AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"For being honest with me. For trusting me with the truth about your foot. Did you say Owen doesn't know that part of it?"
"No."
She hugged me tighter. I expected her to respond. I expected her to either say that I should tell him or that I shouldn't tell him, but she didn't offer any advice on the matter. She just sat there and held me. I needed it. I didn't realize it, but I actually needed to be held.
I had told her the truth, and her reaction was perfect. She accepted me, and she showed me that by holding me. She had hugged me once or twice since I had been staying with them, but nothing like this. It was amazing and a Godsend on such a level that I wound up telling her I would go to church with them the following day.
Chapter 15
Another three weeks later
Last week, I went with Owen's family to a musical production. It was the Memphis Players, and they were performing Grease. I had seen the John Travolta version once on television, but never the stage production. I hadn't seen a play before, and I was overwhelmed by how much I loved watching it. I had seen video clips of Owen performing, but nothing live.
I sat in the third row, and I was blown away. It was a show the Players had done together before, and they all loved it and had fond memories of performing it.
Sasha lived in Nashville now, and Owen was away in California, but the rest of the group made time, even with their jobs, to perform in the show. Gina was in it in spite of being pregnant. They were a close-knit group, and Owen had kept everyone posted on the fact that I was in town and staying with his parents. He had given them my new number, and most of them had individually reached out to me. They were such a nice group of people. I was excited to meet them, and I went to a dress rehearsal in addition to the show.
Owen couldn't make it. I kept thinking he would surprise us all and show up for the performance, but he didn't. He was busy with the movie, and we all understood. The musicalwas absolutely amazing, though, and it was an overwhelming experience meeting everyone.
I wasn't sure what Owen had told them about me, or how much information they had about my childhood, but they were all so nice and welcoming that I knew he had told them that he liked me. I definitely got the impression that they thought I was involved romantically with Owen. Gina was the only one who had said something directly about it, and it was a passing comment that I acted like I didn't hear. I played it cool, but I wanted them all to assume Owen and I were together.
We talked about everything on the phone. I ended up telling him about Stanley the same night I talked to his mom. He was protective of me, and he wanted to press charges against him, but I didn't want that. It had been six weeks, and no one from Montana was pursuing me. They could find me easily enough if they wanted to, and I hadn't heard from any of them. Part of me felt like my mom was misled in the situation and that I would want to work at reconciliation once Stanley died, but I needed some time to heal.
It had only been six weeks since I had left Montana, but I felt like I had done a lot of that already. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to find independence. That's why I was so happy that I earned my keep with the Atkinsons by working at their clinic. I wanted to make a difference there and to know in my heart that I could make it on my own at a regular job. The process was easier said than done with my leg in a boot, but today was the big day that I would lose it for good.
I had been weening myself off of it, and today was my final session of therapy with it.
It went well, and I got the green light from the boss man to put the boot in the closet.
Charlie Atkinson hugged me after our session. He still planned on working with me to continue my healing and get meback to one hundred percent. He didn't hug me because we were saying goodbye, he was just proud that I could ditch the boot.
He looked me in the eyes and gave me a long talk about my work ethic and how proud he was to see how I had healed so much physically and emotionally since I had been in Memphis. No one was around in the clinic when he said that to me and I was glad because I teared up. I couldn't help it. I never had a good father figure, and the whole thing felt unexpectedly emotional for me. He hugged me again and then he made a light-hearted comment about how impressed he was that I had graduated 'broken ankle school' with flying colors. He thanked me for everything I had been doing around the clinic, and I thanked him profusely for the job and the living situation.
We worked it out a couple of weeks ago, and I moved out of the house and into an apartment that was on their property, attached to a garage. I signed a year lease on it for way too little money. I had my own kitchen and washer and dryer, and I didn't feel like I was invading their privacy at all. They took money out of my paycheck for it, but not enough.
This whole situation was such a gift. The only thing that would have made it better was if Owen had been in Memphis with me. He and I had gotten even closer lately. I had been able to talk to him on the phone every day. I was so grateful and indebted to him that he had this special place in my heart. Plus, I just loved him. I loved his personality. I loved his looks, talent, and drive. I loved his positive outlook on life, and I loved his persistence and decisiveness. And now I had grown to love his family and friends. I couldn't wait for him to return.
He would be done with the whole movie in one more month. I really wished he was here tonight because I was a little out of my element. A big group of his friends from the Memphis Players were going out to dinner tonight, and they had invited Caroline and me to go.
One of their friends, Sasha, was married to Warren Manning, a famous country music singer. Sasha and Warren were here for the weekend, and they had set up a dinner for us all.
The timing was awesome because I would not have to wear the boot. In fact, I was wearing a new denim dress and some shoes that I had bought with my first paycheck. It was all stuff on clearance at the mall, but I felt great in it, and I was excited to have something new to wear.
Caroline and I rode there together to the restaurant. "Sasha is August's sister. Have you met Sasha and Warren?" she asked me as we were on our way inside. It was an Italian place named Al Forno.
"I met August at the dress rehearsal, and your brother has told me all about Sasha and Warren, but no, I haven't met them."
"He's really down to earth. I love Owen's friends. If I had any talent whatsoever, I would do those plays."
"You have a lot going on as it is with school."
"I know. I really respect these people for the work that goes into plays. I've helped Owen memorize his lines before, and it's just… it's not my thing. I have to memorize a lot for school, and that stuff makes sense to me. Lines, however, I just get mixed up and turned around within the script."
"I've never tried to do anything like that before," I said. "I was homeschooled, so I didn't have school plays or anything like that. I've never even had to do any kind of public speaking."
"Do you think you would like it?" she asked. She looked at me, and I shrugged and smiled, shaking my head to tell her I had no idea.
We had approached the front of the restaurant by then, and I reached out to open the door. We walked in together, and Caroline took over, talking to the hostess and telling her we were there with Warren Manning. The hostess said the reservationswere under Malcolm Shepherd. I knew Malcolm well. He was the one we called Shep. I worked with him every day at the clinic. I had met his wife for the first time at the dress rehearsal last week, and she was as pleasant as I thought she would be.
