Sarah and Kevin 47

The music festival was fading into memory. They were playing gigs regularly and had gotten a couple of bigger venues lined up. They were even at the point now where they could pay a little rent and still have money for the band.

Sarah was at her desk writing one Thursday afternoon when she heard yelling and howling coming from the first floor. It sounded happy, so she didn't worry about it. Then all of a sudden she heard several sets of feet thundering up the stairs accompanied by laughter. She spun around in her chair so she was facing the little hallway off the stairs.

Kevin rushed in wild eyed and pulled her out of her chair. He hugged her hard and then lifted her up and spun her around. He was laughing the entire time. Soon she was in the middle of a maelstrom of hugs, kisses and laughter as her musicians clustered around her.

"What's going on?" She cried while trying to catch her breath between kisses.

"Next week we're meeting with a rep from Sondi Recording Studio!" Scott told her. "They heard us play at the festival."

Sarah squealed and clapped her hands. "Where are you going to meet them?"

"They're flying us out to California." Peter smiled.

Sarah felt her heart sink. "California! How cool!" she said. She gritted her teeth to force herself to keep smiling as they told her about the trip and what they were going to do when they got there.

"So, if all goes well, will you be going out there to record?" she asked.

"Probably. Unless they have an affiliate in Chicago." Scott said.

"I'm so glad for you guys." she said and hugged Kevin hard, hiding her face in his chest. Kevin wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey, do you guys want to go out for Chinese tonight? I'll buy." Sarah offered.

They all agreed. "OK. I'll call to see if we need reservations." She walked into her bedroom and closed the door.

***

After dinner, Peter and Sarah went to the AA meeting while the others drove home. Sarah sat in the truck and cried for the duration of the meeting. She had hoped this day would come, but now that it was here, she was miserable. She would not stand in Kevin's way, but the thought of losing him was breaking her heart.

By the time Peter got into the truck, she was a mess. Her eyes were swollen and her nose was bright red.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Peter asked when he got into the truck. Sarah just shook her head and started the engine. Peter grabbed her hand before she could put the vehicle into reverse.

"C'mon. You've been crying. Tell me what's wrong." He said quietly. Sarah disengaged her hand, grabbed a couple more tissues from the box and started crying again.

"Kevin's leaving," she wailed. Peter scooted over on the seat and put his arm around her. She laid her head down on his chest.

"You really love him, don't you?" Peter said, almost sadly.

She nodded and sobbed harder.. Peter held her until she stopped crying.

Finally, she was able to catch her breath. She sat up and wiped her face.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's OK." he said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Promise you won't tell him I was crying."

"Don't you think he'll be able to tell?" Peter asked.

"Not if I stop now." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'll look normal by the time you're done practicing. Promise?"

"OK. I promise." Peter said and shifted over into his own seat.

Sarah put the truck in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.

***

The rest of the week was a nightmare. Sarah found herself fighting back tears almost constantly. She reserved her crying for when he wasn't around. The few times he caught her looking bad, she tried explaining it away by saying she had a cold. He frowned at her, but didn't push it.

The first day he was in California, she cried all day. The second day, she cried and brought all his belongings back to his room. On the third day, she cried and wrote him a "Dear John" letter, and taped it to her door.