Ainsley heard someone knocking and she tiredly sat up. She glanced at the clock and saw it was 2:41 AM. Sighing, she got out of bed and padded down the hallway to her front door. She looked through the peephole and frowned, then opened the door.
"Hey." Sam mumbled.
"Sam, you're soaked." Ainsley pulled his jacket off and hung it in the closet.
"It's raining." he trudged over to the couch and stared at it, contemplating if he should sit down.
"I'm getting you dry clothes. Get out of those." Ainsley headed down the hallway to her bedroom and went through the dresser, grabbing some of Sam's clothes out of it. "What the hell did you do Sam? Stand out in the storm?"
"Yeah."
"I thought you were working late tonight."
"I was." Sam still spoke with the same flat tone, a dead look in his eyes. He wandered down to the bathroom and quickly changed. Ainsley was sitting on the couch, waiting for him.
"What's going on? Is everything okay?"
Sam just sat next to her, running his hands through his hair.
"Sam..."
"My uh... my mother called while I was working on the speech." he said quietly.
"Is she okay?"
"She..." Sam sighed as he stared at the floor and felt Ainsley's warm hand on his back. "My father was cheating on her."
"Oh Sam..."
"It's not even a new thing. It's been going on for twenty-eight years. We're not going out to California."
"Come here," Ainsley pulled Sam into her arms and he buried his face in her shoulder. "God honey, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." he muttered, his voice cracking. Ainsley held him tighter and kissed the top of his head. Sam clung to her as he cried into her shoulder. Ainsley let out a soft sigh and rubbed his back. Suddenly, Sam sat up and wiped his face. "I gotta go."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Sam, honey you can't drive like this."
"I didn't drive here. I walked."
"You're lucky that you don't have pneumonia!" Ainsley exclaimed. "Just come to bed."
"I... Ainsley, I can't stay here. I can't stay here with you."
"What? Sam, stop it. It's late and it's pouring out. You just need to sleep."
"No! No I don't!" he exclaimed, jumping off the couch. "I'll... I'll see you at work or something."
"Sam, hold on a minute. It's the end of February and you're in a t-shirt and sweat pants. Your clothes are soaked. Your jacket is soaked. You're going to get sick. Stay here."
"No."
"Fine! At least let me drive you back to your apartment!" Ainsley exclaimed. Sam saw the frustrated look in her eyes and relented.
"Fine." he muttered.
------------------TWW---------------
"You look like hell." Josh said, shutting Sam's door. "What's going on?"
"My father has a mistress." he replied. "For 28 years."
"Are you serious?"
"No."
"But... your parents... they were like... they were a match made in Heaven."
"That's what all of us thought." Sam muttered.
"How did your mom find out?"
"She wen to my dad's office to talk to him and she was there. Then she told him to leave."
"How's Sarah taking it?"
"I don't know. I haven't talked to her."
"Have you talked to anyone about this?" Josh asked.
"Ainsley for a couple of minutes." Sam replied, looking back at his laptop.
"Good. She'll keep you together."
"No."
"What?"
"I broke up with her last night."
"What?"
"I was at her apartment and I told her, then she drove me home and before I left the car I told her I needed time away from her." Sam explained.
"Sam, this is not a good thing."
"I'm not hurting her."
"Why would you hurt her?" Josh asked. "Oh Jesus Sam, don't play this 'I'm my father' game."
"I'm not. I need time to clear my head."
"Bull shit! Last week you were bouncing off the walls that you were going to propose and now you 'need time to clear your head?'"
"Stay out of it Josh."
He shook his head and stood up.
"I'll see you later." he muttered, walking out. Sam sighed and dropped his head into his hands.
---------------------TWW------------------
"I thought you were bringing that girl to meet me."
"I don't know Mom." Sam cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he went into the refrigerator. He saw a plate covered in tinfoil and pulled it out. There was a blue post-it on top and Sam read Ainsley's loopy handwriting.
Sam, heat this for three minutes. Do it. You need to eat a real meal for a change. Love you. Sam let out a sigh as he read it and stuck the plate in the microwave.
"You sounded so enthused about her a couple of days ago. Sam, just because this thing with your father and me is going on doesn't mean I don't want to meet the mother of my future grandchildren."
"Mom, stop."
"Sammy, what's going on?"
"Nothing. We're just... taking a break." he replied.
"Is she kind?"
"Yeah."
"Is she caring?"
"Yeah."
"Is she beautiful?"
"Gorgeous."
"Does she love you?"
"Yeah."
"Is she everything you would want in a woman?"
"A whole lot more."
"Then why are you on a break?"
"I... things happened."
"Your father happened. Samuel, listen to me."
He rolled his eyes and leaned against his counter.
"I'm listening."
"Your father is an idiot. You are nothing like him. You have something good. Don't blow this."
"We're just taking some time away from each other."
"Sam, she's not going to wait around forever for you to come to your senses."
"I know that Mom. I just... I don't want to hurt her. I don't know anymore."
"Sam, stop."
"You and Dad always seemed so happy!"
"And we were sweetie. It's just, things change."
"Well me and Ainsley changed."
"No. You pushed her away because you're afraid of turning out like your father and me."
"No."
"Don't lie to me Sam. Do you love her?"
"More than anything."
"Then why would you not want to be with her?"
"I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to be with her and then our marriage fail. I don't want... I just don't want to be the reason for her problems."
"Sam, you're not your father. Our marriage... it's not a good example. Just because we looked perfect on the outside and to the public doesn't mean that we were really like that. We didn't work hard enough at our marriage. That's why it failed."
"He cheated on you for twenty-eight years."
"I understand that. We stayed together for you and Sarah. I honestly never knew about this other woman. I knew we weren't happy and I was wrong for not trying to get out of it. Now you and Ainsley seem like the perfect couple. Does it feel right when you're around her?"
"Yeah."
"Then why the hell are you still sitting here talking to me? Go talk to her."
"I can't."
"Ugh! You're a stubborn man! You know that Samuel?"
"Yes Mom."
"I want you to call me back tomorrow and if you two aren't together then so help me God I will come out there and whip you back into shape."
"I'll call you tomorrow. I love you Mom."
"I love you too Sam. Bye." the phone clicked and Sam hung the phone up. He wasn't ready to talk to her yet.