Title: Old People
Author: DancingStar
Crossover: PSI Factor/ Sue Thomas: FB Eye
Pairing: Connor/ Lindsay, Jack/ Sue
Rating: 12
Category: Romance
Contents: Old people sometimes know better. Lindsay´s mother also does ...
Notes: I've always wanted to write a story with that name :-)

Old People

"I can´t believe this is actually my shopping list," Lindsay Donner sighed a little disappointed when she took a pack diapers for adults out of the supermarket´s shelf. Previously, there were moments in which she was shocked about this. It was especially difficult when she saw her former friends, how lived their lives and she had missed everything.
She glanced at the clock. Maybe her mother was waiting for her at home. Lindsay's mom sat for years in a wheelchair. The past battered her and her family, but she couldn´t change that. At some day, Barbara Donner suggested her daughter should get her diapers for adults, so Lindsay hadn´t to be around all the time. Lindsay knew her mother was embarrassed, too, and she didn´t like the situation as well.
In thought, Lindsay went to the next shelf and threw a pack of sponges into the shopping cart so that the diapers were covered until she reached the cashier and paid for her items. She then grabbed two heavy bags and carried them out.
It was September and the summer was about to end. Nevertheless, it was pleasantly warm and the heat remained sometimes late into the night. A group of children ran laughing past her and one of the boys pushed her with a cheerful exuberance to the side so she nearly fell over.
"Hey," she called after the boy and was relieved when a man had caught her.
"Lindsay Donner," a voice said and she recognized the man immediately.
"Connor, my goodness, you're actually here!", Lindsay was amazed and took a step back.
"Why shouldn´t I be here? My cousin isn´t getting married every day", Connor beamed.
"Yes, I know your cousin got married last Saturday," Lindsay admitted. She was even invited but couldn´t go there because she didn´t want to leave her mother home alone. "Well, I thought you were too busy with your job," she added, "We haven´t seen you for a very long time. Did you miss our beautiful town?"
"Every day," Connor said and she knew immediately it wasn´t true. He noted that her bags had to be quiet heavy.
"Can I take you home?", he asked, taking the shopping bag from her which was stuffed to the brim with vegetables. He had probably decided he would carry the bag to her front door, whether she liked it or not, but she was relieved he didn´t take the bag with the diapers.
"That's very nice of you. I'm almost home..."
"You still live with your parents?" He recognized the street where they were immediately and he knew where it led to. Of course, Connor didn´t know the reason why she had never left her parents´ house.
Lindsay was still living in Youngstown, a small town in eastern Ohio. The town was so small that there was only one school and only one church.
"What about you?", he now asked, "Where do you work?"
She hated the question more than ever because she now had to admit her life was kind of boring. "I'll take care of my mother all day," she finally replied, "When I was in college..." she gulped, "I'll be honest with you: My father suffered on an apoplectic stroke while driving and hit a tree. He and my mother survived, but they needed care from this point: First Mom was in a coma for three weeks and my father didn´t speak a single word. When Mom woke up, she told me, I should end the college but I knew I had to care for them and... So I took care of my parents, instead of my career. Dad died two years ago."
"I'm sorry. I didn´t know about this." In his mind, he added she had never told him about this in college.
"You see, my life is very boring: I spend my days trying to do the household of my mother and I work as an unpaid nurse. Not a pretty daily routine... Jack and Sue help me a lot. Without them I would have gone mad long ago", she laughed a little when she said that. Jack and Sue were her best friends, who always had been there for her. Connor also remembered the two well, because he also knew them from school. Jack was a quarterback in high school and Sue was an outsider from the first day, when the other kids found out she was deaf. Because there was no school for deaf children within a hundred miles, Sue was more or less forced to visit a school for "normal" children. Only Lindsay, Jack and Connor were her friends and one day Sue said to them it was better if they weren´t seen together in school. Maybe then the other students thought they were nerds, too. It was Jack who told her first he didn´t care and he liked her too much so he´d never stay away from her. That same evening, Lindsay invited Sue to her home and the two teens also talked about how Jack defended Sue. "Sue, do you think he might be in love with you?", Lindsay wanted to know back then from her friend and chewed on a pencil. Sue thought it was unlikely. Why should a popular and handsome quarterback fell in love with her? The other kids at school called her "numskull." Sue was sure Jack didn´t want to have such a girl as his girlfriend. Somehow Lindsay pushed Sue to sneak to Jacks house in the same night. The worst thing was that Jack had seen them when they fought in front of the house, whether they should actually ring the bell and then Jack came to them. He wanted to know what they were doing there and Lindsay came to the point: "You're in love with Sue, aren´t you?"
Then Jack said nothing. It was the first time the two girls saw him speechless. Instead, he glanced nervously at Sue and finally he nodded. "How do you know?", he asked and Sue's jaw dropped open. So Lindsay had been right! The next day Jack and Sue entered school together and she smiled because of the other girls who were looking at them jealousy. A little later, Jack and Sue had their first date and from then on they were inseparable: the two even went to college together and because their love was stronger than ever, the two decided to open a travel agency in Youngstown which was called "Travel for the deaf". Several times they had even offered Lindsay a trip for her parents although they weren´t deaf, but Lindsay refused. Her family wasn´t wealthy since her parents had the terrible car accident so they hadn´t the opportunity to afford a trip. They couldn´t even afford a professional nurse.
Sue and Jack even offered her a trip for free, but Lindsay also refused. She couldn´t use her good-hearted friends, just because she was bored here in Ohio. The two were Lindsay's role model. She never told them, but she secretly wished one day she would find someone who loved her so much, like Jack loved Sue.
"I´m always pleased when I remember our time in school," Lindsay admitted.
"Me too... I've missed you, Lindsay Donner."
When she heard this, she looked at him in surprise. She hadn´t expected he'd miss her after he had decided to go to the big city and take a better job there. He was her first love and she felt alone back then when he had left her. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?", Connor wanted to know and she was surprised a little more.
"Thanks, I...," Lindsay was relieved they now had reached the front door, "Mom has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I´m sorry."
"Okay. I see."
"What do you mean?"
"I have enough experience with woman so I know what you´re thinking."
"Did you really say that?", Lindsay asked and Connor handed her the fully loaded plastic bag a little disappointed when she asked for it. "I... I should go," he said, "It was nice to see you again... This is my card with my current phone number." Connor gave her a stable business card with an embossed logo on the back. "I´ll stay for a while at the Youngstown Inn Hotel," with these words he went away and Connor didn´t turn around to her. Instead, she looked after him, confused. With a sigh, she entered her mother's house and put down the full shopping bags in the kitchen.
"Why didn´t you agree?" , her mother asked and Lindsay was terrified.
"Did you listen to us?"
"Yes," the old Mrs. Donner unabashedly said, "Well, why didn´t you agree? You haven´t seen Connor for a long time and he was your first boyfriend..."
"It's been a long time... I also have no time," Lindsay shook a pillow, which was lying on the couch, "I have a lot to do tomorrow: You have to see your doctor, I have to do laundry, clean up the kitchen and..."
"You can do this the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow is Sunday."
"Then you do the laundry on Monday," Barbara Donner slowly realized what her daughter´s problem was, "Lindsay, I think you've taken care about me and your father long enough..."
"Mom, I never mind."
"You've never complained over the years, but now that Connor is back in town, you realize what you missed..."
"Mom..."
"You want a family, a regular life and you want an own life."
"That's not true."
"It's true and you know it. I won´t be responsible if you reproach me one day you missed your life because of me... It´s only one day, Lindsay. On that day I will get along very well", she grabbed the phone, "And now you'll call Connor and tell him you´re pleased to spend a day with him. Do what I tell you. Sometimes old people know best."
"All right," Lindsay finally gave in.

