The Road Not Taken: Another Path
Chapter 12
November 23-26, 1972
Sam was nervous. He knew that Donna would be arriving soon. He was waiting at the bus station to pick her up. This would be the first time for Donna to meet his folks and although he knew they would love her as he did, he was still on heightened adrenaline. He watched the bus pull into the station and watched as the people disembarked. Finally, he saw Donna walking down the stairs.
"Donna, I'm so glad you're here!" Donna walked over to Sam and he hugged her. "I take it you have luggage for us to pick up.
Donna nodded. "Yes, I have both a small suitcase and my cosmetic bag."
As they waited for the luggage to be unloaded, Sam asked Donna about her trip. "It was okay. I don't really like buses but there aren't many other ways to get any place in rural Indiana."
"Yeah, we are sort of out in the boonies. However, it's quiet around here and there aren't problems with crime like you find in a lot of the cities."
"I suppose. Growing up in San Francisco, I'm used to the city. I've never really spent a lot of time in a rural community."
Donna indicated to Sam her bags and he picked them up and carried them to the pick-up truck, putting them in the back. He opened the door for Donna and helped her step into the cab. Then he walked around and climbed behind the wheel. He started up the truck and he pulled onto Main Street, heading out of town.
"How far is it to your farm?"
"We'll get there in about 15 minutes."
"I'm looking forward to meeting your family."
Sam smiled, "And they are looking forward to meeting you."
They continued to talk as they left the town and drove along the county roads. Donna noted that she didn't see any houses, but Sam pointed out that most of the farmhouses were set back quite a bit from the road. After that, Donna started noticing the homes. A few minutes later, Sam pulled off the road onto a long drive. Soon, his home came into view.
"Wow! That's a pretty good size home. How old is it?
"My great-grandfather built the house after the Civil War. He and my great-grandmother had moved to Indiana. The farm has been in the family since then."
"That's quite a long time."
"Yeah. That's why I went into agriculture. I want to help my dad with the farm. Keep it in the family for another generation or more."
They pulled up and parked in the driveway. Sam got out and opened the door for Donna, helping her down. He took the luggage out of the back and carried them up the steps to the house. Thelma Beckett walked out of the front door. "Good afternoon. I'm Thelma. You must be Donna. We're all so happy you've decided to spend Thanksgiving with us."
Donna shook hands with Thelma. "It's nice to meet you, Ma'am."
They entered the house and chit-chatted for a bit but then Thelma suggested that Sam show Donna her room. Sam took Donna's luggage upstairs to the guest room, which had been Katie's before she took Tom's old room. "You probably want to freshen up a bit after your bus ride."
"Yes, that would be nice."
"Um…we usually have dinner about five'o'clock. It's four now so that will give you time to get ready."
Donna looked confused. "Ready? I just want to wash up a bit, but I wasn't planning on doing much more. I don't think I'll need an hour."
Sam looked at Donna's outfit. Since she'd been traveling on the bus, she'd chosen to wear a pants suit that while neat wasn't quite what his family was used to wearing for holidays. He knew his mother and Katie would be wearing their Sunday best and he and his Dad would be in suits. That was just the way they always dressed for Thanksgiving. He had assumed that Donna's family practiced the same so hadn't mentioned it before. He was a bit fidgety as he said, "Uh, Donna? Did you bring a dress?"
Donna nodded. "Yes, I brought one for Church on Sunday."
Sam looked at her looking rather chagrined. "You might want to wear it tonight then. We sort of dress for dinner on holidays."
"Thanks for telling me. I guess I might need that hour after all."
"Okay. Sorry for not letting you know sooner."
"That's okay. It's just a little different for me."
Sam left her to get ready and checked with his mother to see if she needed any help with the dinner before getting ready himself. She asked him to set the table with the good silverware and to put out the cut-glass water and wine glasses. After he had completed this, he headed to his room.
