Chapter 38

"AJ, I can't think of putting my heart ahead of my son's needs right now if you could just give me…" Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she continued, "I'll try not to burden you with my problems anymore."

"Tami, you're not a burden to me, if you need me call."

"Thank you, AJ," she said with a catch in her voice turned and walked sadly away.

AJ finished his run in solitude making a mental note to start running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so he and Tami would not met on the trails.

Tami got home and found that Pork Chop, the potbellied pig, had made a mess. She had put a roast on in the crock-pot the night before for lunch that day and Pork Chop smelling the roast cooking had pulled on the cord and yanked the crock-pot off the counter, breaking it. He was eating the roast when Tami came in. She just sat down on the floor and began to cry, this was just the last straw.

Sheena came into the room wanting breakfast and saw her mom sitting on the floor crying, "Mom what happened?"

"Everything," Tami cried. "Look at the mess this pig has made! Andrew's in the hospital and AJ has just informed me that he doesn't want to go running with me any longer."

"You're not going to be running with Coach Chegwidden anymore?"

"No, he doesn't want to wait until you children are ready for me to start dating again."

"Oh, mom, you can start dating now if you want."

"Sheena Renee, what brought about this change of heart?" asked Tami.

"Well, after we got home last night, I got a phone call from Donnie Hunt, and he asked me to the Spring Fling dance. I was going to tell you, but you were already asleep. Mom, I just have to have the hottest dress! He's a football player, mom. He's the captain of the junior varsity squad. He's so cool and dreamy. Please say I can have a hot dress?"

"Sheena, I just can't think about that right now, you go to school, and we'll talk when you get home."

"You don't need me to clean up that mess do you mom?" she asked turning up her nose.

Seeing that Pork Chop had done a pretty good job of that himself she sighed, "No, Sheena, go to school I'll do it."

Saturday, April 2, 2005

0700 EST

Tami's home

McLean Virginia

The day dawned bright and clear. Tami woke at her usual time and jumped out of bed. She started to reach for her jogging clothes before she remembered that AJ didn't want to run with her anymore. Depression hit her like a wet blanket.

Clutching her running clothes to her, she sank to the bed and cried. Thursday and Friday, it seemed, had been filled with one emergency after another at the clinic. The evenings had been filled with her visits to Andrew who had taken up her attention with the progress he was making in physical therapy. Now, it just hit her how much she truly missed AJ. With that she realized that she was in love with him.

She sat on the bed crying as she thought of losing her chance with the man she loved. Laying her running clothes aside she decided she was just too depressed to go running today. She would start running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday's from now on.

The rest of the day simply dragged by. When she had a moment to think about it, Tami felt like she would never be happy again.

Sunday arrived and Sheena, who was usually up at the crack of noon on the weekends, was up bright and early today, because it was the day Tami had promised her they would go dress shopping.

After going into several stores and Tami choosing several dresses for Sheena and getting the same answer to all. "But mom that will make me look too young, I am sixteen now you know."

"Yes, darling, but these dresses are perfectly nice."

"I don't want perfectly nice, I want something hot."

"I get the final say on what is hot and what is not," frowned Tami.

To be continued…