“Just forget he ever existed!” Eleanor looked like she wanted to say more, but Bill took her by the arm and firmly led her toward the parking lot. Eleanor went reluctantly, putting on a show of grief again as they walked away.
“Bill!” she whined. “You know exactly what kind of girl she is. She’s completely wrong for our Mike. I can’t believe she had the nerve to show up today.” “What can we do, Eleanor? He’s the one who chose her,” Bill said defensively.
“Men,” she muttered. “You all think with your hearts instead of your heads.” Sarah stood nearby, hearing every word. Her heart sank at the sheer injustice of it. She had no idea why Eleanor hated her so much; she had never done anything to deserve such vitriol.
She and Mike had been together since high school. By junior year, they were inseparable. It was a clean, honest kind of love. Mike would walk her home every day, and they spent their summer evenings talking for hours on the porch of her mother’s small house.
They were responsible kids; their first real kiss didn’t even happen until months into the relationship. Mike treated her with a level of respect that was rare for boys his age. Sarah felt safe with him, and their relationship was the one bright spot in her life. They ignored the small-town gossip, knowing their bond was real.
On graduation night, they slipped away from the loud parties to sit by the river. They talked about the future until the sun came up, making plans for a life together. They didn’t care about the whispers behind their backs. They were young and in love.
Mike treated Sarah like a treasure. After graduation, they wanted to get married right away, but Mike’s family stepped in. While Eleanor had tolerated the “high school phase,” she wasn’t about to let it become permanent. She started whispering in Mike’s ear, telling him he had his whole life ahead of him and shouldn’t tie himself down.
Bill just nodded along, as he usually did. Eleanor held a prestigious position as a senior official at the City Planning Office, while Bill was a long-haul trucker. What bothered Eleanor most was Sarah’s background—she was a quiet girl from a struggling home, raised by a single mother.
Sarah’s mother, Martha, had returned to town years ago, pregnant and alone, and never spoke of the father. She worked as a local seamstress, taking in repairs and making costumes for the high school theater. Naturally, the ambitious Eleanor Miller had no desire to be in-laws with a seamstress. She already had her eye on Courtney, the Mayor’s daughter…
