A Train ride to - love - Epilogue, a short story by angie65. Date added: 2012-08-13. Times viewed: 3144.
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Copyright2012©angie65
A Train ride to - love
Epilogue
(By request)
“Are you feeling nervous?” Maggie asked brightly as she stood behind Sarah and looked at her through the mirror.
Sarah smiled at her placidly. “No... not at all... you?”
Maggie couldn’t help but envy her friend’s calm demeanour. “What have I got to be nervous about?” she shrugged her shoulders dismissively.
“Well... Pete’s back in town – or so I’ve heard...”
“Yes... although I can’t think where you might have heard it?” her tone came out accusing but she just knew that she wasn’t fooling Sarah.
“And I’ve also heard that he’s given you an ultimatum?”
Maggie felt the colour rush to her cheeks and her eyes glittered with anger. “Yessss...” she hissed. “And I’m still trying to figure out why he thinks he has the right to ultimatum me about – anything!”
Sarah regarded her thoughtfully for a moment.
“Well... he explained what happened – and apologised... his divorce has gone through and he’s... single again...” she paused so that Maggie could get over her snorting coughing and general angry mutterings. “And you’ve had him grovelling for months now...”
“And don’t you think he deserves it! After lying to me like that?” Maggie demanded heatedly.
Sarah sighed. “Maybe... a little...” she murmured soothingly. “But it’s time for you to make a decision I think Maggie.” She finished sternly.
“Hah! You sound just like him – with his damned ultimatum!”
“Perhaps... but I think you’re just scared Mag’s… I think you’re hiding behind your anger so that you don’t get hurt again. I think it’s time for you to take another chance on Pete... or cut him loose for good!”
The colour drained from Maggie’s face at the thought of never seeing Pete again, and Sarah stood up to grasp her friend’s arm.
“Are you okay?” she demanded urgently.
Maggie felt herself shoved into a chair and nodded her head dizzily.
“I just skipped breakfast this morning – I knew it would be a mistake!” Maggie muttered defensively.
“Hmm…” Sarah disappeared into their kitchen for a moment and came back with a glass of clear liquid. “Here… drink this,” she ordered firmly.
Maggie sat and sipped at the cool refreshing water, as Sarah turned to take off the snowy white dress.
“You’re going to look absolutely stunning Sarah!” Maggie suddenly murmured – almost enviously. “Sam won’t know what’s hit him!”
Sarah gave a little giggle as she draped the gown over the hanger and hooked it over the wardrobe door, and then turned to slip into her pretty but now seemingly dull, blue summer dress.
“Well, as long as he turns up and doesn’t chicken out – then I’m happy with that!” she said lightly, and Maggie glanced at her quickly – looking for signs of doubts and anxiety.
All she saw in her friend was amusement and happiness – and once again she felt a little twinge of jealousy – for her friend’s security in her man.
“You know… you never did tell me what happened between the two of you…” Maggie mused thoughtfully.
Sarah gave a happy little sigh as she sat on the edge of her bed.
“Well you know how we met up again on the train…”
The train journey seemed to fly and all too soon it was time for them to get off… which of course meant that Sam had to let go of her… something which was hard for the both of them.
“I’ve missed you so much these past few weeks…” Sarah whispered tearfully as he stood up and helped her to her feet as well.
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and his quick smile was more of a grimace.
“No more than I’ve missed you – I think!”
They walked hand in hand out of the train station, and Sam held up his hand to hail one of the taxis parked just down the road.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Sarah’s little house…
Sarah giggled suddenly and Maggie looked at her expectantly.
“Don’t tell me… let me guess…” she grinned, “your whole family were waiting for you?”
Sarah shook her head, but the twinkle in her eyes merely deepened.
“No… no one was waiting, but someone must have seen us, because five minutes after we got to my house, there was this loud thumping on the door…”
“Now who on earth could that be?” Sam asked surprised, he looked across at the love of his life and held up a hand to stop her. “You wait in here Sarah; while I go and see who it is.”
So Sarah stood in the kitchen straining her ears to hear, as Sam went and opened her front door.
“Hello!” she clearly heard Sam’s surprised slightly anxious greeting.
She heard another masculine voice, which though quiet – she knew all too well…
She walked to the kitchen door as Sam admitted their guest.
“Dad?” she greeted worriedly. “Is everything alright?”
“Hello Sarah… I just want to have a quiet word with your young man here…” her father told her determinedly.
“Well… of course… come into the living room…” she stepped forward to join them, but her dad held up his hand, much like Sam had done moments earlier.
“You wait here Sarah… we shan’t be long,” her father ordered firmly.
“Yes daddy…”
“So what happened?” Maggie demanded anxiously.
Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not entirely sure… they sat in my living room for a full ten minutes… and when they came out, Sam walked my dad to the front door and shook his hand…”
“And just you remember what I told you,” her dad said brusquely, he looked past Sam, to where Sarah was standing anxiously.