The next morning Connor came in time to pick her up and when he found out she wasn´t waiting at the door, he rang the bell at the house. He was surprised when Barbara Donner opened. "Good morning, Connor," she said, rolling back in her wheelchair.
"Good morning, Mrs. Donner." He didn´t know Barbara was sitting in a wheelchair and therefore he was even a little bit shocked.
Barbara laughed at his remark, adding this reminded her about the time when Connor and Lindsay were in school. "I remember that evening when you picked up Lindsay for a summer festival," she said, "My husband has threatened you, he´d kill you, if you don´t have an eye on Lindsay..."
"Yes, I remember that, too," he admitted. He had never forgotten this evening. It was a nice summer party. Back then Connor and Lindsay were 15 years old and that evening they had kissed for the first time. It was the moment in which their friendship from childhood transformed to their first love.
"How are you, Mrs. Donner?", he avoided asking her about her wheelchair.
"Very fine," the old lady replied.
"Mom?", he heard Lindsay in the kitchen. A few seconds later she entered the hallway and noticed Connor was already here. "You are in time," she said then she looked at her mother: "Your lunch is in the microwave. "
Barbara Donner nodded and accompanied them to the door, wishing Lindsay a nice day. They were barely out of the house when the door slammed behind them. "Looks like she´s looking forward to a day without me," Lindsay said with a shrug as she walked to the gate.
Connor opened the door of a nice cabriolet for her. "This is a very nice car," she said, but probably this wasn´t new to him.
"Um, before I forget: Jack and Sue would like to come along. I called them yesterday evening and told them about our trip... ", she was excited to see his reaction," Is that bad?"
"No," but he didn´t expect. Nevertheless, he allowed her to describe the way to Jack and Sue's home. The two lived in a quiet street in an apartment above their travel agency and were waiting on the stairs. A Golden Retriever was lying on the ground.
Connor and Lindsay got out.
They were happy to see each other and exchanged greetings. "Who is that?", Connor asked, patting the dog, which wagged his tail happily. "This is Levi," Sue explained, "He is my hearing dog. I own him since five years."
Connor nodded. Back then at school Sue had no hearing dog. Jack, Lindsay and Connor always helped her, if someone wanted Sue´s attention. When Sue had finished college, it was time for a dog which could help her in the office because Lindsay and Connor couldn´t be with her each day.
"Where are we going?", Sue asked interested, when they entered the black cabriolet.
Connor actually had planned something else with Lindsay, but now he had to change his plans. "What about the lake at the old quarry?" ,he asked then.
Jack nodded. "That's where we went swimming in the summer when we were kids," he recalled. Because it was a very warm day today, he thought it was a good idea to go to the lake.
The old quarry was only ten minutes away from the apartment and Connor parked his car in the shade. Levi was the first who hopped out of the convertible. They haven´t been here for a long time, but the environment hadn´t changed. Sue even could see the small edge, from which they always jumped into the water in summer. "We should have brought bathing suits," she joked and put on her sunglasses.
"Come," Jack whispered, without saying a word to his girlfriend (she could read lips, so it wasn´t necessary to speak), he took Sue's hand and pointed to Lindsay and Connor, "We better leave them alone. Certainly they have to talk about many things."
Sue agreed, grabbed Levi's leash and told Lindsay she and Jack would take a short walk.
Lindsay nodded wordlessly. She didn´t know why, but she wasn´t pleased when Jack and Sue left her alone with Connor. Maybe she was just afraid the old feelings would come back again.
"You must be terribly bored, when you have to spend a day in this old quarry," Lindsay sighed finally when they were alone, "Surely your life in the big city is much more exciting..."
"Why didn´t you came to my cousin´s wedding?", Connor asked instead, "She told me she had sent an invitation to you and your mother... Is it because of what happened between us in college?"
"No," she replied, "I'm not angry, because you moved away after college..."
"Well," he muttered, "What is it then?"
"You saw my mother," she hissed, "Stress isn´t good for her."
"Why didn´t you tell me about the accident back then?" He would have understood.
"I... I don´t know," she lied and knew she blushed, "Please let´s don´t talk about this," she asked him. In addition she was sure Connor didn´t ask for a day with her to scold her. "Perhaps we should also take a walk," she suggested. She had suspected from the beginning it wasn´t a good idea to spend a day with him. Of course she was glad he was back, but...
"Okay, let's take a walk," he agreed and took her hand a little more cheerfully. He was relieved she didn´t withdraw from him.
"Is the path around the lake still there? Maybe we´ll meet Jack Sue if we follow the path."
"Yes," she smiled, "The path is still there."

