Sarah picked up Toby from David's house around 4 o'clock. The two boys were hell-bent to have a sleepover, and since Mrs. Galway didn't mind, Sarah said ok.
"We've just got to go get you some clothes, kiddo, and you can pick right back up where you two left off." Toby pulled off the blanket he was using as a cape and ran to get his bookbag.
"You're sure you don't mind?" Sarah asked again.
"Not at all, Toby's always well-behaved." Mrs. Galway watched the two little boys high-five each other and smiled. "Besides, you need the time off. Are you still seeing that boy, Jeremy?"
"Yeah, we're going out tonight actually." Sarah smiled in spite of herself. Jeremy had mentioned he had something important to discuss with her and they were going to her favorite restaurant.
"You two have been together for a while now, haven't you?"
Sarah nodded. "Three years now."
"Hmm, pretty serious. Well, don't settle down too quickly, you're still young." Mrs. Galway shook her finger at Sarah, but it wasn't serious. She always seemed relieved when Sarah talked about Jeremy, as if it reassured her that she was still living a semi-normal life.
Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "Oh don't worry, I'm finishing school first."
"Yes, and how's that going?" Mrs. Galway asked.
"My grades are good, and with any luck I'll graduate next year," she said.
"That's awfully fast, isn't it? It's only been two years."
"I know, but I want to finish as soon as possible, you know? I just…I guess I want to be more available for Toby. I figure if I work hard now and get school out of the way I can focus my attention on him that much faster." It had been a hard decision for her to go back to college the semester following the accident. Had it not been for the encouragement of her counselor and Mrs. Galway she probably would have become one of those soccer moms who bake cookies and clean the bathroom while waiting for Toby to get out of school. She knew in the long run it was better she get her education, but she was always careful her schedule didn't affect Toby too much. As it was now, he probably preferred David's company to hers anyway.
Toby chattered about the game he and David invented for most of the ride home. The rules seemed a little complicated to Sarah, but they stuck the logic of a 6 year-old, so she didn't question him on it. She did, however, change the subject.
"So how was your first day at school?" she asked, hoping to distract him.
"It was fun! Mrs. Griffin said we could choose our own projects, so I'm making a storybook, just like you." Toby grinned, flashing white teeth that weren't quite straight.
"Wow, that's great Toby! But you know, I haven't written a book yet."
"You will. I know you will. And then I'll buy them and show all my friends." He said it with such sincerity she reached over and ruffled his blond curls before turning her eyes back to the road.
"Thanks kiddo. So what's your story going to be about?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe I'll write it about Bounderball."
"What?" she asked.
"The game, Sarah. Weren't you listening?" he folded his arms over his chest, awaiting an answer with all the seriousness a 6 year-old can muster.
"Oh, of course. Sorry." She pulled into their driveway and grabbed her purse. "Let's get you packed."
She picked up the mail from the floor when they walked in. Mail slots had always bothered her after she'd seen a movie where a stalker had watched some girl through the mail slot. She flipped through the few letters and settled on the business-class envelope at the bottom of the pile. She knew what it was; she'd received a similar letter every month since the accident. The first time she'd received one, with an accompanying letter explaining the circumstances, she'd almost ripped it up. She didn't want anything from Richard Jones III. He had been wealthy enough to escape charges of manslaughter for the accident that killed her parents but every month his law firm sent her a five-figure check. Sarah saw it as blood money. She put half of it in a savings account for Toby until he was old enough to decide what he wanted to do with it, and her half she gave to M.A.D.
She tossed the rest of the mail on a nearby end table and hid her discomfort as Toby came bounding back from his room with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder.
"You ready?" she asked.
"Yep. Thanks for letting me spend the night at David's, Sarah. And I hope you have fun on your date." He pronounced "date" like a 3-syllable word, drawling it out until Sarah shoved him towards the car.