“I’m off now Sarah… your mother expects you both to visit her tomorrow afternoon.”
“Yes daddy,” Sarah found herself saying again.
Her father suddenly grinned up at Sam. “You see,” he murmured softly so that only Sam could hear. “A firm tone works wonders… with women and children alike… say what you mean, and always mean what you say, and they will all comply.”
“I’ll try to remember that… sir,” Sam replied a little stiffly.
He closed the door on Sarah’s father and turned to Sarah.
“Apparently they all heard how I’d mistreated you,” he told her regretfully.
“What? I… I swear to you Sam… I never said a word!” she stepped towards him anxiously.
Sam sighed softly as he took her in his arms. “No… that was what worried them so much… you just wouldn’t confide in anyone… and you were hiding away in London…”
“But I told them!” she cut in. “I told them about Maggie and how I didn’t want to leave her on her own.”
“Well obviously that was the problem, it was suddenly ‘I’ can’t do this, and ‘I’ don’t want to do that! It was the absence of ‘we’ that worried them, and since you were deliberately concentrating on Maggie… and not saying a word about yourself – well you can see how they had a problem with that – can’t you?”
“So what did dad say to you?” she mumbled into his chest.
Sam’s arms tightened around her for a moment. “It was just a quiet man to man thing…”
She felt him shrug and peered up at him uncertainly.
“I’m sorry Sam… it never occurred to me that they would put two and two together and come up with six!”
His arms tightened around her, and his eyes darkened with passion as his body responded to the contact of hers.
“I suppose it’s nothing less than I deserve… not after the way I sometimes treated you.”
She smiled tearfully at the remembered loneliness, when she thought that she would never see him again.
“Hey don’t be too hard on yourself… after all you are the one who… almost – taught me how to cook!”
They stood holding each other for comfort... but soon the comfort became something more...
Sarah sighed as she remembered how tenderly he’d made love to her.
“What are you thinking?” Maggie asked abruptly as she saw the glow on her friends face.
Sarah blushed as she moved to avoid Maggie’s all Seeing Eye.
“Oh nothing much...”
Maggie sat watching the play of emotions on her face.
“You really love him – don’t you?” she whispered softly.
Sarah blinked at her as she slowly wiped away the memory of what followed with Sam… well almost wiped it away!
“Yes… of course I love him…?” she murmured in surprise. “Isn’t that how you feel about Pete?”
Maggie gave a bitter little laugh. “There’s just too much history between me and Pete… we grew up together… if he hadn’t become such a hunk, he would still be that guy who used to trail after me…”
“Maybe that’s the problem?” Sarah said thoughtfully. “Maybe you need to forget about when you were both younger – and deal with Pete the man… and remember that you are not the same young girl either.”
Maggie blushed uncomfortably. “That’s easier said than done… when he won’t deal with me, as a woman… not a flesh and blood woman anyway…”
Sarah looked at her in surprise. “You mean that the two of you haven’t…?”
Maggie looked away in embarrassment. “No… he wouldn’t… he kept pushing me away before things got out of control…”
Sarah clicked her tongue impatiently at how blind and foolish some people could be.
“But you know why he was like that – don’t you Mags?”
Maggie glanced up but her eyes fell away awkwardly again. “You mean because of his wife – I suppose?”
“Well… yes… I don’t think he felt free to make that sort of commitment to you… maybe he didn’t want you to do something like that – without knowing all the facts about him?”
“It’s just sex Sarah!” Maggie blurted out in frustration. “Why does everyone have to complicate things?”
Sarah laughed ruefully. “I think you’ll find that things get complicated all by themselves!”
Maggie sighed unhappily. “Maybe… but don’t you see Sarah? I can’t commit to someone who I don’t even know that I’m – compatible with!”
Sarah sat looking at her friend in disbelief. Maggie was a confident intelligent woman, and yet on this one issue she just could not seem to see straight.
The solution to her problem seemed so cut and dried…
“Well then you know what you need to do Mags?” Sarah asked almost in exasperation.
Maggie looked questioningly.
“You need to go and seduce him… and then you’ll know that you’re compatible!”
Maggie looked appalled at the idea. “Didn’t I already tell you he kept on pushing me away… why would I open myself up to that kind of rejection again?”
Sarah sighed impatiently. “He was married before Mags…” she laughed suddenly. “I suspect that now… if you were so much as to wink at Pete… he’d probably sweep you off your feet and carry you away!”
Maggie’s eyes lit up with excitement at the idea. “If only!” she gasped.
“Don’t you think it’s worth taking a chance… don’t you think that he’s worth taking a chance on?”
“I want to hold you...” he whispered gruffly. “I want to make love to you so very badly...”
“Oh yes please Sam!” Sarah sighed as she felt the little jolt of excitement.
“But I have to do something else first!” he stated firmly.
Sarah blinked up at him in confusion. “Oh? And what is that exactly?”
He pushed her away gently and then totally floored her, by kneeling solemnly in front of her.
