Huffman Legacy 2.1: We’ll Be Okay

Sam used the money his father left him to rebuild the house. He tore out his and Izzy’s bedroom wall for the expanded kitchen. With Izzy gone, it didn’t make sense to keep it. And repurposed the old dining room as an office.

At first it was weird sleeping on the same bed his parents had. But it didn’t make sense to keep sleeping in a bunk bed. Plus the bedroom was a lot of wasted space when it wasn’t being used.

Sam smiled as he finished his jog and spied the one item that hadn’t been part of his father’s plan for the house. 

The sauna has been his addition to the place. A perfect place to ease sore muscles after a long day. It was fast becoming his favorite place.

Karen was up when he returned. From the scowl on her face, he could tell she was working on an article for the paper. She hated it when she had to bring work home.

“Hows it going?” he asked heading into the kitchen. He was starving after his run. Maybe there were some leftovers from last night.

“I have no idea how I’m going to finish this,” she sighed and stretched.

Sam cleaned off the table first and poked around in the fridge. A perfect, leftover pasta. He listened to her typing as he ate. He couldn’t help but smile, it felt so domestic, so right. Slowly the typing slowed and then stilled. He looked up and saw Karen was looking at him, a frown on her face. He stopped smiling.

“Your new job starts today, right?” she asked?

Sam nodded. After a year of internships and volunteer work, today he was finally starting his dream job at the WFC. Tending injuries and keeping an eye on the players health.

“Will you be able to come to the appointment with me?” she asked pouring a cup of the tea he’d brewed when he’d woken up. She sat down across from him.

Sam shook his head. “Sorry. It’s right in the middle of my day. But.” he quickly added as he saw the hurt filling her eyes. “I’ll be home early.” He hoped that would stave off one of her pouts. “And text me the moment you know anything.”

Karen still looked hurt but she nodded. It wasn’t like he’d done this on purpose. And he knew she knew how important this job was to him. He gave her a quick kiss and retreated to the shower quickly.

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Karen shook her head watching Sam retreat. She knew he didn’t do it on purpose, but she couldn’t help feeling like he was avoiding her.

Don’t be stupid, she thought. You know how much this means to him. And she did. Sam had been so excited when she’d first raised her suspicions. He’d been half-asleep, but excited once her words had penetrated.And he’d gone to each and every one of her appointments. Today would be the first one he was going to miss. It was supposed to be routine, but it still hurt to know he wouldn’t be there. And she couldn’t help the doubts that began to creep in.  Maybe he thinks we’re moving to fast? 

They’d only been together less than a year. She’d known from the beginning that Sam would be perfect. He was caring, smart, well-grounded. Unlike most of the kids at school, he’d never been deliberately mean. He might not come from a wealthy family, but he talked to her. She couldn’t help falling in love.

There had been that horrible time when she thought he’d been dating Krysta. She would have died if that had happened. But instead Kyrsta had gone and married Reuben and then Sam’s dad had died.

Karen had done everything she could to support him. Losing a parent was impossible and while her motives might not have been entirely pure. She couldn’t help but support him, especially after his mom died. It was inevidable that he’d come to rely on her.  But maybe he never really loved me. Maybe he just needed me then and now that he has a fancy job he doesn’t.

Karen tried not to cry. It’s pregnancy hormones. She told herself. 

She wanted to believe that.

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