He had finished and was heading down the stairs when the door to Donna's room opened. She was wearing a light blue dress with a lace bodice. She was beautiful as always. Sam commented on how becoming the dress was and they walked down together, entering the dining room.
Donna stopped for a moment and gazed into the room. The table setting was lovely, with a centerpiece of fall colored mums. This was much fancier than she was used to even for Thanksgiving. Donna was introduced to John and Katie Beckett.
"It's very nice to meet you. Welcome to our home," said John.
"Yes. It's about time Sam brought someone home," Katie said without thinking.
Sam blushed. "Katie!"
"You know what I mean, Sam. You've never brought any girl to dinner at the house before."
Sam felt like he could sink into the floorboards, but Donna just smiled. "I'm very glad to finally meet Sam's family. Thank you for having me."
They all sat down. John Beckett cleared his throat and everyone bowed their heads. "Lord, we ask your blessing for all at this table. We are thankful to be together as a family and to have Donna with us as well. Bless this food to our use and us to thy service. Amen."
They all answered with an affirming Amen and the dinner commenced. Dinner conversation covered a variety of topics including talk about future plans. Donna found the mood to be relaxed even with the somewhat fancy level of dress. She truly enjoyed interacting with Sam's family, finding them to be honest and kind people. Being an only child herself, she found that the kidding that transpired between Sam and Katie to be loving, and wished that she could have had a sibling relationship like they did.
"Would you like more of anything, Donna?" Thelma asked.
"Oh no, ma'am. I couldn't eat another bite. The food was so good."
"Thank you. We'll be having dessert a bit later. I hope you like pumpkin pie."
"Oh yes. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it," Donna affirmed.
Sam offered to help his mother clear the table and Donna indicated that she could help as well.
"No, you two go into the parlor with John. Sam, Katie can help me. You stay with Donna."
Katie readily agreed, helping her mother clear the table and clean up while Donna continued to get to know John Beckett.
"I understand that you've lived your whole life on the farm."
"Yes, other than the two years I spent in the Army during World War II, I've always lived here in Elk Ridge."
"How did you meet Thelma?"
"She was giving out donuts and coffee for the USO. We talked and she agreed to let me correspond with her. I've got to admit, her letters really helped me through some difficult times. War is hell."
Donna nodded and John went on.
"When I came back, I felt like I knew Thelma. I asked her to marry me and she agreed. We've been together for 28 years now."
"That is quite some time."
"How about your family, Donna?" John asked.
"My folks divorced when I was ten years old. I've lived with my mother since then."
"What about your father?"
Donna looked a bit uncomfortable. "Uh…well, I never saw my father again. He was in the army. He might still be."
Noticing Donna's discomfort, Sam turned the conversation to discussing the latest space mission. A bit later, Thelma and Katie joined the group and they pulled out a Scrabble game and played until it was time to go to bed. However there was time for the pumpkin pie as well which Donna lavished praise upon, indicating she'd never tasted a pie so good. About 10:00 p.m., Thelma, John, and Katie excused themselves and went upstairs to go to bed.
Sam asked Donna if she'd like some herbal tea before going to bed. She answered in the affirmative and Sam headed into the kitchen to put on the water. Donna followed him into the kitchen. They sat at the table. "I really enjoyed tonight, Sam. Thank you for inviting me."
Sam smiled. "You fit in well, Donna."
"It must be nice to have a little sister. I wish I'd had a sister. Or a brother even."
"I had both. Tom was older than me."
"Tom? Where is he?"
Sam's face clouded for a moment as he remembered the Thanksgiving three years before. God, I miss Tom! "He died in Vietnam in April of 1970."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sam. I didn't know."
"Um…I don't really talk about it a lot. Tom and I were close. I miss him."
"I've never had any siblings but I've seen friends who have. I'm sure it was hard."