After leaving the quarry, Jack and Sue showed Connor what had changed since their childhood in Youngstown. Lindsay listened to the city tour uninterested, when she thought about what Connor had said to her in the quarry. Then they visited some school friends who still lived in town and in the evening Jack invited them to his favorite Chinese restaurant, where they laughed a little about their childhood memories. Sue wanted to know from Connor, how long he would stay in Youngstown, but he replied he hadn´t thought about this.
Connor took Lindsay home late at night, after drove Jack and Sue home. The air was warm, as they walked side by side on the narrow gravel path through the garden in front of the house.
"Do you remember my cousin always said we would get married someday?", she wanted to know and he nodded.
"I remember very well, too," Connor admitted, "And now see where life has brought us to... It´s been a very nice day... Thank you." They stood close to each other on the porch.
"I thank you," she said and Connor grabbed her hand, pulled her close. He wanted to kiss her, but she stopped him. "We shouldn´t do that," she said, "My mother could see us."
"In the age of 26 I know what I want. Do you?", he asked, leaning towards her and kissed her. Connor was almost relieved when she kissed him back. He gently stroked her cheek and let the moment last as long as possible. Lindsay was dizzy and she didn´t know why she allowed this, but it felt so wonderful that she couldn´t resist. Finally, he let her go and asked if she wanted to go out with him tomorrow again.
"Maybe," Lindsay smiled happily and walked into the house where she lived with her mother.
Her mother was sitting in her wheelchair in front of the TV and fell asleep because her chin had sunk on her chest. "Mom, wake up," Lindsay said in passing and turned off the TV, "It's late. Time to go to bed."
Her mother didn´t respond.
"Mom," Lindsay touched her cheek and noticed how cold she was. Startled, she sought her mother's pulse and couldn´t find it. In panic she ran to the door, opened it and rushed out onto the porch. "Connor!", she yelled.
Connor had just reached his car and wanted to get in, as he heard her. Meanwhile, Lindsay broke down in tears and sat sobbing on the doorstep. Horrified, he ran to her. "What happened?"
"She's dead," Lindsay was crying hysterically, "My mother is dead!"
Connor walked past her and saw her mother still sitting motionless in her wheelchair. He reached for his cell phone call for emergency help.

