Saturday morning found Jake at the Holy Cross and the charity carnival. Alex and Monica came out to support Jake as they'd promised they would. It was tense between them to say the lease. The tension was tight enough that after a few hours, Father Micheal pulled Jake into a private room and sat him down.
"Want to tell me what is going on Jake?"
"What makes you think something is?"
"You're not speaking to your two friends. You're snapping at some of the kids and the adults as well. Plus you look like you haven't slept at all. I know you better than you think Jake. So, tell me."
Jake looked up at the man he'd considered a father for so long. Without realizing it, tears had begun to slide down his cheeks as he related the story of the last week to Father Micheal. How he'd met Sasche and was just mesmerized by her looks and how Alex had set them up on a date that same night. When he got to the picnic dinner at her studio, he was oblivious to Father Micheal being in the room and just let it all go.
"I really did think I loved her. But if she can just slap me like she didn and then walk away from me after find out everything... I don't know what to do."
"Does it matter that she is the sister of your boss?"
"Of course it does. It means that no matter what I do, he's going to be watching over my shoulder, waiting for me to mess up with his sister. That's a kind of pressure I don't think exists yet."
"Is it because it's YOU she's dating, or do you think that he'd be like this with anyone else she dated."
"Sasche told me that Frank rather liked her previous boyfriend, encouraged their relationship. I can't imagine why he'd be supportive of ours."
Father Micheal sighed and sat back. Alex and Monica had been listening outside the door. They exchanged looks of complete guilt. If they'd told Jake and Sasche sooner, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
--
Across town Sasche was still in bed, hugging her pillow and sobbing hysterically. She'd spent all night in tears with no sleep at all. She knew Frank had tried to call, but she'd just left the phone off the hook after the first call. She was supposed to be at the flag football tournament with Jake... At the thought of Jake, she launched off into a fresh round of sobs. How could he have done that to her? He worked for her brother and hadn't even told her. That wasn't it and she knew it. Which is why she was sobbing at each thought of Jake.
She'd slapped him yesterday for something that wasn't his fault and he didn't even try to stop her. He just took it and let her go. Didn't that mean something? He hadn't even come to the studio or to her apartment last night to try and explain. He just left her alone. To make things worse, her wastebasket was overflowing with the soggy tissues from her sobbing, she was out of kleenex as of an hour ago and now she was out of toilet paper too.
Frank stood in the hallway, hand raised to knock on the door. He'd stood there for the last 15 minutes, trying to decide if he wanted to face her right now or not. He felt bad about the way he'd let Sasche in on the information about Jake. The renewed sound of her sobs from inside brought out a fresh wave of guilt in him.
He decided to bypass the traditional knocking and waiting for her to open the door... which he had a feeling she wouldn't do. Instead he pulled out his own key to her door and let himself in. Silently he made his way to her bedroom where she was huddled under the blankets and wrapped around her pillow. Carefully he picked his way through the tear soaked kleenexes and wads of tissue to sit down on the edge of her bed.
"Sasche..."
"G...go away Frank. You've done enough already."
"I'm sorry Renny." He reached down and picked her up, hugging her tight as he had when they were kids and she'd had her heart broken over something. Sasche just wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
****
"Want to tell me what is going on Jake?"
"What makes you think something is?"
"You're not speaking to your two friends. You're snapping at some of the kids and the adults as well. Plus you look like you haven't slept at all. I know you better than you think Jake. So, tell me."
Jake looked up at the man he'd considered a father for so long. Without realizing it, tears had begun to slide down his cheeks as he related the story of the last week to Father Micheal. How he'd met Sasche and was just mesmerized by her looks and how Alex had set them up on a date that same night. When he got to the picnic dinner at her studio, he was oblivious to Father Micheal being in the room and just let it all go.
"I really did think I loved her. But if she can just slap me like she didn and then walk away from me after find out everything... I don't know what to do."
"Does it matter that she is the sister of your boss?"
"Of course it does. It means that no matter what I do, he's going to be watching over my shoulder, waiting for me to mess up with his sister. That's a kind of pressure I don't think exists yet."
"Is it because it's YOU she's dating, or do you think that he'd be like this with anyone else she dated."
"Sasche told me that Frank rather liked her previous boyfriend, encouraged their relationship. I can't imagine why he'd be supportive of ours."
Father Micheal sighed and sat back. Alex and Monica had been listening outside the door. They exchanged looks of complete guilt. If they'd told Jake and Sasche sooner, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
--
Across town Sasche was still in bed, hugging her pillow and sobbing hysterically. She'd spent all night in tears with no sleep at all. She knew Frank had tried to call, but she'd just left the phone off the hook after the first call. She was supposed to be at the flag football tournament with Jake... At the thought of Jake, she launched off into a fresh round of sobs. How could he have done that to her? He worked for her brother and hadn't even told her. That wasn't it and she knew it. Which is why she was sobbing at each thought of Jake.
She'd slapped him yesterday for something that wasn't his fault and he didn't even try to stop her. He just took it and let her go. Didn't that mean something? He hadn't even come to the studio or to her apartment last night to try and explain. He just left her alone. To make things worse, her wastebasket was overflowing with the soggy tissues from her sobbing, she was out of kleenex as of an hour ago and now she was out of toilet paper too.
Frank stood in the hallway, hand raised to knock on the door. He'd stood there for the last 15 minutes, trying to decide if he wanted to face her right now or not. He felt bad about the way he'd let Sasche in on the information about Jake. The renewed sound of her sobs from inside brought out a fresh wave of guilt in him.
He decided to bypass the traditional knocking and waiting for her to open the door... which he had a feeling she wouldn't do. Instead he pulled out his own key to her door and let himself in. Silently he made his way to her bedroom where she was huddled under the blankets and wrapped around her pillow. Carefully he picked his way through the tear soaked kleenexes and wads of tissue to sit down on the edge of her bed.
"Sasche..."
"G...go away Frank. You've done enough already."
"I'm sorry Renny." He reached down and picked her up, hugging her tight as he had when they were kids and she'd had her heart broken over something. Sasche just wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
****