Thank You
By: Miriam
For: Sarah
A Venus Crew Production

The blaring beep of her alarm clock made Sarah jump.  She sighed and rolled over to check the time.  '6:00..' She thought.  'great...'  Pulling herself out of the bed, she stumbled into the kitchen to put some tea on.  Sarah needed something warm to rejuvenate herself after last night's party.  She sighed again, frowning this time, as she sat down at the kitchen table, gazing over the morning paper's headlines. 

"Gruesome Crash, Three Dead." Sarah read outloud.  "Break-in Results in Death.  How's that for good morning cheer?"  Her teapot whistled and she got up to pour herself a cup of the steaming beverage.  She sat back down to read the paper, pushing the mug of tea to her side.  The articles were depressing, filled with horrible details about each of the situations.  Sarah felt her stomach turning.  She reached for her tea to calm it down.

*****
my tea's gone cold, i'm wondering why i got out of bed at all
the morning rain clouds up my window and i can't see at all
and even if i could, it would be all grey...
*****

Sarah's hand wrapped around the already-cool mug, and she frowned.  'Cold tea and a flipping stomach..yuck.'  She stood up and quietly made her way through the dark house.  Pushing open the bathroom door, she silently prayed that the loud squeak wouldn't wake her husband.  She knew how important his sleep was; he worked the night shift, and was almost always tired.  Sarah sighed as she felt the silence echo around her.  The old door hadn't woken her husband.  Some days, she wished that he would get promoted to the day shift, so that they could see each other more and wouldn't have to worry about being quiet while the other was sleeping.  She knew, though, that the night shift paid more, and they desperately needed the extra money.

Walking into the bathroom, she moved towards the window, to shut the shades so the neighbors couldn't watch her showering.  She glanced out before pulling the yellowed curtains closed.  The sky was a dark grey, a storm threatening, and she couldn't see much past the neighbor's yard. 

"Great.." Sarah muttered, "Even the weather agrees with me."  She climbed into the shower and let the warm water wash away all of her miseries.  Sarah stepped out, feeling a little bit more refreshed.  The feeling promptly ended as she noticed the dirty condition that the bathroom was in.  Shuddering, she spoke a little too loudly.  "Doesn't anyone ever clean this bathroom?"  She clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized how loud she had been speaking.  Grumbling, she made her way into the bedroom she shared with her husband and quietly got dressed.  Sarah kissed him on the cheek before returning to the bathroom to put on her makeup and get ready for another workday.

*****
But your picture on my wall
reminds me that it's not so bad, it's not so bad
*****

Sarah checked her watch as she quickly walked down the small hallway in her apartment.  "Late again...my boss is gonna kill me."  She walked back into the kitchen one last time, noticing the cold cup of tea on the table.  She dumped it down the sink, then sifted through the pile of mail on the table.

*****
i drank too much last night, got bills to pay, my head just feels in pain
*****

"Bills, bills, catalogue, letter.."  She trailed off as she looked through the rest of the mail.  At the bottom of the pile was a small, official-looking pink slip of paper.  As she read it over, her heart sank.  "Eviction notice?  This can't be..what are we going to do?  We don't have the $500 that we need..."  Sarah sank down into a nearby chair, shaking with sobs that she fought to contain.  After a few minutes, she wiped away the tears and mascara streaks.  "Maybe if I work overtime.." she thought outloud.  Her breath shook as she took deep breaths to calm herself.  The hopelessness of the situation hit her again, and she fought to keep herself composed.  'It's not going to help to just sit here.  I have to get to work before I'm late.'  She swallowed a Tylenol to fight off the headache she was getting and the
ache she felt all over her body from dancing last night.

*****
i missed the bus and there'll be hell today, i'm late for work again
and even if i'm there, they'll all imply that i might not last the day
*****

Sarah ran towards the bus stop, hoping to get under the covered benches before the sky opened up.  She rounded the last corner and noticed the bus pulling away from the stop.  "Great!" She groaned, throwing her hands into the air.  "Now I'll really be late to work.."  Sarah sighed as she made her way towards the bench, preparing herself to wait twenty minutes until the next bus came.

*

Thirty minutes late, Sarah ran into the office building.  As the elevator door opened on her floor, she was greeted by her angry boss, tapping his watch impatiently.