“You are the love of my life Sarah... I want to grow old with you... will you marry me?”
Maggie watched enviously as the emotions played across Sarah’s face... she literally glowed with the love she felt for Sam.
“Sam is such a lucky man!” she murmured softly, “I hope he realises how lucky he is?”
Sarah’s vacant expression fixed back onto Maggie.
“Yes... he does... just as I know how lucky I am – to have him.”
**
And Maggie saw for herself what Sam felt for Sarah when he watched her walk down the aisle to him.
Maggie – as maid of honour, walked down first ahead of the other bridesmaids; and so she had a bird’s eye view of Sam when Sarah first came into view...
*
Pete looked angry and frustrated.
“She just won’t give me the time of day!” he snapped irritably. “I can’t seem to get close enough to her, to try and talk some sense into her!”
“I get the feeling that it’s because you want to talk – that she’s blanking you,” Sam murmured softly.
“Well what the hell else am I supposed to do?” his expression went from annoyed to bewildered, in one breath as he sighed.
“All my life…” he said quietly. “I’ve worshipped her… and at last I thought she was beginning to feel the same?”
“She is… I think… she does.”
Pete looked at Sam with a burning desperate kind of hope. “What do you think I should do?”
Sam grinned wickedly as he held something out to him.
“I’ve a cottage in the Cotswolds…” he murmured. “All nice and quiet… and isolated…”
Pete took the keys from him slowly. “I guess I could invite her down there?”
Sam laughed. “Do yourself a favour Pete… don’t invite her just take her down there… and when you get down there then don’t waste time talking, just…” his grin was positively medieval in its evilness. “just… ‘take her’!”
Pete looked slightly appalled at the idea, but Sam was pleased to notice the glint of excitement there too.
“You really need to forget who Maggie is… and just treat her as a desirable woman…” Sam looked at him pointedly. “You do desire her – don’t you?”
“Well of course I do… otherwise what’s all this for?”
“I think that’s what Maggie is thinking…”
Pete suddenly looked accusingly at him. “Why do I get the feeling that you know something – you’re not telling me?”
“Probably because that’s the case… I am after all married to Maggie’s best friend!”
“And is that how you would treat Sarah?”
Sam chuckled in remembrance. “I did… on more than one occasion!” he said softly.
“And how did Sarah like it?”
Sam looked at him in exasperation. “Who did I just get married to exactly?”
Pete sighed. “Point taken – I guess.”
**
Sarah’s wedding day was everything that she dreamt it could be, and every time that she looked across at her new husband she saw the love that he felt for her.
The day ended with the throwing of the bouquet, and then hurrying to the car so that they could set off on their honeymoon.
There were lots of kisses and hugs all around, and Sam once again found himself engulfed in the female dominated family – as all of his new sister in laws, all came for a kiss and a hug... and some quick words of advice for him – most of it shocking to his ears!
His new mother in law just reached up to hug him tight and begged him to take care of her baby girl.
It could have been a cheesy comment, had she not been quite so earnest about it, and Sam found himself promising gruffly – to do his very best.
**
They had been driving in silence for a little while – when Sarah suddenly gave a regretful sigh.
“Is everything okay?” he asked her as he cast a quick glance across at her before returning his attention to the road in front.
“Yes...” she wrinkled her noise slowly and furrowed her brow. “It’s just that I couldn’t find Mag’s at the end... I never got to say goodbye... and come to think of it – there was no sign of Pete either?”
Sam gave a low chuckle, but didn’t comment at first.
Sarah looked across at him suspiciously. “Do you know something about it, husband of mine?”
He laughed outright and cast another quick sidelong look at her.
“I don’t know anything really... but I have an idea... a suspicion – a hope, of what might have become of our missing couple.”
“Oh... do tell!”
He laughed again at her eager tone, and then told her about his last conversation with Pete.
“And so you gave him the keys to the cottage and some advice?”
“Yep!”
“Oh... I do hope that he listened to you – and acted on it!”
She gave a little giggle. “Poor old Phil is so going to have his hands full... what with taking over the business and keeping his girlfriend happy...”
Sam gave a little scowl as he remembered Maggie’s young cousin – and the way that he used to look at Sarah.
“Well the young fool almost lost the love of his life – just because he couldn’t appreciate what he’d got.”
“Maybe... but it does seem to be a common trait in all of the male species...”
They parked the car at the airport and an hour later they were on their way to their honeymoon destination...
Sam and Sarah spent two idyllic weeks in Rio, and they never grew tired of each other’s company or touch.
They spent a lot of time... a very lot of time, in their room with the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door.
And by the time they came home Sarah was well and truly pregnant – only they wouldn’t discover that fact for a while... and of course Sarah was eager to hear from her friend Maggie...
Would you like to hear about Maggie and Pete?
If you would, then please send feedback, and as always; thanks for reading me!
**Stories now out on Kindle by Ann Corbett -
'All Good Friends’
'A Penny’s worth of Trouble' **
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