"So Sara, you play guitar?" Lorelai asked. She and Rory were seated on the couch while Sara was on the floor with her back to a chair. They'd ordered pizza and two large boxes now covered the coffee table.
Sara nodded. "Yeah. Music was always my escape when I was younger and when I was 12 a friend of mine..." she trailed off and her eyes got watery again. "Luke actually, he bought me a guitar and a book to teach myself."
"Really? Wow, so you've been playing for six years now?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, every night. I think I drove my foster parents insane, but they paid for lessons and bought me this guitar when I outgrew the one from Luke, so I guess they believed in me."
"I'm sure they did," Lorelai said as she stood up. "I need another Coke."
"Get me one to please mom," Rory said.
Lorelai nodded. "Sara, would you like one."
Sara smiled. "That would be great, thank you."
As she was headed towards the kitchen the phone rang. It was right beside her so Lorelai picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey Lorelai, it's Luke."
"Hey, are you ok?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You sound like you've just run the Boston Marathon."
"Listen, can I come over, I think I should tell you what's going on."
"No, I don't think that would be a very good idea.
"Why not? Is she there?"
"Yes. How about I talk to you tomorrow?"
"No, Lorelai please. Can you come here?"
"It's so late."
"Please. I'll put on a pot of coffee."
"OK, I'll be there shortly."
"Thanks Lorelai."
"Don't mention it."
Hanging up Lorelai turned towards the girls. "I need to go out for a while, will you to be alright?"
Sara nodded. "What's up mom?" Rory asked.
"Oh, um, Sookie needs me," she said as she went into the kitchen. Coming out she had a coke in each hand and her purse slung over her shoulder. Handing a soda to each of the girls she said, "Don't stay up too late, remember Sara needs to be at the Soda Shop at seven."
"We won't mom. Say hi to Sookie for me," Rory said.
"Huh?" Lorelai asked. "Oh, Sookie, yeah, I will. Bye."
As the door shut behind Lorelai Sara turned to Rory. "She's going to Luke's isn't she?"
Rory shrugged. "I don't know."
"She really didn't need to lie. I have nothing to hide, it's just hard to talk about," Sara said.
"Have you ever thought that talking about it might help?" Rory asked. Sara began to laugh. "What's so funny?" Rory asked.
"Luke said the exact same thing to me once," Sara told her. Standing and sitting on the chair she opened her Coke and looked over at Rory. "I met Luke when I was six years old. It was in New York City," she said, taking a sip of her pop.
"I was running up the sidewalk, away from my dad. He'd hit me, I can't remember why now. I was used to being hit by him, but this time was different. He seemed really angry like he wasn't going to stop hitting me. I fell down near Luke and started crying. He came over and did his best to comfort me. He took me inside and put a bandaid on my knee and called my grandmother. Then he sat with me and waited until she came to pick me up.
"He smiled when I began to sing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. Said I had a pretty voice. When my grandmother got there he told her what my father had done and waited for her to reassure him she'd take care of it. Only when she did did he let go of my hand. He gave me his phone number though, and said if I was ever in trouble to call him."
"So that's what you meant by saving your life?" Rory asked. "He saved you from your father?" Sara shook her head.
"No," she said. "Though grandma had told Luke she'd keep me away from my dad, she never did. My dad, though he'd still hit me, never got into that kind of a rage again. I practically forgot about Luke until I was twelve years old.
"I got my period when I was at my dad's, and when he found out he said it was time I became a woman." Sara paused and wiped tears away from where they'd fallen on her cheek. "He did some awful things to me that night, things I don't want to remember but just can't forget."
Rory moved to the edge of the couch nearest Sara and gently touched her hand so she looked up. "I am so sorry," she said. "If you don't want to continue I understand."
Sara forced a smile and shook her head. "It's ok. Anyways, when he was done what he was doing, I grabbed my box of treasures and ran away," Sara went on.
"It was this cigar box I'd found when I was little," Sara told her. "I found it when I was about five. I kept every thing important in it. Pictures of me and my grandma, letters I'd recieved from her on her trip to Florida once, things like that. I'd also started puting pills in it, any pill I could get my hands on.
