Page 86 of The Things That Hold Us

“Aw. Well it doesn't matter either way, he seems like an amazing dog.”

I nod my head in agreement. “He is. I haven't had him for very long, so we're still learning each other.”

“Well, from what I can tell he seems very comfortable with you. That's a good sign.”

I smile and look at Pudding, who looks like he’s in absolute heaven.

“So, how long have you lived here?” I ask Sarah.

She looks around the house, then back at me.

“We’ve been here about 6 years now. We bought the house when Hazel had just turned 4.” She has a nostalgic look in her eye, and I suddenly feel bad for asking.

“I’m sorry,” I start, “I didn't mean to pry into your life, I was just curious.”

She waves a hand, dismissing my apology, “Oh gosh no, you're ok. I was just thinking back to how tiny my girl was. And now she’s off having slumber parties with friends.”

I frown, trying to sympathize with her, but I have no clue what she’s feeling.

“I bet it's tough. Watching your baby grow up.”

“It really is. They say time flies when you have kids, and they weren't joking one bit.”

She’s quiet for a second, then says, “Anyways. We bought the house when she was 4, and my ex husband was deep into his affair with my then best friend. We got divorced a few months later.”

“Oh. Wow. I’m so sorry.”

She waves a hand again, “It’s nothing to be sorry about. As far as I’m concerned I got lucky getting away from him when I did. It’s just a shame he didn't stick around for Hazel.” she pauses, looking over at their family pictures. It’s just her and Hazel.

“I was willing to work with him, and have a good co parenting relationship, but he said if we weren't together, there was no point. I think that’s what hurt the most.”

I can't even imagine a man doing that. How could you not want to stick around for your own child? That just baffles me.

Before I can comment on it, she says, “I’m going to grab our snacks, you pick a movie.” she points to the shelf by the tv.

“All of my DVDs are on that shelf. Pick whatever as long as there’s a handsome man in it.”

I laugh as she gets up, and then head over to the shelf to pick a movie.

She has some good choices, but the one that catches my eye is ‘Pride and Prejudice’ . I pull it out of its case, make sure the disc isn't scratched, and notice how worn the entire casing is. It looks well loved.

As I insert it into the dvd player, she comes back in and sees the case in my hand.

“Ah, a classic. This was my favorite movie to watch growing up.”

“Mine too. Only I never had anyone to watch it with me, so I just cried alone.”

She laughs, “I only had Logan to watch it with. He hated seeing me watch it by myself and end up crying by myself, so everytime I would put it on, he’d join me.”

My heart warms at the image of Logan as a brother. I love getting to hear what he was like as a kid.

“That was very sweet of him. Most men won't watch this movie. They say it's boring.”

She smiles, and sits back down on the couch.

“The best part is he actually ended up liking the movie, and looked forward to watching it.”

“Did he really?”

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