The old Mrs. Donner was buried three days later on the main cemetery in Youngstown and Lindsay couldn´t remember she had ever cried so much in her life. She wasn't even so upset when her father died two years ago.
During the funeral Connor was standing beside her and held her hand and when she couldn´t calm down, he hugged her protectively.
All of a sudden Lindsay's life was so terribly empty. When her father had died, it was strange and even though he hadn´t talked to her for years she missed him. Now that her mother was gone, the house had become so dreadfully quiet and empty.
After the funeral, relatives and friends gathered for a quick dinner at Lindsay's house. She had barely managed to take care of the catering alone so Sue had organized everything. Sue and Jack also took care about the priests, the formalities at the registry office and the flowers for the funeral, because Lindsay was only sitting in silence on the couch after the emergency physician diagnosed her mothers´ definitive death. She couldn´t eat. Sue had asked Jack to look after Lindsay after work and bring her a portion of food because she didn´t cook and when he came back the next day, the plate of spaghetti was still on the table. Connor also had to help Sue to prepare the house for the funeral, because Lindsay couldn´t managed to clean up the belongings of her mother. Without Lindsay knowledge they donated the clothes of the old woman to the Salvation Army and they hoped Lindsay wouldn´t crack up in rage when she learned it.
Lindsay endured the condolences of some friends of her mother. Then she sat down on the couch again. "Can we do something for you?", Sue was anxious and her best friend Lindsay shook her head sadly.
"The worst thing is that I wasn´t with her was when she died," she murmured.
"Please don´t say this," Sue squeezed her hand reassuringly. Even Levi had put his head comfortingly on Lindsay's lap.
"Excuse me for a while," Lindsay apologized and got up, "I´ll go to my room."
Her friends looked at her anxiously.

When the guests of the funeral had left in the evening, Connor was looking for Lindsay. He was worried when he couldn´t find her so he asked Sue if she had seen Lindsay. Sue shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Connor was worried more and more. She wasn´t in her room and finally he found Lindsay in the pantry, where she sat silently on the floor. She wasn´t even talking to him when he sat down beside her.
"I have a bad conscience," he admitted, when a bunch of garlic dropped on his shoulder and he put it back in the shelve, "Every time I see your sad face, I think it's my fault you couldn´t be with your mother when she died...", Connor was a little disappointed, when she still said nothing.
"I came here...", he thought aloud, "I came here because my cousin got married. Then I saw you again and from the start I fell in... I just wanted to spend a little time with you, because... Damn it, because that's what people do who have fallen in love and if you hate me now, I can understand." Connor got up and walked out. When he had left Youngstown after college, he had tried to find a woman who was only a little bit like her and he had sought in vain.
Lindsay didn´t know if she should run after him, or if she shouldn´t do it. She felt weak and tired, so she just remained sitting on the floor of the pantry until she fell asleep.