"I went to my favourite spot down near the river that night and made up my mind to kill myself. When I opened the box to pull out the pills the first thing I grabbed was Luke's number. I just stared at it, and then I went over to the phone booth near by. I didn't think the number would still work even, but I had two quarters so I decided to try it.
"Sure enough, it didn't work," Sara said. "It did however give a new number for the owner, so I used my last quarter to call it. It was almost one in the morning so I knew if it was Luke, I'd be waking him up. When he answered I knew it was his voice right away. I didn't think he would remember me, but when I told him who I was he did. I told him what had happened and what I was doing. He said he was hours away, but he was going to get help for me. Just before I hung up he said 'baseball'. I was confused but he said it again and told me not to forget it.
"About twenty minutes later a police officer arrived. Being twelve, and alone in New York City I didn't want to trust anyone, even a cop. He knew my name though, and when he said baseball I realized he was the help Luke was going to send. I went with him to the police station.
"A couple of detectives asked me questions about what my dad did. A social worker came in and asked about my grandmother, and if I had any other family members. I heard her mention to the police that I would have to go to a foster home. I was so scared," Sara said, tears falling freely down her cheek. "About two hours after I arrived at the police station though, they brought Luke in. He'd left right after calling the police to come to me. He sat with me all through the night, gave me a shoulder to cry on and sleep on.
"When I woke up in the morning Luke was gone and I thought that I'd just been abandoned by someone else. He came back though. He'd gone and bought me the guitar and book I told you about. Said he remembered that I had such a pretty voice and thought I should know how to play guitar.
"When the social worker came and told me it was time to go Luke gave me his address and asked me to write him, to let him know how everything was going. He promised to write back, but he never did. Not once did I recieve a letter from him," Sara said, looking up at Rory. "I wrote him every week for over a year, and didn't recieve so much as a postcard."
"Luke doesn't seem like the letter type," Rory said. At the look on Sara's face she apologized. "I'm sorry, not a time to joke. Really though, I'm sure there's an explanation, maybe you should talk to Luke."
Sara shook her head. "What good would that be? My life is completely upside down now, even Luke can't help me. I just don't need anything else that could break my heart, it's been through enough."
Sara nodded. "Yeah. Music was always my escape when I was younger and when I was 12 a friend of mine..." she trailed off and her eyes got watery again. "Luke actually, he bought me a guitar and a book to teach myself."
"Really? Wow, so you've been playing for six years now?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah, every night. I think I drove my foster parents insane, but they paid for lessons and bought me this guitar when I outgrew the one from Luke, so I guess they believed in me."
"I'm sure they did," Lorelai said as she stood up. "I need another Coke."
"Get me one to please mom," Rory said.
Lorelai nodded. "Sara, would you like one."
Sara smiled. "That would be great, thank you."
As she was headed towards the kitchen the phone rang. It was right beside her so Lorelai picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hey Lorelai, it's Luke."
"Hey, are you ok?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"You sound like you've just run the Boston Marathon."
"Listen, can I come over, I think I should tell you what's going on."
"No, I don't think that would be a very good idea.
"Why not? Is she there?"
"Yes. How about I talk to you tomorrow?"
"No, Lorelai please. Can you come here?"
"It's so late."
"Please. I'll put on a pot of coffee."
"OK, I'll be there shortly."
"Thanks Lorelai."
"Don't mention it."
Hanging up Lorelai turned towards the girls. "I need to go out for a while, will you to be alright?"
Sara nodded. "What's up mom?" Rory asked.
"Oh, um, Sookie needs me," she said as she went into the kitchen. Coming out she had a coke in each hand and her purse slung over her shoulder. Handing a soda to each of the girls she said, "Don't stay up too late, remember Sara needs to be at the Soda Shop at seven."
"We won't mom. Say hi to Sookie for me," Rory said.
"Huh?" Lorelai asked. "Oh, Sookie, yeah, I will. Bye."
As the door shut behind Lorelai Sara turned to Rory. "She's going to Luke's isn't she?"
Rory shrugged. "I don't know."
"She really didn't need to lie. I have nothing to hide, it's just hard to talk about," Sara said.
