.

"Were you serious when you said you would help me unpack?"

"Of course. I could come over tomorrow afternoon, after working at Dad's store, if that's OK."

That would be great." He bent down to kiss her once more, reluctant to let her go into the house just yet, but finally they parted. "Well, then I'll see you tomorrow."

Sara nodded. "Good night David." She blew him a kiss just before closing the door, then ran, smiling to herself, up the stairs to her room.

The next week flew by as Sara fell into a routine of working at the hardware store, then stopping at the supermarket before driving over to David's. She had done a pretty good job of unpacking all the boxes, but he really needed furniture. For the time being they were spending most of their time either in the kitchen, with Sara arranging pots and pans while David sat at the large oak table with blueprints and papers spread out around him, or else sitting on the front porch, enjoying the balmy summer evenings until the mosquitoes would drive them back inside where they would climb the stairs to David's bedroom and spend their time making sweet love on his dark maple four poster bed.

This night, the lovers had fallen asleep, and when Sara woke up and noticed the time, she jumped out of bed and started to pull on her jeans. David stirred and opened his eyes. He watched her in the moonlight streaming in through the bare window.

"I wish you didn't have to drive home...it's so late."

Sara sat on the bed and took his hand in hers. "I know...but Mom would worry if I didn't come home, after all, I am living in her house."

"Listen, Sara...I've been thinking about that...Why don't you move in here? I mean this place really could use a woman's touch, since I don't know the first thing about decorating and you're practically living here anyway and wouldn't it be nice to wake up every morning with you next to me. So what do you think?" He held his breath in nervous anticipation of her answer.

Sara was silent as she considered his suggestion. It wasn't a total surprise, in fact, she had thought about it herself, but since he was of a different generation (being fourteen years older), she hadn't been sure he would want that. Her fear was that he would ask her to marry him, and she just wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment yet. She had been changed by the discovery of her husband with another woman before that, she had known what she wanted out of life, and now she just didn't know any more. She'd lost interest in her job and wasn't even sure she wanted to go back after her leave of absence was up. But, she did know she felt happy, well, peaceful, anyway. Of course, just being at home helped-having friends and family around her, and then there was David. He was loving, attentive, and kind, and though she loved him for those qualities, she wasn't sure she was in love with him. She wondered if she could ever fall in love again. Her experience with Bob had erected a wall around her feelings, well maybe not a wall...more like a pad, yes that was it, her emotions seemed buffered, padded against hurt. But...David was special, and what they had was special too. She didn't want to lose it. She met his waiting gaze, her decision made.