Monday morning he walked into the office to find three of his co-workers whispering around his desk. It reminded him, for a minute, of the gangs in prison grouped together in the yard. When they saw him however, the illusion was broken. The look in their eyes was not the same as those of the inmates he remembered.
The three around his desk scattered. Ok, he thought. Usually the three co-workers in question avoided his desk like the plague choosing to only have interaction with him when they must. However, when he reached his desk he saw why they'd been hovering. There was a white envelope on his desk. He took his jacket off and placed it on the back of his chair. Sitting down he picked up the envelope and flipped it over. It was sealed and had no writing it except for his name. He had no idea what it could be.
Matt, one of the few that spoke to him at the office without him speaking to them first, cautiously approached him. "Good morning, Michael."
"Good morning." Michael smiled.
"Don't pay any attention to them. They're just curious to see if you're coming."
"Coming?" Michael was confused. Coming to what?
Matt wasn't sure he should say anything. Michael seemed nice enough and he sure knew his stuff but… well he still didn't want to make him mad. Just in case. But as Michael continued to watch him, it was clear he was waiting for an answer. "To the barbeque." Michael still looked confused. "That's what the invitation is for. Every fall John hosts a kind of end of season barbeque at his house and invites all of us. Wives and girlfriends come. It's usually pretty fun."
Michael flipped the invitation over again in his hands. He used to be able to do this. Socialize. Sara would want to go. He knew she would. The question was did he? A part of him did, but what about his co-workers? The ones who'd been hovering. Would they want him there? Probably not.
John would though. His boss had passed him in the hall on Thursday and had commented on how great it had been to meet Sara. How nice she seemed. And after talking to Sara, she seemed to like his boss well enough. He didn't know why he was even thinking about this. Of course they would go. Sara was right. He needed to stop living in the past and start focusing on the future. And this firm was part of his future.
Michael opened the envelope and pulled out the invitation. It was printed on thick white paper with raised black lettering. They were very formal invitations for a barbeque.
He hadn't realized Matt was still standing beside his desk until he heard him ask, "So are going to go?
Michael set the invitation down on the corner of his desk and picked up the file of his latest project. Turning to acknowledge is fellow associate, "Yeah," he smiled. "I think we will." The whispering behind him stopped which made his smile widen. This could be interesting he thought.
~
Michael got into his car. He'd just left his parole officer and as usually it hadn't exactly been the highlight of his day. John was great about letting him leave an hour early every Monday, but Michael hated missing work. Especially to go meet with a grumpy old man who clearly didn't like his job.
Today Michael had told Mr. Sonksen about his new living arrangements. His parole officer had just lifted his eye brow, made a note, and instructed Michael he would call him to set up a time to drop by for a home visit. Until the words had been spoken Michael had almost forgot there had to be a home visit.
Mr. Sonksen had to make sure he was living where he said he was. It would be yet something else Sara would have to endure for him. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad this time with her there. The first time had been harsh. He'd just moved in and their wasn't much in the way of furniture except a bed and a couch. He'd been made to explain where and when he would be getting furniture and how he planned on purchasing it.
The good news was he'd managed to get out of his meeting on time. Sara was working until seven again tonight so only an empty apartment waited for him. He decided this would be a perfect opportunity to surprise her at work as she'd done to him last week. Smiling, he drove off to find the nearest Starbucks.
~
Sara saw him first. She'd been at the nurse's station looking over a patient's chart. He was striding down the hall in his suit with two Starbucks cups in hand. Sara felt a flutter in her stomach. The sight of him always did that to her, even in Fox River.
The moment he saw her, his face lit up and a full smile bloomed. She set the chart down as he closed the distance between them.
He held a cup out for her. "I got done earlier than expected and thought you might like something more than hospital coffee."
As Sara took the cup from him, her fingers brushed his. The memory of his hands on her the previous night came fluttering back. It amazed her that such a small touch from him still had that effect on her. She brought the cup up to her mouth for a sip. "Mmm. Thank you."
"Do you have a few minutes or…"
"No, I have a time. In fact I was just getting ready to take a break." She motioned for him to follow her and headed for the break room at the end of the hall. They entered the room to find Mary already there.
Mary had seen her friend enter with a man following right behind her. After greeting her friend, Mary was wondering who this man was. Then she saw Sara look up at him just before sitting down. The emotions behind such a simple look were unmistakable. So this was Michael. Mary had seen the mug shot of him but seeing him live and in person, it didn't do him justice. Not by a long shot. Michael sat down and Mary finally found her voice and stretched out her hand, "You must be Michael."
Michael took the offered hand and put two and two together, "And you must be Mary."
Mary smiled, "Well I see it isn't only you she talks about."
Michael returned the smile. He'd liked this woman before for being so good to Sara but now he found himself liking her even more. "Sara talks about a lot of things. I assure you, you are only one of many topics of discussion."
Mary laughed, "Well that's good to know." Mary figured she should give these two lovebirds some privacy and stood to go, "I should probably get back. It was very nice to meet you Michael."
"Same here." Both he and Sara watched Mary exit the room.
Sara was very excited about this visit from Michael. She'd been having a pretty rough day and his visit was just what she needed to brighten her mood. Sara took another sip of her coffee, "So how did things go today?"
With his parole officer was an understood part of the question. Even though they'd spent all Saturday moving his things, they knew everything rode on the outcome of his meeting today. "We're good." Michael paused before he added, "He has to come by for a home visit though. You know, to make sure I'm really living there," he rushed to say.
Taking another sip, she heard the anxious inflection in his voice. "It's fine Michael. I remember you having to have a home inspection the last time. You are living there, so there shouldn't be a problem. Right?" He just nodded.
They drank their coffee and talked for a few more minutes.
Sara looked down at her watch and realized it was time to get back. Reluctantly she got up and put her empty cup in the trash. He followed. When he turned back to face her she noticed Michael had that look on his face again. The one she knew he got when he wanted to say something but wasn't quite sure how.
She knew she had to get back but decided to try and wait him out. Luckily she didn't have to wait long. "Sara there's one other thing I wanted to tell you about. My boss, John, is having a barbeque next Saturday. Some sort of end of the season thing he does every year." He paused, "I thought we should go."
Sara smiled, she was so proud of him. Even to herself it sounded silly to be proud over something so simple yet for Michael it wasn't. He'd had no one expect his family for the last two years. For Michael, this was a big step. "I think that's a great idea." Sara reached down and placed her hand in his, interlacing their fingers. They walked out into the hall. Without relinquishing his hand, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. "I'll see you at home."
Michael gave her hand a finally squeeze before releasing it and watched her walk away.