Chapter 2: Sarah
Sarah's Tale Continued; March 1984.
Early the following evening saw me back at the Weir house, which was in itself unusual; Dave invariably collected me from the Rugby Club where I spent most Saturday afternoons in the winter. Sarah answered the door to my knock and after a quick glance around the hallway I gave her a brief kiss and gently squeezed her left buttock; the response whilst not cold, was certainly disappointing. She turned and walked into the lounge with me following, where whilst ostensibly waiting for Dave and Alistair to get ready for our evening out I desperately tried to catch Sarah's attention without arousing any suspicions in her husband Campbell.
"So where are you lads heading for tonight then?" Cam asked
"Oh, you-know, just around and about." I replied.
"Just going pubbing, or have you got some girls lined-up too?"
"Nothing's arranged, we'll just see who's out"
"And what time are you likely to be back?"
"I've no idea; it depends on where we get to and who we meet"
"Leave him alone Cam. Sarah interjected. "The boys will be back before the cows need milking tomorrow morning and that's all you're really bothered about."
"Rubbish, as a responsible parent it's the safety issues I'm thinking about."
"Don't worry about us Mr. Weir, we'll be OK"
He grinned. "I know that! It's the safety of everyone else that I worry about when you buggers are on the loose. No doubt I'll hear all the gory details of what you've got up to at breakfast time tomorrow"
Sarah interjected once again "Not from Rob you won't, he's got some jobs to do for his dad tomorrow and has to leave early; so make sure that you get him up and away-home when you and the boys go to do the milking Cam"
"OK" Cam replied.
It was the first I knew about any chores at home and whilst Sarah was looking away from me when she'd spoken, the message was clear enough: I wouldn't be welcome in her bed the following morning, so much for 'next time'. I was stunned; I wanted to ask why, but she left the room and with Cam sitting there I could hardly go chasing after her to find out.
After a few more minutes of small-talk with Cam, Dave and Al arrived and we headed out for the evening. Sarah's rejection had left me feeling somewhat out of sorts, but I could hardly explain my reasons to her sons, so I shrugged my shoulders, downed a few beers and thought 'sod-her; let's party' It turned into a fairly riotous evening and was close to 3:00 a.m. before we got back, so when Cam woke me at the same time as Dave and Al early the next morning I was feeling dog-rough; after a reviving coffee with them I headed for home; I didn't even see Sarah.
I wasn't back there again until the following weekend and rather than face Sarah I just sounded the horn and waited for Dave in the car. Dave waved from his bedroom window; signalling that he'd be a few more minutes and that I should come in. I responded in the negative, signalled for him to hurry-up and started flicking through a motorbike magazine that was on the back-seat. Thirty seconds later, the passenger-door opened and Sarah climbed in beside me, I was so surprised that I dropped my magazine; she must've come around the side of the house via the back door.
"Not coming in to say hello?" she asked
"Erm. No. We're already late so I thought if I stayed here; it would make Dave hurry up"
"You'll be lucky; when has Dave ever hurried for anything" We both smiled; his tardiness was legendry.
"There's always a first time"
Sarah cocked her head to one side and proffered a small smile "And you're just sulking because there's not been a second time"
I looked away from her "No, why should I be?"
"No reason at all, I've just not seen you for almost a week; so I thought you might be avoiding me"
"Of course not, I've just been busy"
"With Jenny Laing?"
I continued to focus on a sycamore-tree beyond the windscreen "That's none of your business."
"True enough and even if it were; as a gentleman you'd never tell"
"Exactly" I still wouldn't look at her.
"And as I told you last week, what you do and apart from Angie and Princess Leia, who with; doesn't bother me.
That comment got my attention and I turned toward her for the first time.
"Though you might appreciate some advice regarding young Miss Laing?"
"What sort of advice?"
She smiled again; this time warmly "Are you meeting her this evening?"
"No, we're heading up to Lancaster"
"Then it'll keep until tomorrow morning."
I quickly glanced toward the house; seeing nobody I stretched out my left hand toward her; but seeing the smile begin to fade from her eyes I stopped and withdrew it. "I look forward to the conversation"
Sarah's smile was back "Not as much as me; remember it's my turn"
Before I could manage a reply, the door was opening and Sarah was climbing out "if anyone saw us, I was enquiring about your grandma's twisted knee; OK?"
I just nodded and whilst I returned to my magazine, I didn't even see the words.
It wasn't a memorable night, other than for the fact that when Cam, Dave and Alistair were heading out to start work the following morning; I was wide awake, albeit pretending otherwise. I'd been relegated back to the lounge settee for the night, so was forced to listen with increasing impatience to their early morning chatter; whilst thinking 'just go and milk your fucking cows!'
Within seconds of them leaving the house I was out of my pit and fairly bounding up the stairs; I hesitated for a moment as I reached Sarah's bedroom door; it was slightly ajar so I pushed it open and stepped through. Sarah was walking out of the shower-room, fastening a robe around herself and apparently naked otherwise, she looked up as I moved towards her with my arms outstretched but she made no move to reciprocate until I was almost upon her; when she took a pace back and gave me the hardest slap to the face I'd ever suffered "Don't ever come into my bedroom uninvited! She screamed "and you stink like a brewery; don't you know where the bathroom is?" Sarah turned on her heel, returned to her shower-room and slammed the door behind her. I was stunned and slunk away; initially angry at her for seeming to lead me on and then knock me back once more; but at the same time having to accept that I probably did smell of last nights beer and that it might've been polite to have knocked at her door before entering; I'd just been so damned eager for her! And now I'd blown it; knowing that it was my own impatience to blame made that even worse. I retreated to the bathroom and took a shower, whilst trying to think of how I might engineer another opportunity to win her around; then wrapped in a towel, I slipped quietly past Sarah's door and headed back downstairs to collect my things and head for home; the idea of seeing her across the breakfast table this morning was not appealing.
I was half-way down the stairs when I heard a door open above me and the sound of Sarah's voice "Going somewhere?" she asked.
I stopped but didn't look back "I, I've got some jobs to do for my dad" was my mumbled reply.
"Now that's not very original is it? Nor is it very nice to just sneak away without saying goodbye."
I still didn't dare to look at her "I know and I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me and perhaps give me another chance sometime?"
"Not if you can't be trusted to make good on your promises I won't"
"What promises?" I'd started to descend again; I just wanted to be out of there.
"Well last Saturday morning you promised that you'd concentrate on my pleasure 'next time' and last night you promised that next time would be 'this morning' didn't you?"