"Have you ever thought that talking about it might help?" Rory asked. Sara began to laugh. "What's so funny?" Rory asked.
"Luke said the exact same thing to me once," Sara told her. Standing and sitting on the chair she opened her Coke and looked over at Rory. "I met Luke when I was six years old. It was in New York City," she said, taking a sip of her pop.
"I was running up the sidewalk, away from my dad. He'd hit me, I can't remember why now. I was used to being hit by him, but this time was different. He seemed really angry like he wasn't going to stop hitting me. I fell down near Luke and started crying. He came over and did his best to comfort me. He took me inside and put a bandaid on my knee and called my grandmother. Then he sat with me and waited until she came to pick me up.
"He smiled when I began to sing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. Said I had a pretty voice. When my grandmother got there he told her what my father had done and waited for her to reassure him she'd take care of it. Only when she did did he let go of my hand. He gave me his phone number though, and said if I was ever in trouble to call him."
"So that's what you meant by saving your life?" Rory asked. "He saved you from your father?" Sara shook her head.
"No," she said. "Though grandma had told Luke she'd keep me away from my dad, she never did. My dad, though he'd still hit me, never got into that kind of a rage again. I practically forgot about Luke until I was twelve years old.
"I got my period when I was at my dad's, and when he found out he said it was time I became a woman." Sara paused and wiped tears away from where they'd fallen on her cheek. "He did some awful things to me that night, things I don't want to remember but just can't forget."
Rory moved to the edge of the couch nearest Sara and gently touched her hand so she looked up. "I am so sorry," she said. "If you don't want to continue I understand."
Sara forced a smile and shook her head. "It's ok. Anyways, when he was done what he was doing, I grabbed my box of treasures and ran away," Sara went on.
"It was this cigar box I'd found when I was little," Sara told her. "I found it when I was about five. I kept every thing important in it. Pictures of me and my grandma, letters I'd recieved from her on her trip to Florida once, things like that. I'd also started puting pills in it, any pill I could get my hands on.
"I went to my favourite spot down near the river that night and made up my mind to kill myself. When I opened the box to pull out the pills the first thing I grabbed was Luke's number. I just stared at it, and then I went over to the phone booth near by. I didn't think the number would still work even, but I had two quarters so I decided to try it.
"Sure enough, it didn't work," Sara said. "It did however give a new number for the owner, so I used my last quarter to call it. It was almost one in the morning so I knew if it was Luke, I'd be waking him up. When he answered I knew it was his voice right away. I didn't think he would remember me, but when I told him who I was he did. I told him what had happened and what I was doing. He said he was hours away, but he was going to get help for me. Just before I hung up he said 'baseball'. I was confused but he said it again and told me not to forget it.
"About twenty minutes later a police officer arrived. Being twelve, and alone in New York City I didn't want to trust anyone, even a cop. He knew my name though, and when he said baseball I realized he was the help Luke was going to send. I went with him to the police station.
"A couple of detectives asked me questions about what my dad did. A social worker came in and asked about my grandmother, and if I had any other family members. I heard her mention to the police that I would have to go to a foster home. I was so scared," Sara said, tears falling freely down her cheek. "About two hours after I arrived at the police station though, they brought Luke in. He'd left right after calling the police to come to me. He sat with me all through the night, gave me a shoulder to cry on and sleep on.
"When I woke up in the morning Luke was gone and I thought that I'd just been abandoned by someone else. He came back though. He'd gone and bought me the guitar and book I told you about. Said he remembered that I had such a pretty voice and thought I should know how to play guitar.
"When the social worker came and told me it was time to go Luke gave me his address and asked me to write him, to let him know how everything was going. He promised to write back, but he never did. Not once did I recieve a letter from him," Sara said, looking up at Rory. "I wrote him every week for over a year, and didn't recieve so much as a postcard."
"Luke doesn't seem like the letter type," Rory said. At the look on Sara's face she apologized. "I'm sorry, not a time to joke. Really though, I'm sure there's an explanation, maybe you should talk to Luke."
Sara shook her head. "What good would that be? My life is completely upside down now, even Luke can't help me. I just don't need anything else that could break my heart, it's been through enough."