The kettle sounded a whistle and Sam got up to pour the water into the mugs with the herbal teabags. "It was." He brought the mugs over to the table. "If Tom were still alive, I'd have gone to MIT instead of Purdue. That's what he wanted me to do."
"MIT?" Donna sounded intrigued.
"Yeah. I was offered a scholarship there. I decided to take the one at Purdue instead though so I could help dad with the farm." Sam took a sip of the tea.
"You had the opportunity to study at MIT and turned it down! Sam, I would have jumped at the chance to go there!"
"Well, I thought about it but decided my family was more important than some dream about observing time."
"I think it would have been a better choice to go to MIT, Sam."
"That's because you're a physics major, Donna."
"No, it's because I know you have a natural affinity for the subject. Just think what you may have accomplished."
"Well, what's past is past."
"I guess."
They continued to talk until they finished their tea. Then Sam walked with Donna back up the stairs. He gave her a light kiss and watched as she entered the room, yawning. He walked to his room and got ready for bed. He crawled between the covers and was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
XoXoXoXoXoXo
The next day was bright and clear. Sam still had to do chores, so Donna followed him about, asking questions about what he did. Sam was happy to explain it to her. After lunch, Sam asked Donna what she would like to do.
"What is there to do around here?"
"Well, we could go for a walk or go into town."
"What is there to do in town?"
"Um, well, we could go to a movie."
"What's playing?"
"What's Up Doc. It's a comedy. Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neill."
"I've already seen that. What else is playing?"
"Oh, that's it. Only one movie at a time." Sam was running out of Elk Ridge activities. "We could drive into Terre Haute. They have a bigger movie complex there."
"How far is that?"
"Oh, about 40 minutes or so."
"What's showing there?"
Sam checked the newspaper. "The musical Man of La Mancha has come out in a movie. Stars Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren. I wouldn't mind going to see that. We could go to dinner there as well."
"Yeah. That sounds good."
Sam called and made reservations for dinner. They decided that they'd go to the late afternoon show and then have dinner at a nice Italian place.
They arrived a bit early for the movie. As they sat in the theatre, awaiting the inevitable previews, Donna brought up the topic that Sam had so casually mentioned the night before.
"Sam, you said you were offered a full scholarship at MIT, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, if you'd gone there, wouldn't you have been able to hire someone to help your father on the farm. Like the hired hand you have now?"
"Well, I guess that would have been a possibility. But ultimately, if you're gonna farm, you need to be there. Ezra won't be around forever."
The lights dimmed and the screen lit up. The previews had started. Sam and Donna fell silent.
They both thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Sam was especially taken with the words to "The Quest" but was moved as well by the song "Dulcinea."
During dinner they continued to discuss the show and their upcoming plans for Christmas. Donna and her mother were going to Hawaii. Sam said he'd be back at home again. Sam broached the next day's activities. "I was thinking we could go up to Cecil Harden Lake. Maybe do a little hiking."
"That sounds nice Sam."
When they arrived back at the Beckett homestead, Sam mentioned to his mother the idea he had for going hiking. "You'll need something to eat. How about some turkey sandwiches and some apples?"
"That sounds nice, Mom."
She pulled out the old picnic basket and put it together. "Don't forget to pull the sandwiches out of the fridge tomorrow before."
"Okay."
Donna tried to stifle a yawn. Sam was concerned. "You look tired, Donna. Why don't you turn in? I think I'll do so myself."
"What time are you getting up, Sam."
"Donna, don't worry about that. I get up really early. You can certainly sleep late. You saw what I do every morning today anyway."
"Ok, Sam." They walked up the stairs together. Sam gave Donna a kiss before walking on down the hall to his room.
Right before he walked from the hallway into his room, he turned and saw her looking towards him. He smiled. "Goodnight, Donna."
She smiled back as well. "Goodnight, Sam."
XoXoXoXoXoXo
The next day, Donna took Sam's suggestion and slept late. When she went down to the kitchen to get some coffee, Sam was reading a book, Brigadoon. He was wearing a green sweater with a plaid shirt and jeans.