She woke up late in the night because she had dreamed about her mother. In the dream, her mother told her that she had to forgive Connor. Finally, he only wanted to spend some time with her. That she would die then, when Lindsay was thinking about herself, he couldn´t have known. Barbara also said this day she wanted so send her away with Connor because she knew he´d stay with her. If Lindsay was alone when Barbara died, she would still be alone.
The house was dark, only a small lamp above the fireplace lit up the living area. Someone had put Lindsay on the couch and spread a blanket over her. The digital clock above the fireplace showed 01:33 a.m. Connor sat in the big chair of her father and slept.
He was still here. That astonished Lindsay most of all. After he had confessed to her he loved her and she hadn´t said a word, she was almost sure he never wanted to see her again. But he had stayed.
Slowly, she pushed back the blanket and saw the note on the small coffee table in front of her. She recognized Sue's handwriting. Sue wrote to her that she and Jack had gone home and they had put the cake in the refrigerator. Sue also wrote she had asked Connor to take care of her.
Lindsay got up and went into the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of water. She was staring out of the window and noticed the wine bottle standing next to the refrigerator. Her mother had opened the bottle the evening before her death and Lindsay felt the urge to drink a big sip, when she heard a noise behind her.
"I didn´t want to scare you," Connor apologized and his blurred reflection appeared next to her in the window. He also saw the bottle of wine.
"Did you drink it?", he asked and she shook her head.
"No," she replied, raising her glass of water. Her head ached and her eyes burned, because she had been crying so much at the grave of her mother today. "Connor, I... I wish I would have said something today. I wish I had said something today, when you confessed to me you still love me and... ", she said and when she gasped Connor embraced her. She felt how he led her back to the couch and then brought her another glass of water.
"What shall I do, Connor?" Lindsay wanted to know in despair, "What shall I do without my mother?" Since the terrible car accident, she had only cared for her parents. She didn´t know a different kind of life.
"I don´t know," he admitted, "You won´t like the idea but maybe you need some distance from here... Maybe you should take a break."
She nodded in agreement and took a sip of water. Lindsay tried to calm down and when she could breathe again, she decided to go back to sleep. She thought it was almost sweet, when Connor spread the blanket over her and when he had walked to the fireplace to extinguish the light, she stopped him. "It isn´t your fault I couldn´t be with my mother when she died," she told him. He waited in vain for the words he wanted to hear from her.

Yeah, I know it's hard to remember
The people we used to be
It's even harder to picture
That you're not here next to me
You say it's too late to make it
But is it too late to try?
And in our time that you wasted
All of our bridges burned down

I've wasted my nights
You turned out the lights
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time when we called it love
But even the sun sets in paradise

I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I spent on you
Where have the times gone
Baby it's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two?
If happy ever after did exist
I would still be holding you like this
and all those fairytales are full of it
One more stupid love song I'll be sick ("Payphone" by Maroon 5)

The day without her mother was terribly lonely. After getting up, Connor brought her breakfast and she hardly ate a bite. He asked her what she wanted for lunch, but she didn´t answer and when it was already dark outside at night, she sat on the porch, staring at the few passing cars. Today was a beautiful summer day and she was sad because her mother couldn´t experience this. The wind stirred the leaves in the trees and she felt like a warm breeze blew around her. A thunderstorms was about to come, because the clouds in the sky were heavy and gray.
Finally, Connor sat beside her on the wooden stairs. As he had promised to Sue, he had stayed with her all day and had watched over her. Sue thought that Lindsay might hurt herself in desperation.
"We need to talk," she began, "Yesterday evening I just wanted to say..." she stopped, "You got me waiting quite a long time." Lindsay looked at him. "You were my first love, Connor..."
"I know." They were teenagers when they had fallen in love and they promised to see each other in college, too. Later they found out they´d even visited the same college and when they met one afternoon to celebrate they had ever managed to get accepted at a better school. It was a great time. They went to college and often spent the whole night together. She fell in love with him more and more. Sometimes she called her mother and told her about how much she was in love with him. Barbara then always said if Connor passed the "Old People"- test (Lindsay should think about if she could imagine to have him around when she was old), he was the one. Then Lindsay's life fell apart: After the car accident of her parents she only followed the main lessons. She had never told Connor the Reason. She never told him about the terrible accident. Probably because she knew exactly what this accident meant for her and for her future and it was embarrassing to admit that her parents were now on welfare.
Connor didn´t understand her reticence, he had tried to talk to her and when she completely avoided him, he took a great job after college and Lindsay stayed in the sleepy little town in Ohio to care for her invalid parents. In retrospect, she was sorry, because she realized she had missed her chance. She even believed it was her fault because she hadn´t been honestly with Connor and Sue had told her once or twice that Lindsay was completely right with this assumption and she had scared away Connor.
"And I never stopped loving you... Surely you're wondering now why I never called to tell you... But that's something you shouldn´t discuss on the phone." Even if she had told him, she would have felt guilty because she had to care for her parents.
"Thank you for staying with me last night," she grabbed his hand, "I've treated you terribly. I'm sorry."
"You don´t have to be sorry," he leaned to her and kissed her gently. She wasn´t ready for more at the moment and he thought it was wrong to push her. Nevertheless, he was very relieved when she kissed him, too. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. They had often done this before, when they were in high school and when they visited the college and today she sometimes longed for him painfully. This feeling was stronger than ever and she had to admit she was still crazy about him.
"Let's go inside and...", she suggested breathlessly.
"That's impossible," he tried the find a way to tell her he wouldn´t use her emotional situation, "I don´t want to hurt you... I must return to the city. My job is waiting for me", Connor admitted.
She nodded wordlessly.
"Come with me," he suggested, "It would be nice variety."
"I can´t," her voice rasped. She didn´t know why she said that. What was she doing here? Her mother had told her she should live her own life. Was Connor a part of it?
"I can´t leave: Tomorrow someone is coming who wants to look at the house and probably buy it."
"I can wait," he grinned, "Then we both travel to town tomorrow evening." He was asking himself the question of what Lindsay wanted to do when she had sold her mother's house. He then asked her and she shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Maybe I´ll move to an apartment like Jack and Sue. I also have to find a job... I can´t stay in this house. Everything reminds me of my mother."
"I see," he nodded, "The house should be restored a little bit before, don´t you think?"
"Yes, maybe." She leaned against him and enjoyed his warmth. Inwardly, she guessed he probably already thought about what they had to do before the broker came. The house was old, there was no question. But she didn´t have the heart to do change the house and destroy the memories of her parents. The idea wasn´t pretty, but she wanted to leave that part to someone else.

