Dear Luke,
Thank you for caring so much about Sara. However, it does not
look very good to have a man in his thirties writing letters to a young
girl, as I am sure you can agree. This package has all the letters you
have sent to Sara. Please do not send anymore. Her life here is good, she
does not need your help anymore.
Sincerely,
Darlene & James Helms


Sara looked up when she'd finished reading the letter. Reaching into the box in front of her she pulled out a handfull of envelopes. "You really did write," she whispered. Luke nodded.
"I'm not much of a letter writer," he said. "But I always keep my promises."
Skimming over some of the letters, Sara looked up. "They really weren't that bad."
"What?" Luke asked.
"Darlene and James," she said. "They were good people, but they wanted everything to be proper."
Luke nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," he said. "I was worried when I realized you hadn't gotten any of my letters."
Sara smiled. "But you kept writing," she said, looking at the date on the letter in her hand. Luke shrugged.
"Never stopped," he told her. "I just stopped sending them. I hoped I could give them to you one day."
Sara sighed as she put the letters back into the box. "What's wrong?" Luke asked. She looked up.
"I'm just trying to understand my life," she said quietly. "It seems everyone in my life hurts me. Then there was you," she said smiling and wiping a tear away. "You were the one person who managed to make me smile, even when you weren't around."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"When ever I wrote you a letter about what was happening in my life I was always happy," Sara told him. "I guess it's what some girls feel writing in a diary or journal.
"But look at my life now," Sara continued. "Everything is a mess. I can't stay in one place, I struggle to make ends meet, I seem to hook up with guys who are just like my father." Luke looked up.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Any guy I get involved with always takes advantage of me," Sara told him. "They're controlling, or abusive, whatever. I've never been with a good guy."
"Rory said you were arguing with you boyfriend yesterday," Luke said.
Sara nodded. "Yeah, I was. Jason and I only met about a month ago, not quite enough time to know if he'll be like the rest. There's always a honeymoon type period, and then I do something that pisses the guy off," Sara explained.
Luke shook his head. "Sara, no one should treat you like that."
"I know Luke," Sara assured him. "I always find the assholes, but I always get out of the relationships to. I never give a guy a second chance like I did my father... on hit and I'm out."
Luke looked at Sara for a moment. "I'm glad to hear that, but there has to be a reason why you always choose bad guys to begin with."
Sara laughed. "I'm sure there is," she told him. "That's why I'm studying psychology."
"Psychology? Really?" Luke asked. "I figured you would have gone into music."
Sara shrugged. "Music is my life, it's the only thing that has always been there for me," she told him. "I just don't want anyone telling me what I should and shouldn't sing and play, that's why I quit guitar lessons a couple years ago."
Luke nodded. "I can understand what you're saying, you want to remain who are. I respect that."
Sara smiled. "Thanks," she said. "I should be getting back to school." Luke nodded and stood up.
"Oh, ok," he said. "You um, you'll come back right?"
Sara nodded. "Of course, but it might be a while," she told him.
Luke nodded slowly. "Alright," he slowly said. Sara put her hand on his arm.
"Luke, I will come back," Sara said. "I just don't think I'll have money for the bus for a while. Here though," she said reaching towards the cash register for a pen. "My number, feel free to call and catch up." Luke smiled and took the piece of paper. He then ripped the paper in two and taking the pen wrote on the piece without her number. He handed it back to her.
"That's my numbers," he said. "First one is my personal number, second is the number at my other place, and the third is the diner here. You'll probably usually catch me at the last one."
Sara smiled. "Thanks Luke."