The Road Not Taken

Chapter 27

June 10, 1974

The past four days had been surreal. In many ways, they were the family they'd always been, but in others, the fabric was fraying badly.

They'd convinced Katie to talk with a counselor and had discussed taking out a restraining order although she was still unwilling to press charges. Her lip was healing and her eye had taken on the greenish tint of a healing wound.

Sam was feeling confident that things were progressing well. Katie seemed to be returning to the sister he remembered when he'd left for college. They'd spent much of the last four days sitting on the porch swing and just talking, Sam of school and Katie of her thoughts and feelings. For the first few days she wouldn't talk about the situation with her husband. Eventually, she began to open up and explain why she'd started dating Chuck

Sam found it hard to hear Katie tell him that she'd always figured that when Sam was born; all the brains that were left in the Beckett gene pool had gone to him. Tom got his share and then Sam took the rest. She said that by the time she came along, there was nothing left.

When Chuck entered her life, she was in her sophomore year in high school and was bringing home B's and C's with a sprinkling of D's. She'd even flunked Spanish. Mom and Dad had encouraged her do better, telling her that she was a smart girl but she didn't believe they were right. She really tried, but no matter how much studying she did, it just never seemed to make a difference. She knew that Mom and Dad must be comparing her progress to Tom's and Sam's and she just couldn't win that game.

Then Chuck had told her that he wasn't interested in her brain. He was interested in her. He told her he loved her bubbling personality, that he'd never seen a more beautiful woman, and that he loved her for who she was. He was older too, about Sam's age, so it pleased her that he'd been interested in such a mental slug.

Tears came to Sam's eyes as he heard her speak. Had he been that blind to his sister's pain? He'd always seen her as so upbeat, so together. He'd been in awe of her ability to make friends as soon as she met someone. Katie didn't have a shy bone in her body. He didn't get her put down of her academic ability either. While she didn't always do as well on tests and such, she was no slouch on the comprehension of material. She was like his first year roommate, Pete, in that way. She'd know the material cold going into a test, but then her own anxiety would make her second guess her answers. Sam had helped Pete by showing him how martial arts training could help him slow down his thought process and choose the best answers or compose an essay on the fly. Katie just needed that lesson too. This summer would be a good time to teach her those skills.

Sam reached over and hugged Katie tightly. "I'm sorry. I should have been a better big brother. I just didn't know."

"That's okay, Sam," she said hugging him back. "I love you being my brother."

"Well, now that you're on your way again, things will be better. Katie, you're a lot smarter than you think you are. Believe me, you weren't shortchanged on brains. Yours just works a little differently then mine and Tom's and that's okay." Sam looked into Katie's eyes. "I'll be here this summer. I can help you with techniques that will help you in school and when I go back to Purdue, you can call me at school if there's anything you need - even if it's just to talk. I'm here for you Sis. I'll always be here for you when you need me." He kissed her forehead and gave her another hug.

Katie returned this hug as well. She asked if he could bring his guitar out on the porch. She'd missed hearing him play. He retrieved it from his room and they sat out on the porch swing singing until they were called into dinner.

Both cleaned up and then headed to the dinner table. His mother had made all of Katie's favorites, ginger beef over rice and snow peas. Katie had once told him that that meal seemed so exotic.

Sam thought about that as he looked at the food on the table before bowing his head as his father said grace. He realized that all Katie had ever known was the area of Indiana that she'd grown up in. Her sole experience away was when she'd gone to New York to hear him play at Carnegie Hall. Sam made a decision. He had the summer off. He'd planned to work the farm but he figured that Katie was more important. She needed to be shown how special and wonderful she was. He decided to take her to the beach. He wasn't sure where yet, but he could plan that and surprise her in July. That would give them all a little time to get this horrible situation under control.

His head came up as the grace was finished.

"Ezra says that the corn's coming up nicely," said his father, picking up a the bowl of rice and dishing a serving on his plate.

"Yeah," said Sam taking a sip of milk. "I was out in the fields earlier today. If we get enough rain this summer, I'm sure it's going to be a real bumper crop. I'm going to help him with the weeding tomorrow."

John nodded. "That's good, son." He turned to Katie, smiling. "Your mother is planning to put up some strawberry jam tomorrow. I'd sure like to taste some that had my little girls name on it."

Katie stopped buttering her roll. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad. I'm a woman. A married woman."

John looked over to Thelma. "I know you've grown up Katie. That you're not really little anymore. I just meant that you'll always be my little girl."

His daughter sighed. "I know that daddy. It just that…"

Thelma chimed in. "Katie. I know you think you're totally grown up but you're still only seventeen. You have your whole life ahead of you. You've got to give it time."

Sam decided that maybe holding his idea as a surprise might not be the best plan. "Um. Yeah. You're probably just tired of seeing the same old stuff. How'd you like to go on a little vacation, Sis? Just you and me. I was thinking the beach but you can decide."

Katie's eyes lit up. "Could we go to the mountains? I love those songs that John Denver is always singing about Colorado. I think I'd like to see those 'cathedral mountains.'"

Sam nodded slowly. "Yeah. We could go to Colorado. It would certainly be cooler than the beach in July."

Thelma looked over to John smiling. "Looks like we may have the house to ourselves again for awhile."

Sam gave his mother a wry grin. "You saying you want to get rid of us?"

With a small laugh, she shook her head. "Not at all. It sounds like a lovely trip. I think it will do both of you a world of good."

They continued to talk about plans for the summer. By the time they went to bed, things in the house seemed more normal than they had for sometime.