The next day they were waiting for the broker. The real estate expert from Youngstown had been announced for the afternoon and when Connor reached the old house, Lindsay already prepared the table. "I suppose you've brought something to eat," she suggested and Connor nodded.
"I hope you don´t mind burgers."
"No, that's okay." She didn´t dare say anything about it or say a remark about his unhealthy eating habits because in the end she was glad he cared about her and she wasn´t alone now. Lindsay had no idea how it was to be alone.
After eating, they hastily cleared away the dishes then they sat on the stairs outside the house and waited. It was already 1 p.m. when a small car parked on the sidewalk. "Your broker is getting late," he noted and Lindsay rolled her eyes.
A short, stocky man came up to them. "Good day, Mr. Hastings," Lindsay said, shaking his hand and she was surprised he had come alone, "I thought you'd like to bring a buyer for the house..."
Mr. Hastings looked at her puzzled, then he looked at Connor. "Didn´t you tell her anything?"
Now, Lindsay was also confused and when Connor shook his head, she knew what was going on. "You are the buyer?", she asked, a little stunned.
"Yes," he nodded gently, "I should have said something..."
"I think we should go in", the broker suggested. The conversation in the house took half an hour then Mr. Hastings left. Connor hated his situation, because Lindsay was sitting at the kitchen table and wasn´t talking a word to him. It wasn´t easy to find Lindsay´s broker after he returned to the hotel alone last night. The broker was almost a little angry, when Connor called him late in the evening at home because he had found out his private phone number and asked him to cancel the buyer for the house. He would buy it. No matter what the price was. He could afford this through his well-paid job perfectly.
"I know I should have told you I'm thinking about to buy the home of your parents... The money would help, at least until you found a job... You could even stay in the house."
"What?"
"I didn´t want to do this for me... Well, basically, I did. I wanted to stay with you. I'm not going to leave Youngstown."
"But your job..."
"I can also work from home," he was glad she now talked to him again.
"You really want to stay here?", her voice almost failed.
"That's what I want. Do you know why? I love you, Lindsay."
"I...", she closed her eyes as she realized she couldn´t tell him, "I love you, too," she finally muttered, "I love you, too."

One year later they had renovated the old house a little bit: They had bought lots of new furniture, from the outside the house had received a new blue paint and the porch lit up in white color. The garden looked nice and a classic, American mailbox was attached at the fence. In front of the garage was a small car, decorated with a sign at the back, showing the words "Just Married".
On the stairs to the porch sat a blond woman and when the door of the house opened she turned around. A man handed her a cup of tea and sat down beside her und embraced her. "How are you today, Mrs. Doyle?", Connor wanted to know how she felt. Then he kissed her. Lindsay was so incredibly happy at this moment.
Sometimes old people knew better. Lindsay was very happy in a way and although it took a while she now was also relieved her mother had been right this time...

Fin