"Thirty minutes late, Ms. Clift.  If this happens again, I'll have to fire you.  You know the saying, 'three strikes, you're out'?" Her boss, Scott Michaels, reprimanded.
Sarah walked out of the elevator and towards her desk, with Scott following.  "I'm so sorry, Mr. Michaels.  I really am.  It's just that I missed the bus this morning, and I had to wait for the next one.  I don't have money for a taxi; I need all the spare change I can get.  And I've had the worst morning. My husband and I are getting evicted by the end of the week unless we can come up with $500."  Sarah had reached her small office cubicle.  "Listen, I really am sorry.  Let me make it up to you.  I'll work overtime, ok?  Anything, just don't dock my pay...I really need it."  Sarah pleaded.

"Fine.  Work overtime, but I'm not paying you for it.  You missed a half hour, so work an hour overtime.  Understand?"  Sarah smiled gratefully and Mr. Michaels turned and strode away.

"Pompous egomaniac."  Sarah cursed under her breath.  She sat down at her desk and began working quickly.

*****
and then you call me and it's not so bad, it's not so bad
*****

A few hours later, Sarah stopped typing and reached for her coffee mug.  She needed her ten minute break and a cup of warm coffee to keep her going for the rest of the day.  Filling her coffee mug in the small kitchen-esque area of the office, she saw her boss making his way over to her.

"So, Ms. Clift, taking a break already?  Don't you have a lot of work to make up?" Mr. Micheals smiled evilly at her.

"Oh shove it, Scott."  Sarah had reached her patience limit, and was pushed over the top by her boss's attitude.  "Give me a break, ok?  I've been working for you for two years, and have only been late twice.  I've already made up all the work I need to, and I apologized for being late.  Leave me alone, ok?  Lord, why do you have to be such a jerk?"  She slammed the coffee pot back onto the heating plate and turned, walking away briskly.  After a few seconds, Sarah turned back to the man she loathed.  "And why do you insist on calling me 'Ms. Clift'?  I've been married for a year now, and I'd appreciate it if you acknowledged my husband.  You only make yourself sound jealous by insisting on calling me by my maiden name."

When she returned to her desk, she saw that the phone was ringing.  "Hello, Martin Enterprises.  How may I help you?"

"Sarah?" Her husband's voice floated over the phone lines.  "Is that you?"

"Yea, it's me."  Sarah could feel a large grin growing on her face.  "I'm on phones today; Joanie is sick.  But how are you, and what are you doing up?"

"A fairy woke me when she kissed my cheek this morning, and thinking of her has kept me awake all day."  Her husband murmured over the phone.  "I miss you, Sarah.  We need to spend some real time together.  Listen, I'll take off work tonight and you can come home early.  We'll spend all night together."

*****
i want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life
oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life
*****

"Oh, Joey, don't do that for me.  We need the money...Did you see the eviction notice in the mail?  How can you take off work when we are so close to being homeless?"  Sarah worried.

"Don't worry baby, I've got some vacation hours racked up.  Listen, just come home as soon as possible.  I'll be waiting for you.." 

Joe was about to hang up when Sarah interrupted him.  "But I have to work overtime... I came in late today, and my boss The Jerk wants me to stay an
hour late.  I'm so sorry sweetie, maybe we should reschedule?"  Sarah smile fell off her face.  She could feel him pause for just a second before he began talking again.

"That's ok.  It will give me more time to make dinner."  Sarah could tell Joey was smiling, pleased at being able to figure out how to make her happy, regardless of the situation.  She sighed happily, and agreed to rush home as soon as she got off work.  They both said their good-byes and hung up when Sarah realized her break was almost over.  For the next five and a half hours, Sarah worked diligently, finishing up more than her share of the work.

She rushed home, running through the rain, instead of taking the bus.  The raindrops sliding down her skin made her feel alive and young again; they washed off all of her worries and hardships, leaving a promising future ahead of her and a strong desire to get home as soon as she could. 

*****
push the door open, i'm home at last and i'm soaking through and through
then you handed me a towel and all i see is you
*****

Sarah unlocked the door to her apartment and walked into the dark room, wondering where her husband was.  A second later, he walked out of the kitchen, carrying a large, soft towel.

"I thought you would need this.."  He murmured as he looked into Sarah's eyes.  Joey wrapped the towel around his wife and brushed the stray raindrops off her cheeks.  He leaned in and kissed her.  "These last six hours have been the longest of my life."  He gathered Sarah in his arms, hugging her thin frame to him.  He didn't care that she was soaked to the bone, or that his clothes were quickly becoming wet.  All that mattered was her and him, and that they were finally together again.  They looked deep into each other's eyes, and their lips met in a long kiss, one that they had missed for so long.

*****
and even if my house falls down now, i wouldn't have a clue
because you're near me and
i want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life
oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life...
***

lyrics by Dido "Thank You"
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