"Already finished with all those chores?"
"Oh yeah. Finished about two hours ago."
"What time did you get up?"
Sam thought for a moment. "I guess it was about five a.m."
Donna's eyebrows rose but she said nothing. She walked over to the window. "Did it rain?"
"A little. Just a sprinkle. Should still be okay for the hike. You still want to go?"
"Yeah. Let me go get ready."
"Okay. I'm just going to read this some more. I love this book. Have since the first time I read it."
Donna looked at him, confused. "You're reading it again? I thought you remember everything you read."
Sam looked at her and smiled. "I do. But with things I really like, I read them over again. It's like meeting an old friend."
Donna went back upstairs, showered and dressed. When she came down she was wearing a red wool sweater with a white cotton turtleneck beneath it, jeans, and hiking boots. She carried a light jacket with her as well. "Sam, I'm ready to go whenever you are."
"Let me get my hiking boots on and we'll leave." It took him a few minutes to put on his boots and afterwards he went to the hall closet and retrieved a rather substantial but sporty coat. Sam retrieved their sandwiches and apples and put them in the picnic basket his mother had packed. He took these out to the car, along with a thermos of hot tea which he had filled earlier. He came back into the house, scooped a small daypack he'd left by the door along with a Nalgene bottle of water. Now thoroughly outfitted, they headed out to Cecil Harden Lake, also known as Raccoon Lake.
When they reached their destination, they checked at the visitor's center and obtained a map of the area. Choosing a hiking trail, they drove to the trailhead. They left the picnic basket in the car and headed off down the trail. As they walked along the well trod path, there were times when they could see Raccoon Lake and other times that the curtain of trees obscured the water. They saw evidence of wildlife including deer, ducks, and Canadian geese. Finishing the loop, they headed back to the car, claiming a nearby picnic table where they could eat their lunch. Sam retrieved the picnic basket and carried it over to the table where Donna was sitting. Sam had started to take the sandwiches out of the basket when he noticed she was shivering.
"You're cold." It was said as a statement rather than a question. He'd seen the weather report and knew the high would only be about 45 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale today. The rain hadn't helped warm the day either.
"A little," she admitted.
"Here." He took off his coat and wrapped it around Donna.
"Now you'll be cold."
"I'm used to it here, Donna."
"Yeah, but you're also used to wearing a coat."
He couldn't argue with her there. "Well, we can always eat in the car."
"Okay."
He repacked the sandwiches and they headed to the car. He put the picnic basket on the back seat. After getting in, Sam noted that Donna was still shivering a bit. "Come here, let me hold you closer."
Donna snuggled into Sam. He felt so warm, like a personal heater. She pulled closer. He put his arm around her. As she looked up at him, he felt a stirring in his heart. He reached his hand to cup her head, pulling her lips towards his. She did not resist, but rather he felt her lips seeking his as well. Encouraged, he kissed her more passionately. He felt her lips open, inviting him to kiss her more deeply. He accepted that invitation.
As he kissed her, Sam removed the coat from Donna's shoulders. His hand reached down, gliding along her side, brushing up against her breast. Even through her clothing, Donna felt the gentleness of his touch. A slight moan issued from her; her kiss became more urgent. Sam broke away for a moment, looking into her eyes, a question in them asking her if she really wished to go on. He would never take from her what she wouldn't give freely. She didn't answer in words but instead pulled him closer to her. She hungrily kissed his face, his neck, and his lips.
His hand tentatively reached under her sweater. That was when Sam realized why Donna had gotten so cold. Her turtleneck was only a dickey. He'd thought she'd had on multiple layers but under her sweater she had only her bra. Sam's hand slipped beneath it. He could feel her nipple, hard beneath his fingers. As he massaged her breast his lips traveled down her neck and back up to her ear. He whispered to her, a deep huskiness present as he voiced his feelings. "I love you, Donna." She arched, providing greater access to her upper body, silently begging him to continue touching her. She moaned again. "Oh, Sam." Her voice was soft, and the sound drove him to distraction.
