A LIFE SO CHANGED
Chapter Sixteen

As Sarah rummaged through her closet two years later, she saw the Ouija board that she had used for the séance. How could it be that it was that long a time ago that she had brought Jack back for ten minutes? It seemed like just yesterday that she was trembling with excitement when she placed her hands on the planchette, calling for him.

She had never tried to do a séance for Cal. True, she never talked about him, but she thought about him constantly. She still didn’t believe that he shot himself because he didn’t want her to take the news too hard. But then again, he was unpredictable. Just because you lost someone close to you didn't mean that you didn't miss them.

The stock crash of 1929 was hitting Rose and Sarah hard. They hardly had any money left because Rose had started investing money in the stock market. Even with Sarah working a job at Richard’s during the day as a cabaret singer–she had decided to stop going to school–ends were hard to meet.

Sarah longed for the day when she turned eighteen. She would inherit the millions Cal left behind and give some to Rose so that she could get a bigger house and money to survive. Luckily for her, Cal had invested in the stock market a few years ago when it was at its peak. Now, in only five months, that would be hers.

What would she do with the money that she had? Would she buy a big house if she and Joey--maybe--got married? How much would she save for her future? How many millions did he leave behind for her?

Cal’s voice couldn’t help but find her way into her mind. "That boy is going to go after your inheritance! He only kissed you at Richard’s because he wants that money. He’s nothing but a gutter rat."

It couldn’t be true. Joey wouldn’t have wasted two and a half years with her just for some money. And besides, they loved each other. Although the future had come up a few times between them, he had never proposed. She wasn’t sure she would want to get engaged at just seventeen, anyway. Not when she had her whole life ahead of her.

Rose had said multiple times that she approved of Joey Dawson, and that whenever she wanted to get married she could. But no, Sarah was independent and had a fire in her, much like Rose had at her age. It was the same one that Joey said he loved, and he said he would always respect anything she said.

She remembered the first time she met Rose. It was raining out and she was freezing, not to mention scared to death about what would happen and how Rose would react. Back then, she was young, vulnerable, and naive. At just fifteen, she was getting over someone who that she thought was her father’s death. Yes, she had overcome it more quickly when she found out that Cal wasn’t who she had thought he was all these years. Yes, it still took a while to get over it, but if she hadn’t found out that he had lied to her, she probably would still be very sad.

At sixteen, she was more stable. She had gotten used to living with Rose, who had treated her with only the best care and stability that Sarah could have ever needed. And the best thing was, Rose had the same attitude towards her today.

At seventeen, Sarah was now trying to figure out her future. Would Joey be in it with her? Where would the world take her? Would she be like Rose, and find true love, like Joey, only to have it taken away from her?

But, to think about your future, you must think about your past. And that’s exactly what she was doing. Oh, how her life had changed...she had grown stronger than she ever thought she could right when she thought she was going to break down. That was partly because of Joey telling her that everything really would be all right, and partly because she knew things couldn’t get much worse than they had when she had turned fifteen. Today, she felt like nothing could break her.

Yes, that was an exaggeration. If someone close to her, like Rose or Joey, died, than, yes, she would most definitely feel as empty and numb as she did two years ago. She prayed that she wouldn’t have to experience something like that for a long time.

"Hi," Rose said.

Sarah turned around and smiled. "Hi. I was just thinking about you."

"You were?" She sat down on the bed next to her.

Sarah nodded. "What’s love like?"

"What’s love like?" Rose repeated. "Well, you’re in love right now. You should know. Why?"

"I think love is like a ghost. Everyone talks about it, some people believe in it, but very few actually experience it."

Yes, Sarah’s life had changed drastically. All for the better, though. Nothing would ever be the same in her life, nor did she want to go back to the life that she had lived before. She just wanted to be what she really was--a Dawson.

The End.

Stories