The Dating Chronicles – The Visit

The Dating Chronicles

The Visit

Sarah had heard it.  But she didn’t want to.  She had entered the room silently to surprise her fiance Todd for his birthday and he was on the phone.  He had been in the hospital a week now with a broken hip, and she had charmed the nurses into letting her come in to decorate his room before visiting hours.  It was like her to always be stretching her day to do something that she thought would please him.  They had been engaged for two months and the wedding was only three weeks away.

He sat on the edge of the bed in the silk robe she had bought him, with his back turned to the door.  He chuckled low into the phone as he twirled the telephone cord through his fingers.  His words slammed against her heart like a thrown brick.  “But I do love you, Angela.  I’ll always love you.  But I don’t want to hurt Sarah.”

As she stood there, a tear fought for the privilege to run down her cheek.  But she battled its insistence and won.  She had sworn that she would never shed another tear over what she had come to call the thorn in her side.

Angela had been on the sidelines since Todd had left her two years before.  Her phone calls and letters had plagued their relationship.  Now with Todd’s words stuck like a knife in her heart, she moved to slip back out the door, throwing decorations in the trash as she reached for the knob.

Todd turned at the sound and hung up the phone without saying goodbye.  He screamed and tried to stand, “Sarah! Don’t leave!”

He was scared and trembling, “Sarah, don’t leave.”  His voice breaking as he ambled toward her.

“I don’t know what you heard.  But I assure you, Angela means nothing to me.” He reached for her hand and pulled her close to sit on the bed.  His mind raced as he looked into her eyes and saw the pain of her discovery.  Angela’s name had long been taboo and he knew that the only thing that would suffice and perhaps avoid disaster was the truth.

“Sarah, Angela wants to come to the wedding and has been calling me trying to convince me that I should allow her to come.  But I’ve told her that I didn’t think it would be wise for her to be in the audience, because it might upset you.”

Todd stared into her eyes waiting for a response.  Sarah stared back.  “Why did you tell her you loved her?” she asked in a quivering voice. 

He swallowed hard.  He was now being tested severely by the truth.  He took a deep breath.  He did love Angela, but he loved Sarah more.

“I’ll always love Angela as a person.  But you are the love of my life and the woman I’m going to marry.  Please don’t let this incident come between us.  I was just trying to console her.”

Sarah looked into his eyes and smiled.  Without a word, she rose walked across the room, and stooped to take the party decorations out of the trash can.

She gathered them under her arm and walked out of the door.  Angela had come between them for the last time.  She paused at the doorway and hung the “Happy Birthday” banner on the knob as she closed the door behind her.  She never saw Todd again.