Although they had sought the car due to the chilliness outside, they both had become rather warm. They removed their sweaters. Donna's bra hooked in the front and he released the clasp, freeing her breasts from their constraint. They were taut and his lips sought them out, kissing them gently. He kissed each in turn, the tip of his tongue gliding upon them, encircling the hard nipples, savoring the taste of her. He kissed them again and then suddenly, he pulled away.
His eyes were closed and he seemed to be drawing from an inner source of strength. His neck muscles were tensed. "I think we'd better stop."
Donna was confused. "Why?"
Sam's eyes opened and he looked into Donna's, his soul streaming forth from their green depths. "Because if I don't stop now, I don't think I'd be able to later."
"What if I don't want you to stop?" she asked.
An almost pained sound left Sam's lips. He softly stated, "Donna, it wouldn't be right."
A slight pout was in Donna's voice as she asked. "Don't you want me, Sam?"
A sharp breath escaped him. "Want you, Donna? Oh God yes, I want you so bad it hurts. But it would be wrong to go on now. I can't do that to you." He said the words again, deep emotions flowing out in his voice. "I love you."
He reached down and handed her bra to her. She took it from him. Part of her was sorry that he'd stopped but another part of her was grateful. She didn't know if she would have been able to keep from going on. The pleasure she had been feeling had set her on fire. His lips and fingers gently touching her. She nodded.
As she continued to get dressed, she looked over to him. Sam was focusing inwardly. Donna knew he followed martial arts and she could see the meditative state in his demeanor. She understood that Sam was a man of great passion, but that he would never take advantage of another person's weakness. It was just not in his nature to do so.
After a few minutes, Sam opened his eyes. He gave her a slight lop sided grin. "How about those sandwiches? I'm ready for one."
"All right."
He turned and reached over the seat, opening the picnic basket and pulling out a couple of sandwiches and the apples. After handing one of each to her, he reached back again and brought the thermos up as well, along with two mugs. He poured out the liquid into the mugs and handed one to her. As they began to eat, Sam commented on the birds they had seen on the lake. Donna knew he was drawing further away from their encounter, attempting to insert a safe distance between them. She followed along. When they finished the food, Sam took all the sandwich wrappings and took them over to the trash. He got back in the car and leaned over, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Then he started the car and they drove back to the Beckett farmhouse, their conversation continuing on rather mundane things.
That night, Thelma had made a pot of chili and homemade cornbread. Donna again enjoyed the camaraderie of the Beckett's dinner table. It felt so comfortable. After dinner, she had packed her bags, knowing that as soon as church was over the next morning, she would need to head to the bus station. Her bus back to Lawrence left at noon.
She went to sleep thinking of the weekend's events. Sam had told her he loved her and she had no doubt that he did. She, on the other hand, was unsure of how she felt. Part of her wanted to be with Sam always and forever. Part of her was afraid to give her heart to him, to trust that he would cherish it and not break it one day. She knew she would have to think this through.
The next day, she'd accompanied the family to their church and Sam had taken her to the station to catch her bus. He had kissed her deeply again just before she boarded the bus. She could feel the passion in his kiss, the longing he had for her. As the bus pulled away she waved to Sam, blowing a kiss his way. He'd acted as if he'd caught it in his hand and then held that hand to his chest, as if saving her kiss in his heart. Donna had smiled.
As the bus left Elk Ridge in the distance, Donna closed her eyes, remembering the weekend. The final thing that stayed in her mind was the sound of Sam's voice as he sang the old hymns during the church service. His voice was beautiful, deep and baritone and there were times when she was sure that his notes hit the rafters of the church, soaring heavenward. It was a memory she knew she would treasure to the end of her days.